kids encyclopedia robot

Lincoln County, Maine facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Lincoln County
Pownalborough Courthouse in Dresden.
Pownalborough Courthouse in Dresden.
Flag of Lincoln County
Flag
Map of Maine highlighting Lincoln County
Location within the U.S. state of Maine
Map of the United States highlighting Maine
Maine's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Maine
Founded 1760
Named for Lincoln, England
Seat Wiscasset
Largest town Waldoboro
Area
 • Total 700 sq mi (2,000 km2)
 • Land 456 sq mi (1,180 km2)
 • Water 244 sq mi (630 km2)  35%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 35,237
 • Density 50/sq mi (19.4/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 1st

Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,237. Its seat is Wiscasset. The county was founded in 1760 by the Massachusetts General Court from a portion of York County, Massachusetts and named after the English city Lincoln, the birthplace of Massachusetts Bay Provincial Governor Thomas Pownall.

At its founding, Lincoln County accounted for three-fifths of the state's land, and stretched east to Nova Scotia. Thirteen counties were cut out of this land including Sagadahoc County to the west and a portion of Kennebec County to the north. The county flag is a traditional New England flag, adopted in 1977.

Geography

Boothbay Harbor, summer morning at low tide
Boothbay Harbor

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 700 square miles (1,800 km2), of which 456 square miles (1,180 km2) is land and 244 square miles (630 km2) (35%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Maine by area.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1790 29,733
1800 30,225 1.7%
1810 42,992 42.2%
1820 53,189 23.7%
1830 57,192 7.5%
1840 63,517 11.1%
1850 74,875 17.9%
1860 27,860 −62.8%
1870 25,597 −8.1%
1880 24,821 −3.0%
1890 21,996 −11.4%
1900 19,669 −10.6%
1910 18,216 −7.4%
1920 15,976 −12.3%
1930 15,498 −3.0%
1940 16,294 5.1%
1950 18,004 10.5%
1960 18,497 2.7%
1970 20,537 11.0%
1980 25,691 25.1%
1990 30,357 18.2%
2000 33,616 10.7%
2010 34,450 2.5%
2020 35,237 2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2016 2018

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 34,457 people, 15,149 households, and 9,749 families living in the county. The population density was 75.6 inhabitants per square mile (29.2/km2). There were 23,493 housing units at an average density of 51.5 per square mile (19.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 30.4% were English, 17.7% were Irish, 13.4% were German, 8.6% were Scottish, and 8.5% were American.

Of the 15,149 households, 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.6% were non-families, and 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age was 48.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,678 and the median income for a family was $58,028. Males had a median income of $40,816 versus $31,473 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,003. About 7.7% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Damariscotta River sunset - 20070722 07981
The Damariscotta River near the Whaleback Shell Midden State Historic Site

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated villages

Transportation

U.S. Route 1 passes through the county in a northeast–southwest fashion. North-south Maine state routes, notably Maine 27, Maine 129, Maine 130 and Maine 32 travel north to the interior of the county and south to the peninsulas by the coast.

Until 1958, the Maine Central Railroad ran passenger trains from Portland, along the Rockland Branch from Brunswick to Rockland to the east, three trains a day on days besides Sunday and fewer trains on Sunday. Stations consisted of Wiscasset, Newcastle, Damariscotta Mills, Nobleboro, Winslow Mills and Waldoboro. In Portland's Union Station, these trains made connections to trains to Boston, New York City, Bangor and the Canadian Maritimes. In the final months, service diminished to one daily except Sunday trip in each direction, until finally discontinuing on April 4, 1959.

From 2003 to 2015, the Maine Eastern Railroad offered seasonal excursion service to Rockland, Maine which connected to Amtrak's Downeaster at Brunswick. In October 2017, the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority announced plans to extend one weekend Downeaster round trip to Rockland between Memorial Day and Labor Day beginning in 2018. Intermediate stops would be made at Bath, Wiscasset, and Newcastle. As part of preparation, Amtrak, along with the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, Maine Department of Transportation and the Central Maine and & Quebec Railroad, made a test run of a train on August 14.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Lincoln (Maine) para niños

kids search engine
Lincoln County, Maine Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.