Scarborough, Maine
|
|
Scarborough is a town in Cumberland County on the southern coast of Maine. It is located about 7 miles (10 km) south of Portland. Since 1969, the town has had a Council-manager government.
| Contents |
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 143.3 km² (55.3 mi²). 123.6 km² (47.7 mi²) of it is land and 19.7 km² (7.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 13.76% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 16,970 people, 6,462 households, and 4,678 families residing in the town. The population density is 137.3/km² (355.7/mi²). There are 7,233 housing units at an average density of 58.5/km² (151.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 97.34% White, 0.38% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.48% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 6,462 households out of which 35.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% are married couples living together, 7.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% are non-families. 20.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.59 and the average family size is 3.02.
In the town the population is spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $56,491, and the median income for a family is $65,138. Males have a median income of $41,148 versus $31,372 for females. The per capita income for the town is $26,321. 4.0% of the population and 3.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.7% of those under the age of 18 and 3.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Early in the 17th century, John Stratton opened a trading post on Stratton Island, just offshore. Soon after the Massachusetts Bay Colony began expanding, he attracted settlers both to the island and the nearby mainland. On July 14, 1658, Massachusetts granted them a town charter as Scarboro. By 1676, the town had over a hundred houses. But then a series of Indian attacks killed many settlers and destroyed the town. After several attempts at rebuilding and more attacks, the survivors abandoned the site in 1680 and moved to Portland or back to Boston.
Resettlement started in 1702 and several forts and blockhouses were built. Despite some attacks, the second settlement succeeded. By 1730, the area was economically prosperous. Cattle and timber were important local products for export, and available water power encouraged the opening of several saw mills.
Education
- Eight Corners Elementary School
- Pleasant Hill Elementary School
- Blue Point Elementary School
- Wentworth Intermediate School
- Scarborough Middle School
- Scarborough High School
Sports
- Red Storm (formerly the Redskins)
- Interesting note about the Scarborough sports team name: When it was decided to drop the name "Redskins" in favor of something more politically correct, students enrolled in the Scarborough public school system were allowed to vote on a new team name. After all votes had been tallied, the name "Titans" won by a wide margin. However, a few vocal parents decided that titans, figures from Greek mythology, would not be suitable mascots due to the fact that they "just weren't nice." Not eager to spark new controversy, the school board settled on the next most popular name: Red Storm.
See also: Scarborough (CDP), Maine
Famous people
- William King, first governor of Maine
- Rufus King, U.S. Senator from New York and U. S. Ambassador to Britain
- Winslow Homer, noted artist
- Richard deCosta, composer, oneironaut
External links
- Scarborough's Town Web Site (http://www.scarborough.me.us/index.html)
- The Scarborough Public Library Web Site (http://www.library.scarborough.me.us)