Southport, Maine

Southport, Maine
—  Town  —
Southport Landing in 1910
Southport, Maine
Location within the state of Maine
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Maine
County Lincoln
Incorporated 1842
Area
 • Total 13.9 sq mi (36.0 km2)
 • Land 5.4 sq mi (13.9 km2)
 • Water 8.5 sq mi (22.1 km2)
Elevation 62 ft (19 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 684
 • Density 127.0/sq mi (49.0/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 04576
Area code(s) 207
FIPS code 23-71955
GNIS feature ID 0582737

Southport is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 684 at the 2000 census. It includes the villages of Southport, West Southport, Cape Newagen, and Squirrel Island.

Contents

History

Cape Newagen, at the southern tip of the island, was an early European fishing outpost. Southport was part of Boothbay until it separated on February 12, 1842.[1] Originally called Townshend after Lord Townshend, the name was changed to Southport in 1850.[2]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.9 square miles (36.0 km²), of which, 5.4 square miles (14.0 km²) of it is land and 8.5 square miles (22.0 km²) of it (61.22%) is water. Southport is on Southport Island in the mouth of the Sheepscot River. The Town of Southport constitutes the whole of Southport Island.

It is crossed by state routes 27 and 238. It is connected by bridge to Boothbay Harbor.

Demographics

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 684 people, 331 households, and 218 families residing in the town. The population density was 127.0 people per square mile (49.0/km²). There were 912 housing units at an average density of 169.3 per square mile (65.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.83% White, 0.58% Asian, and 0.58% from two or more races.

There were 331 households out of which 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 3.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.52.

In the town the population was spread out with 14.6% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 15.4% from 25 to 44, 35.7% from 45 to 64, and 30.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 53 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $38,125, and the median income for a family was $52,750. Males had a median income of $35,500 versus $24,583 for females. The per capita income for the town was $33,481. About 4.2% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

Notable people

References

  1. ^ Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). Doris A. Isaacson. ed. Maine: A Guide 'Down East'. Rockland, Me: Courier-Gazette, Inc.. pp. 325. 
  2. ^ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 310. http://books.google.com/books?id=OcoMAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA9&dq=coolidge%20mansfield%20history%20description%20new%20england%201859&pg=PA310#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

Further reading

External links