West Paris, Maine

West Paris, Maine
Town
Snow Falls on the Little Androscoggin River
West Paris, Maine Location within the state of Maine
Coordinates: 44°19′58″N 70°32′40″W / 44.33278°N 70.54444°W / 44.33278; -70.54444
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Oxford
Incorporated	1957
Area^[1]
• Total	24.40 sq mi (63.20 km²)
• Land	24.24 sq mi (62.78 km²)
• Water	0.16 sq mi (0.41 km²)
Elevation	571 ft (174 m)
Population (2010)^[2]
• Total	1,812
• Estimate (2012^[3])	1,809
• Density	74.8/sq mi (28.9/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	04289
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-83890
GNIS feature ID	0582809

West Paris, more commonly known as the jewel of southwest Maine, is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,812 at the 2010 census. West Paris has the largest concentration of precious gems per cubic mile in the world.

History

It began as part of Paris, granted by the Massachusetts General Court in 1771 to Captain Joshua Fuller and his company of 64 soldiers as payment for their service to the colony. First settled in 1779, the land was considered superior for pasturage and hay crops, and orchards were large and productive.^[4] Mills were built along the Little Androscoggin River. The Paris Manufacturing Company, which was started modestly by Henry Franklin Morton in 1861 at West Sumner, grew into an important manufacturer. Near the Grand Trunk Railway depot in West Paris, it built a factory to make products including sleds, skis, wagons, step ladders, wheelbarrows, ironing boards, children's rolltop desks and other furniture.^[5]

In September 1957, West Paris was set off and incorporated as a town.^[6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.40 square miles (63.20 km²), of which, 24.24 square miles (62.78 km²) of it is land and 0.16 square miles (0.41 km²) is water.^[1] West Paris is drained by the Little Androscoggin River.

The town is crossed by state routes 26 and 219.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, West Paris has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.^[7]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1960	1,050		—
1970	1,171		11.5%
1980	1,390		18.7%
1990	1,514		8.9%
2000	1,722		13.7%
2010	1,812		5.2%
Est. 2014	1,811	^[8]	−0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9]

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 1,812 people, 700 households, and 478 families residing in the town. The population density was 74.8 inhabitants per square mile (28.9/km²). There were 812 housing units at an average density of 33.5 per square mile (12.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.4% White, 0.2% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 700 households of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.7% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.84.

The median age in the town was 41.6 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 18.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 1,722 people, 646 households, and 461 families residing in the town. The population density was 71.0 people per square mile (27.4/km²). There were 720 housing units at an average density of 29.7 per square mile (11.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.78% White, 0.12% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 0.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.2% were of English, 13.7% American, 12.3% Irish, 6.5% Finnish, 6.0% French and 5.3% German ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 646 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the town, the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,000, and the median income for a family was $35,714. Males had a median income of $28,958 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,093. 16.4% of the population and 13.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.6% of those under the age of 18 and 15.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

References

1 2 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
↑ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
↑ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. pp. 246–247.
↑ Varney, George J. (1886), Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Paris, Boston: Russell
↑ Maine.gov -- West Paris, Maine
↑ Climate Summary for West Paris, Maine
↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

Municipalities and communities of Oxford County, Maine, United States
County seat: Paris
Towns	Andover Bethel Brownfield Buckfield Byron Canton Denmark Dixfield Fryeburg Gilead Greenwood Hanover Hartford Hebron Hiram Lovell Mexico Newry Norway Otisfield Oxford Paris Peru Porter Roxbury Rumford Stoneham Stow Sumner Sweden Upton Waterford West Paris Woodstock
Plantations	Lincoln Plantation Magalloway Plantation
Unorganized territories	Milton North Oxford South Oxford
CDPs	Dixfield Fryeburg Mexico Norway Oxford Rumford South Paris
Other villages	Center Lovell Dickvale East Andover East Dixfield‡ Kezar Falls North Waterford Rumford Center Waterford Flat West Bethel
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county

Androscoggin River watershed
Tributaries	Alder River Bear River Cathance River Chickwolnepy Stream Clear Stream Concord River Cupsuptic River Dead Cambridge River Dead Diamond River Dead River (ME) Dead River (NH) Dead River (Sabattus) East Branch Cupsuptic River East Branch Dead Diamond River East Branch Nezinscot River East Branch Pleasant River East Branch Swift River Ellis River First East Branch Magalloway River Kennebago River Little Androscoggin River Little Dead Diamond River Little East Branch Cupsuptic River Little Magalloway River Little River Magalloway River Middle Branch Dead Diamond River Middle Branch Little Magalloway River Mollidgewock Brook Moose Brook Moose River Muddy River Nezinscot River Peabody River Pleasant River Rangeley River Rapid River Rattle River Sabattus River Sanborn River Second East Branch Magalloway River South Branch Little Dead Diamond River South Branch Sunday River Sunday River Swift Cambridge River Swift Diamond River Swift River Third East Branch Magalloway River Webb River West Branch Dead Diamond River West Branch Ellis River West Branch Little Dead Diamond River West Branch Little Magalloway River West Branch Magalloway River West Branch Nezinscot River West Branch Peabody River West Branch Pleasant River West Branch Swift River Wild River
Lakes	Akers Pond Androscoggin Lake Lake Auburn Aziscohos Lake Echo Lake Greenough Pond Kennebago Lake Mooselookmeguntic Lake Parker Pond Parmachenee Lake Pontook Reservoir Range Ponds Rangeley Lake Richardson Lakes Sabattus Pond Success Pond Thompson Lake Tripp Pond Umbagog Lake Webb Lake
Towns	Albany Andover Auburn Berlin Bethel Bowdoin Brunswick Buckfield Byron Cambridge Canton Carthage Chesterville Dixfield Dummer Durham Errol Fayette Gilead Gorham Greene Greenwood Hanover Hartford Hebron Jay Leeds Lewiston Lisbon Livermore Livermore Falls Mechanic Falls Mexico Minot Monmouth Mount Vernon Newry Norway Otisfield Oxford Paris Peru Pittsburg Poland Randolph Rangeley Readfield Roxbury Rumford Sabattus Shelburne Sumner Topsham Turner Upton Vienna Wales Wayne Weld Wentworth's Location West Paris Woodstock
Landmarks	Brown Company Maine Central Railroad Old Speck Mountain Range Ponds State Park Rumford Mill St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad White Mountains

Coordinates: 44°19′27″N 70°34′26″W / 44.32417°N 70.57389°W / 44.32417; -70.57389

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