Livermore Falls (town), Maine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Livermore Falls is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States with a population of 3,227 as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England City and Town Area.

1 History
2 Notable residents
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Depot Street in 1909

The area was once part of the Abenaki Indian territory called Rokomeko, meaning "great corn place." It would be granted by the General Court of Massachusetts in 1771 as Port Royal, awarded to heirs of veterans who served in the campaign against Port Royal in Jamaica. It was settled in 1786, then incorporated in 1795 as Livermore after Deacon Elijah Livermore, one of the first English settlers. The county line, determined by the Androscoggin River, divided the town. West of the river was Oxford County, and east was Kennebec County. Consequently, East Livermore (which encompassed a quarter of the original Port Royal grant) was set off and incorporated on March 1, 1844. It became part of Androscoggin County on March 31, 1854. In 1930, East Livermore was renamed Livermore Falls.

In the early 19th century, the region was predominantly farmland, with apple orchards and dairies supplying markets at Boston and Portland. It was noted for fine cattle. As the century progressed, gristmills, sawmills, logging, lumber became important industries, operated by water power from falls that drop 14 feet. With the arrival of the railroad in the mid-1800s, Livermore Falls developed as a small mill town. Shoe factories and paper mills, including the Umbagog Paper Fibre Mill, were established. In 1897, the Third Bridge was built across the Androscoggin. It measured 800 feet in length, at that time the longest single-span bridge in New England.

[edit] Notable residents

Louise Bogan, poet & critic

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.4 square miles (52.9 km²), of which, 19.8 square miles (51.2 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it (3.33%) is water. Livermore Falls is drained by the Androscoggin River.

[edit] Demographics

See also: Livermore Falls (CDP), Maine

Third Bridge in 1909

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 3,227 people, 1,322 households, and 835 families residing in the town. The population density was 163.4 people per square mile (63.1/km²). There were 1,502 housing units at an average density of 76.1/sq mi (29.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.27% White, 0.50% Black or African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.03% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population.

There were 1,322 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.95.

Umbagog Mills in 1909

In the town the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,102, and the median income for a family was $33,354. Males had a median income of $30,139 versus $22,381 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,935. About 13.2% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.