Winslow, Maine

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Coordinates: 44°32′33″N 69°36′18″W / 44.5425, -69.605
Winslow, Maine
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Kennebec
Government
- Town Manager	Michael Heavener
Area
- Total	38.7 sq mi (100.3 km²)
- Land	36.8 sq mi (95.4 km²)
- Water	1.9 sq mi (4.8 km²)
Elevation	266 ft (81 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	7,743
- Density	210.1/sq mi (81.1/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	04901
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-86515
GNIS feature ID	0582820
Website: http://www.winslowmaine.org

The Winslow Congregational Church on Lithgow Street

Winslow is a small residential community built along the banks of Maine's Kennebec River. The town sprang up around the protective Fort Halifax which was built in 1754. It was named in honor of General John Winslow. Winslow is located in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,743 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Downtown
3 Demographics
4 Economy
5 Government
6 Education
7 History
8 Facts
9 Historic landmarks
10 Notable Residents
11 References
12 External links

[edit] Geography

Winslow is located where the Sebasticook River flows into the Kennebec River in Central Maine 44°32′32″N, 69°36′18″W (44.542428, -69.605101).^[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 38.7 square miles (100.3 km²), of which, 36.8 square miles (95.4 km²) of it is land and 1.9 square miles (4.8 km²) of it (4.83%) is water.

[edit] Downtown

Downtown Winslow is centered around the merging of two rivers, the Kennebec and the Sebasticook. It is centered around Fort Halifax Park, a public park that extends onto the peninsula between the rivers. This park is the site of Maine's largest fireworks display on July 4. In the park sits a blockhouse, a small part of fort Halifax. The remainder of the fort was slowly dismantled in previous years and the blockhouse itself was swept away in the great flood of 1987, which was caused by an ice jam. It was later restored. Winslow has a large urban residential center, where much of the town's 9,000 residents live.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 7,743 people, 3,268 households, and 2,212 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 210.1 people per square mile (81.1/km²). There were 3,591 housing units at an average density of 97.4/sq mi (37.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.05% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.

There were 4,268 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $39,580, and the median income for a family was $46,725. Males had a median income of $37,116 versus $25,429 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,501. About 3.7% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Economy

Winslow has seen a decline in industry, starting in the 1980s. Now it is primarily a bedroom community. However, some small light industry still exists, and new businesses continue to move into Winslow. Despite this, Winslow's service sector remains limited.

[edit] Government

Winslow has a Town Council government. A Town manager handles day to day affairs.

[edit] Education

Winslow has an independent school department, which provides education K-12. It also has a Catholic grammar school. However, Winslow is also a member of School Union 52, which includes Vassalboro and China as well. However, all this means is that the three towns share a Super indendent. Each town has a separate school board. Winslow recently completed a $9,000,000 High school renovation project.

[edit] History

The original mill, later bought by Scott Paper.

The mill 10 years after the Kimberly Clark closing.

Settlers arrived in Winslow in the early 1700s and built their homes around the protective Fort Halifax on the confluence of the Sebasticook and Kennebec Rivers which provided a major route to transport food, goods, and more settlers. The Winslow Fort Halifax Blockhouse, formerly the nation's oldest wooden structure of its type, was freshly rebuilt after the original was swept down the Kennebec River by raging flood waters on April 1, 1987. Benedict Arnold followed the Kennebec River north, stopping at Fort Halifax in Winslow on his ill-fated attempt to invade Canada in 1775. Thousands and thousands of Irish and French Canadians used the Old Canada Road (now a scenic byway) section of Route 201 during the 19th Century to find seasonal or project employment and later to make the Kennebec Valley region their home. Modern Winslow developed around the Hollingsworth and Whitney paper mill located along the Kennebec River. The mill was later purchased by the Scott Paper Company and the 1995 merger with Kimberly-Clark led to the mill closing in 1997 . Today Winslow has become home to many middle and upper middle class families who work in neighboring communities such as Waterville and Augusta.

[edit] Facts

Scenes from the movie Empire Falls starring Paul Newman, Ed Harris, and Helen Hunt were shot in Winslow.
Winslow is home to the Maine's largest 4th of July Fireworks display.