Woodstock, Maine

Woodstock, Maine
—  Town  —
Woodstock, Maine
Location within the state of Maine
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Maine
County Oxford
Area
 • Total 46.8 sq mi (121.3 km2)
 • Land 45.7 sq mi (118.4 km2)
 • Water 1.1 sq mi (3.0 km2)
Elevation 1,017 ft (310 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 1,307
 • Density 28.6/sq mi (11.0/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 04219
Area code(s) 207
FIPS code 23-87355
GNIS feature ID 0582827

Woodstock is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,307 at the 2000 census. The village of Bryant Pond, on State Route 26 in the northern part of Woodstock, is the town's urban center and largest settlement.

Contents

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 46.8 square miles (121 km2), of which, 45.7 square miles (118 km2) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) of it (2.45%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,307 people, 525 households, and 371 families residing in the town. The population density was 28.6 people per square mile (11.0/km²). There were 842 housing units at an average density of 18.4 per square mile (7.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.85% White, 0.15% Native American, 0.08% Asian, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 525 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 106.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,642, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $28,889 versus $22,273 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,698. About 5.5% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

The Last Manual Telephones

Bryant Pond achieved some national fame and media attention beginning in the mid-1970s when its family-owned Bryant Pond Telephone Company became the last hand-crank telephone exchange in operation in the United States. When in 1981 the local company, operating from a two-position magneto switchboard in the living room of owners Barbara and Elden Hathaway, was purchased by the Oxford County Telephone & Telegraph Company, a nearby larger independent company. A movement called "Don't Yank The Crank" was organized by David Perham and Brad Hooper in a valiant but futile effort to keep their beloved crank phones. The effort was not ultimately successful, and the last "crank" calls took place on 11 October 1983, when a modern dial exchange (207-665) was placed in service.

References

External links