York County, Maine

York County
County
York County Courthouse in Alfred
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Maine
Maine's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°26′45″N70°39′48″W / 43.445782°N 70.663216°W / 43.445782; -70.663216
Country	United States
State	Maine
Founded	1639
Named for	York, England [1]
Seat	Alfred
Largest city	Biddeford
Area
• Total	1,270 sq mi (3,300 km2)
• Land	991 sq mi (2,570 km2)
• Water	279 sq mi (720 km2)  22%
Population  (2020)
• Total	211,972
• Estimate  (2021)	214,591
• Density	170/sq mi (64/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.yorkcountymaine.gov

York County is the southwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Maine, along the state of New Hampshire's eastern border. It is divided from Strafford County, New Hampshire, by the Salmon Falls River and the connected tidal estuary, the Piscataqua River. York County was permanently established in 1639. Several of Maine's earliest colonial settlements are found in the county, which is the state's oldest and one of the oldest in the United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 211,972, ^[2] making it Maine's second-most populous county. Its county seat is Alfred. ^[3] York County is part of the Portland–South Portland, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

1622 patent

The first patent establishing the Province of Maine was granted on August 10, 1622, to Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason by the Plymouth Council for New England, which itself had been granted a royal patent by James I to the coast of North America between the 40th and the 48th parallels "from sea to sea". This first patent encompassed the coast between the Merrimack and Kennebec rivers, as well as an irregular parcel of land between the headwaters of the two rivers. In 1629, Gorges and Mason agreed to split the patent at the Piscataqua River, with Mason retaining the land south of the river as the Province of New Hampshire.

Gorges named his more northerly piece of territory New Somersetshire. This venture failed, however, because of lack of funds and colonial settlement. Also failed was a venture by Capt. Christopher Levett, an agent for Gorges and a member of the Council for New England. With the King's blessing, Levett embarked on a scheme to found a colony on the site of present-day Portland. Levett was granted 6,000 acres (24 km²) of land, the first Englishman to own the soil of Portland. There he proposed to found a settlement named York after the city of his birth in England. Ultimately, the project was abandoned, the men Levett left behind disappeared, and Levett died aboard ship on his return to England from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. One part of Levett's scheme did survive: the name of York, which now adorns the county.

The now-decommissioned Fort Levett on Cushing Island in Casco Bay is named for Capt. Levett.

1639 patent

In 1639, Gorges obtained a renewed patent, the Gorges Patent, for the area between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers, in the form of a royal charter from Charles I of England. The area was roughly the same as that covered in the 1622 patent after the 1629 split with Mason. The second colony also foundered for lack of money and settlers, although it survived the death of Gorges in 1647.

Absorption by Massachusetts

In the 1650s the nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony asserted territorial claims over what is now southern Maine, and by 1658 had completely absorbed what is now southwestern Maine into York County, Massachusetts.

The first known and recorded offer for a purchase of land in York County is in 1668, when Francis Small traded goods with the Newichewannock tribe of this area. Their Chief Wesumbe, also known as Captain Sandy, was friendly with Small and warned him of a plot against his life. A group of renegade tribesmen planned on murdering Small instead of paying him with the furs that were owed to him. Small escaped after watching his house in what is now Cornish, Maine, burn to the ground. Small returned and rebuilt. The Chief made up the loss by selling Small all the lands bounded by the Great and Little Ossipee Rivers, the Saco River, and the New Hampshire border. Known now as the five Ossipee towns, the tract included all of Limington, Limerick, Cornish (formerly named Francisborough), Newfield and Parsonsfield.

The large size of the county led to its division in 1760, with Cumberland and Lincoln counties carved out of its eastern portions. When Massachusetts adopted its state government in 1780, it created the District of Maine to manage its eastern territories. In 1805 the northern portion of York County was separated to form part of Oxford County. When Maine achieved statehood in 1820 all of the counties of the District of Maine became counties of Maine.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,270 square miles (3,300 km²), of which 991 square miles (2,570 km²) is land and 279 square miles (720 km²) (22%) is water. ^[4]

Community High Points

Mountain Name	Elevation (feet)	Community
Clark Mountain	1,320	Cornish
Wiggin Mountain	1,300	Parsonsfield
Sawyer Mountain, main summit	1,200	Limington
Sawyer Mountain, north summit	1,200	Limerick
Province Mountain	1,176	Newfield
Fort Ridge, main summit	1,114	Shapleigh
Ossipee Hill	1,058	Waterboro
Hussey Hill	1,051	Acton
Fort Ridge, south slope	1,000	Alfred
Prospect Hill	880	Lebanon
Bauneg Beg Hill	866	North Berwick
Mount Agamenticus	692	York
Mount Hope	680	Sanford
Whitehouse Hill	581	Hollis
Grant Hill	502	Lyman
No name (hill)	385	Buxton
Welch Hill	370	South Berwick
No name (hill)	360	Wells
Clark Hill	360	Dayton
Third Hill	360	Eliot
No name (hill)	300	Biddeford
No name (hill)	240	Arundel
No name (hill)	230	Saco
No name (hill)	223	Kennebunk
6 unnamed locations	200	Kennebunkport
5 unnamed locations	160	Ogunquit
Cutts Ridge	140	Kittery
No name (hill)	138	Old Orchard Beach

Adjacent counties

• Oxford County – north
• Cumberland County – northeast
• Rockingham County, New Hampshire – southwest
• Strafford County, New Hampshire – west
• Carroll County, New Hampshire – northwest

National protected area

• Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	29,078		—
1800	37,896		30.3%
1810	41,877		10.5%
1820	46,283		10.5%
1830	51,722		11.8%
1840	54,034		4.5%
1850	60,098		11.2%
1860	62,107		3.3%
1870	60,174		−3.1%
1880	62,257		3.5%
1890	62,829		0.9%
1900	64,885		3.3%
1910	68,526		5.6%
1920	70,696		3.2%
1930	72,934		3.2%
1940	82,550		13.2%
1950	93,541		13.3%
1960	99,402		6.3%
1970	111,576		12.2%
1980	139,666		25.2%
1990	164,587		17.8%
2000	186,742		13.5%
2010	197,131		5.6%
2020	211,972		7.5%
2023 (est.)	218,586	[5]	3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790–1960 [7] 1900–1990 [8] 1990–2000 [9] 2010–2019 [10]

2000 census

At the 2000 census, ^[11] there were 186,742 people, 74,563 households and 50,851 families living in the county. The population density was 188 inhabitants per square mile (73/km²). There were 94,234 housing units at an average density of 95 per square mile (37/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.56% White, 0.42% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 0.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The most cited ethnicities were English (17.9%), French (14.5%), French Canadian (13.9%), Irish (12.5%), United States or American (9.6%) and Italian (5.1%). 90.84% of the population spoke English and 6.92% spoke French as their first language. ^[12]

There were 74,563 households, of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.96.

Age distribution was 24.80% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males. The median age was 38 years.

The median household income was $43,630, and the median family income was $51,419. Males had a median income of $36,317 versus $26,016 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,225. About 5.90% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.90% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 197,131 people, 81,009 households, and 53,136 families living in the county. ^[13] The population density was 199.0 inhabitants per square mile (76.8/km²). There were 105,773 housing units at an average density of 106.8 per square mile (41.2/km²). ^[14] The racial makeup of the county was 96.4% white, 1.1% Asian, 0.6% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population. ^[13] In terms of ancestry, 22.3% were English, 19.3% were Irish, 9.8% were French Canadian, 8.1% were German, 7.9% were Italian, 5.8% were American, and 5.6% were Scottish. ^[15]

Of the 81,009 households, 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.4% were non-families, and 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 43.0 years. ^[13]

The median income for a household in the county was $55,008 and the median income for a family was $65,077. Males had a median income of $47,117 versus $34,001 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,137. About 5.6% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over. ^[16]

Politics

York County has trended Democratic in the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st century. Although home to the Bush family compound, it only supported the Bush family in one of its four presidential runs (that of George H. W. Bush in 1988). At the same time, it has voted for Republican Senator Susan Collins in all of her reelection campaigns, most recently in 2020.

United States presidential election results for York County, Maine ^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	54,817	42.28%	71,189	54.90%	3,653	2.82%
2016	50,403	44.11%	55,844	48.87%	8,027	7.02%
2012	43,900	40.63%	61,551	56.96%	2,606	2.41%
2008	42,389	38.83%	64,799	59.36%	1,973	1.81%
2004	49,526	45.01%	58,702	53.35%	1,805	1.64%
2000	42,304	44.74%	46,618	49.31%	5,628	5.95%
1996	26,594	32.05%	42,317	51.00%	14,068	16.95%
1992	32,241	34.09%	35,507	37.55%	26,815	28.36%
1988	46,334	59.98%	30,262	39.17%	653	0.85%
1984	43,554	60.43%	28,241	39.19%	275	0.38%
1980	31,412	46.31%	28,279	41.69%	8,146	12.01%
1976	27,380	44.95%	31,996	52.52%	1,540	2.53%
1972	30,452	57.53%	22,464	42.44%	20	0.04%
1968	18,931	38.91%	28,817	59.23%	904	1.86%
1964	13,339	28.10%	34,083	71.80%	45	0.09%
1960	25,763	49.60%	26,171	50.39%	3	0.01%
1956	29,256	62.03%	17,910	37.97%	0	0.00%
1952	27,045	56.74%	20,524	43.06%	95	0.20%
1948	17,819	46.00%	20,554	53.06%	364	0.94%
1944	18,122	45.82%	21,386	54.08%	39	0.10%
1940	16,547	42.59%	22,276	57.33%	32	0.08%
1936	17,827	48.09%	18,017	48.60%	1,226	3.31%
1932	17,301	53.53%	14,760	45.67%	258	0.80%
1928	18,671	64.78%	10,030	34.80%	119	0.41%
1924	16,244	68.17%	6,004	25.20%	1,580	6.63%
1920	13,536	65.77%	6,852	33.29%	192	0.93%
1916	6,375	47.45%	6,854	51.02%	206	1.53%
1912	3,960	30.25%	5,121	39.12%	4,008	30.62%
1908	6,700	59.64%	4,090	36.40%	445	3.96%
1904	7,096	68.41%	2,866	27.63%	411	3.96%
1900	6,949	61.52%	4,046	35.82%	300	2.66%
1896	7,532	66.44%	3,456	30.49%	348	3.07%
1892	6,387	53.20%	5,237	43.62%	382	3.18%
1888	7,255	55.20%	5,576	42.43%	311	2.37%
1884	7,127	51.01%	5,939	42.51%	906	6.48%
1880	7,700	51.23%	7,090	47.18%	239	1.59%

Voter registration

Voter registration and party enrollment as of March 2024 [18]
	Democratic	54,897	36.44%
	Unenrolled	47,915	31.81%
	Republican	41,260	27.39%
	Green Independent	4,736	3.14%
	No Labels	1,166	0.77%
	Libertarian	656	0.44%
Total		150,630	100%

Communities

Cities

• Biddeford
• Saco
• Sanford

Towns

• Acton
• Alfred (county seat)
• Arundel
• Berwick
• Buxton
• Cornish
• Dayton
• Eliot
• Hollis
• Kennebunk
• Kennebunkport
• Kittery
• Lebanon
• Limerick
• Limington
• Lyman
• Newfield
• North Berwick
• Ogunquit
• Old Orchard Beach
• Parsonsfield
• Shapleigh
• South Berwick
• Waterboro
• Wells
• York

Census-designated places

• Alfred
• Berwick
• Cape Neddick
• Cornish
• Kennebunk
• Kennebunkport
• Kezar Falls
• Kittery
• Kittery Point
• Lake Arrowhead
• North Berwick
• South Berwick
• South Eliot
• West Kennebunk
• York Harbor

Unincorporated villages or neighborhoods

• Bald Head
• Bar Mills
• Bedell Crossing
• Cape Porpoise
• East Parsonsfield
• East Waterboro
• Felch Corner
• Ocean Park
• Springvale
• York Beach
• York Cliffs

York County's most populous cities and towns at the 2010 US Census

Biddeford (21,277)	Sanford (20,798)	Saco (18,482)	York (12,529)	Kennebunk (10,798)	Wells (9,589)	Kittery (9,490)
Old Orchard Beach (8,624)	Buxton (8,034)	Waterboro (7,693)	Berwick (7,246)	South Berwick (7,220)	Eliot (6,204)	Lebanon (6,031)
North Berwick (4,576)	Lyman (4,344)	Hollis (4,281)	Arundel (4,022)	Limington (3,713)	Kennebunkport (3,474)	Alfred (3,019)
Limerick (2,892)	Shapleigh (2,668)	Acton (2,447)	Dayton (1,965)	Parsonsfield (1,898)	Newfield (1,522)	Cornish (1,403)
Ogunquit (892)

See also

• History of Maine
• York County, Maine Tercentenary half dollar, 1936 commemorative coin
• National Register of Historic Places listings in York County, Maine

References

1. Yates, Edgar A.P. (June 13, 1928). "Some Maine town names". The Lewiston Daily Sun. p. 4. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
2. "Census - Geography Profile: York County, Maine". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved November 21, 2021.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
5. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
12. "Language Map Data Center". www.mla.org. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
13. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
14. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
15. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
16. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
18. Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions. "Registered & Enrolled Voters Statewide" (PDF). Maine SOS. Retrieved April 9, 2024.

Further reading

• W. Woodford Clayton, History of York County, Maine: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia: Everts and Peck, 1880.

External links

• Official Website of York County
• Maine Genealogy: York County, Maine

43°25′N70°40′W / 43.41°N 70.67°W / 43.41; -70.67