Freeport (town), Maine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Freeport is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,800 at the 2000 census. Known for its numerous outlet stores, Freeport is home to L.L. Bean, the annual Maine Winterfest, and Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park. Both U.S. Route 1 and I-295 run directly through Freeport, the interstate having 3 exits in Freeport.
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[edit] History
Settled about 1700, the town was part of North Yarmouth until set off in 1789. Freeport developed as four villages, all of which are now part of the National Register Harraseeket Historic District:
- Mast Landing -- at the head of tide on the Harraseeket River, timber was shipped from here, particularly for use as masts. The estuary was dammed to provide water power for a gristmill, sawmill and fulling mill, with modest manufacturing and woodworking.
- Porter's Landing -- a community formerly involved in shipbuilding.
- South Freeport -- the largest of the waterfront villages, once with four shipyards. Other industries included fishing, canning and farming. In 1903, the Casco Castle & Amusement Park was built here by Amos Gerald to encourage travel by trolley cars, although the hotel would burn in 1914.
- Freeport Corner -- an inland village of farming and trade. The 1849 entrance of the railroad helped this village develop into a commercial center, which it remains. In the 1800s, fabric was sent from New York and Boston to be made into clothing by local piece workers.
Notable Inhabitants:
- Admiral Donald B. MacMillan, Arctic explorer
- Captain Josiah A. Mitchell, mariner who survived 43 days aboard a longboat in 1866
- Joan Benoit Samuelson, former Olympic gold medalist in women's marathon
- Beth Edmonds, current Maine State Senate President (2006)
Historical Sites & Museums:
- Harrington House (c. 1830)
- Pettengill Farm (c. 1810)
[edit] Media
Freeport is covered by a number of different newspapers including:
- The Portland Press Herald
- The Community Leader
- The Times Record
- Coastal Journal
- The Notes
- The Northern Forecaster
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 120.4 km² (46.5 mi²). 89.9 km² (34.7 mi²) of it is land and 30.5 km² (11.8 mi²) of it (25.34%) is water. Freeport is drained by the Harraseeket River.
Freeport borders Brunswick and Durham to the North, Pownal to the west, and Yarmouth to the southwest. Freeport also shares small borders with Cumberland and Harpswell in Casco Bay. Cumberland and Harpswell are not connected to Freeport by roads, but since Freeport's town border ranges out into Casco Bay, the other town's borders meet Freeport's.
[edit] Education
Freeport has four Public Schools:
- Morse Street School (Elementary Grades K-2)
- Mast Landing School (Higher Elementary Grades 3-5)
- Freeport Middle School (Middle School Grades 6-8)
- Freeport High School (High School Grades 9-12)
Students from the neighboring town of Pownal also attend Freeport High School.
Freeport also has many Private Schools:
- Cricket Hunt School
- Pine Tree Academy (A member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church education system)
- Merriconeag Waldorf School
- L'Ecole Française du Maine (A French immersion school)
- Maine Classical School
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 7,800 people, 3,065 households, and 2,151 families residing in the town. The population density was 86.8/km² (224.8/mi²). There were 3,276 housing units at an average density of 36.4/km² (94.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.22% White, 0.42% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.
There were 3,065 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 22.4% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $52,023, and the median income for a family was $58,134. Males had a median income of $41,703 versus $27,490 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,724. About 4.0% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
