Belfast, Maine
Encyclopedia
Belfast is a city in Waldo County
, Maine
, in the United States
. As of the 2010 census
, the city population was 6,668. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River
on Penobscot Bay
, Belfast is the county seat
of Waldo County
. The seaport has a wealth of antique architecture
in several historic district
s, and remains popular with tourists.
, which each summer visited the seashore to hunt for fish
, shellfish
and seafowl. In 1630, it became part of the Muscongus Patent, which granted rights for English
trading post
s with the Indians
, especially for the lucrative fur trade. About 1720, General Samuel Waldo of Boston bought the Muscongus Patent, which had evolved into outright ownership of the land, and was thereafter known as the Waldo Patent
.
Waldo died in 1759, and his heirs would sell the plantation of Passagassawakeag (named after its river) to 35 Scots-Irish
proprietors from Londonderry, New Hampshire
. Renamed Belfast after Belfast
, Northern Ireland
, it was first settled in 1770, and incorporated as a town in 1773. The village was mostly abandoned during the Revolution
while British
forces occupied Bagaduce (now Castine
). The British military burned Belfast in 1779, then held it for five days in September 1814 during the War of 1812
.
Following the war, the seaport rebuilt and thrived. It was a port of entry
, and designated county seat of Waldo County in 1827, although land would be set off in 1845 to form part of Searsport
. Belfast was incorporated in 1853 as a city, the 8th in Maine. It developed into a shipbuilding
center, producing hundreds of three, four and five masted schooner
s. Materials for wooden boat construction were shipped down the Penobscot River
from Bangor
, the lumber
capital of North America
during the later 19th century.
Shipbuilders became wealthy, and built the Federal, Greek Revival and Italianate mansions and civic architecture for which the city is noted, including the 1818 First Church by master-builder Samuel French, and the 1857 Custom House
and Post Office
by noted architect
Ammi B. Young
. Wooden ship construction would fade about 1900, but with the advent of refrigeration
, the local economy shifted to harvesting seafood
, including lobster
s, scallop
s, sardine
s, herring
s and mackerel
for the Boston and New York
markets.
A county wide connection to the main line of the Maine Central Railroad
at Burnham
33-miles inland from Belfast was established by the largely city-owned Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad with its opening in 1871. For the first 55 years the line was operated under lease by the MEC as its Belfast Branch but its operation reverted to the B&ML on January 1, 1926, when the lease was terminated by the larger road. Regular passenger service ended in 1960, and all operations in Belfast of any kind ceased in 2005, when the main yard was torn up. In 2011 the grounds of the former B&ML main yard and adjacent Stinson Seafood factory became the site of the Front Street Shipyard. The railroad's 1946 vintage engine house was torn down and its site is now occupied by the shipyear's 26,500 sq ft, five story boat building and repair facility.
Shoe manufacture
became an important business. After World War II, however, the Belfast economy was driven by its poultry
industry, including 2 of the state's larger processors, Maplewood and Penobscot Poultry. Waldo County farms supplied the factories with up to 200,000 birds a day. The annual Broiler
Festival became a popular summer event, attracting both local people and tourists. But the poultry business collapsed in the mid-1970s during a national recession
, devastating the city and surrounding towns. In the early 1980s, the defunct chicken-feed silo
s that once fed millions of chickens at the foot of Main Street were demolished. There was an exodus of people seeking employment prospects elsewhere through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. But as they left, artists and young college graduates moved in.
In the early 1990s, credit-card giant MBNA
established a large facility in Belfast. The company was instrumental in establishing the Hutchinson Center of the University of Maine
, an outpost of the University of Maine System
, less than a mile from the main MBNA campus. Jobs provided by MBNA, which was recently acquired by the Bank of America
, helped increase Belfast's population significantly. Movies filmed in Belfast include Peyton Place
(1957), Thinner
(1996) and In the Bedroom
(2001).
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 38.3 square miles (99.2 km²), of which, 34 square miles (88.1 km²) of it is land and 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²) of it (11.26%) is water. Situated on Penobscot Bay
, Belfast is drained by the Passagassawakeag River
.
of 2000, there were 6,381 people, 2,765 households, and 1,692 families residing in the city. The population density
was 187.5 people per square mile (72.4/km²). There were 3,121 housing units at an average density of 91.7 per square mile (35.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.56% White, 0.28% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races
, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
There were 2,765 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,400, and the median income for a family was $43,253. Males had a median income of $30,514 versus $27,518 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $19,276. About 10.0% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
Colors- Royal Blue, and Gold
These three public elementary schools closed down in early first decade of the 21st century:
Schools Part of Belfast's MSAD #34 District as of 2009:
Towns in the SAD #34 District as of spring 2009:
In order to save money, many schools in the state of Maine are forced to combine with other districts. Due to consolidation, MSAD #34 will combine with MSAD #56 in the fall of 2009. The MSAD's will no longer exist; they have been changed as one unit, RSU #20. RSU Superintendent is former Troy A. Howard Middle School and Belfast Area High School Vice Principal Bruce Mailloux. The former MSAD #56 towns of Searsport, Frankfort, and Stockton will be RSU #20.
Towns in the new RSU #20 District as of fall 2009 that are combined with MSAD #56:
It is also said that all high school students of RSU #20 could soon be at one high school.
Waldo County, Maine
Waldo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 38,786. Its county seat is Belfast.Waldo County was founded on 7 February 1827 from a portion of Hancock County...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
, the city population was 6,668. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River
Passagassawakeag River
The Passagassawakeag River is a river in Waldo County, Maine in the United States. From the outlet of Lake Passagassawakeag in Brooks, it runs south and east to its estuary in Belfast, Maine...
on Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River. There are many islands in this bay, and on them, some of the country's most well-known summer colonies. The bay served as portal for the one time "lumber capital of the world," namely; the city of Bangor...
, Belfast is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Waldo County
Waldo County, Maine
Waldo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 38,786. Its county seat is Belfast.Waldo County was founded on 7 February 1827 from a portion of Hancock County...
. The seaport has a wealth of antique architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
in several historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
s, and remains popular with tourists.
History
The area was once territory of the Penobscot tribe of Abenaki IndiansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, which each summer visited the seashore to hunt for fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, shellfish
Shellfish
Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
and seafowl. In 1630, it became part of the Muscongus Patent, which granted rights for English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
s with the Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, especially for the lucrative fur trade. About 1720, General Samuel Waldo of Boston bought the Muscongus Patent, which had evolved into outright ownership of the land, and was thereafter known as the Waldo Patent
Waldo Patent
The Waldo Patent, a letters patent also known as the Muscongus Patent or the Lincolnshire Patent, was an area of land 36 miles square in what is now the U.S...
.
Waldo died in 1759, and his heirs would sell the plantation of Passagassawakeag (named after its river) to 35 Scots-Irish
Scots-Irish American
Scotch-Irish Americans are an estimated 250,000 Presbyterian and other Protestant dissenters from the Irish province of Ulster who immigrated to North America primarily during the colonial era and their descendants. Some scholars also include the 150,000 Ulster Protestants who immigrated to...
proprietors from Londonderry, New Hampshire
Londonderry, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,236 people, 7,623 households, and 6,319 families residing in the town. The population density was 555.8 people per square mile . There were 7,718 housing units at an average density of 184.6 per square mile...
. Renamed Belfast after Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, it was first settled in 1770, and incorporated as a town in 1773. The village was mostly abandoned during the Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
while British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
forces occupied Bagaduce (now Castine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
). The British military burned Belfast in 1779, then held it for five days in September 1814 during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
Following the war, the seaport rebuilt and thrived. It was a port of entry
Port of entry
In general, a port of entry is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has a staff of people who check passports and visas and inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. International airports are usually ports of entry, as are road and rail crossings on a...
, and designated county seat of Waldo County in 1827, although land would be set off in 1845 to form part of Searsport
Searsport, Maine
Searsport is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,641 at the 2000 census. Searsport includes the village of North Searsport. The town is known as "the home of the famous sea captains" and the "Antique Capital of Maine." -History:...
. Belfast was incorporated in 1853 as a city, the 8th in Maine. It developed into a shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
center, producing hundreds of three, four and five masted schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s. Materials for wooden boat construction were shipped down the Penobscot River
Penobscot River
The Penobscot River is a river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's West Branch and South Branch increases the Penobscot's length to , making it the second longest river system in Maine and the longest entirely in the state. Its drainage basin contains .It arises from four branches...
from Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
, the lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
capital of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
during the later 19th century.
Shipbuilders became wealthy, and built the Federal, Greek Revival and Italianate mansions and civic architecture for which the city is noted, including the 1818 First Church by master-builder Samuel French, and the 1857 Custom House
Custom House
A custom house or customs house was a building housing the offices for the government officials who processed the paperwork for the import and export of goods into and out of a country. Customs officials also collected customs duty on imported goods....
and Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
by noted architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Ammi B. Young
Ammi B. Young
Ammi Burnham Young was an important 19th century American architect whose commissions transitioned from the Greek Revival to the Neo-Renaissance styles. His Second Vermont State House brought him fame and success, which eventually led him to become the first Supervising Architect of the U.S....
. Wooden ship construction would fade about 1900, but with the advent of refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
, the local economy shifted to harvesting seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
, including lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
s, scallop
Scallop
A scallop is a marine bivalve mollusk of the family Pectinidae. Scallops are a cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans. Many scallops are highly prized as a food source...
s, sardine
Sardine
Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....
s, herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
s and mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
for the Boston and New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
markets.
A county wide connection to the main line of the Maine Central Railroad
Maine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
at Burnham
Burnham, Maine
Burnham is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,142 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:...
33-miles inland from Belfast was established by the largely city-owned Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad with its opening in 1871. For the first 55 years the line was operated under lease by the MEC as its Belfast Branch but its operation reverted to the B&ML on January 1, 1926, when the lease was terminated by the larger road. Regular passenger service ended in 1960, and all operations in Belfast of any kind ceased in 2005, when the main yard was torn up. In 2011 the grounds of the former B&ML main yard and adjacent Stinson Seafood factory became the site of the Front Street Shipyard. The railroad's 1946 vintage engine house was torn down and its site is now occupied by the shipyear's 26,500 sq ft, five story boat building and repair facility.
Shoe manufacture
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
became an important business. After World War II, however, the Belfast economy was driven by its poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
industry, including 2 of the state's larger processors, Maplewood and Penobscot Poultry. Waldo County farms supplied the factories with up to 200,000 birds a day. The annual Broiler
Broiler
A broiler is a type of chicken raised specifically for meat production. Modern commercial broilers, typically known as Cornish crosses or Cornish-Rocks are specially bred for large scale, efficient meat production and grow much faster than egg or traditional dual purpose breeds...
Festival became a popular summer event, attracting both local people and tourists. But the poultry business collapsed in the mid-1970s during a national recession
Recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
, devastating the city and surrounding towns. In the early 1980s, the defunct chicken-feed silo
Silo
A silo is a structure for storing bulk materials.Silo may also refer to:* Silo , a 3D modeling software* Silo , a defunct chain of retail electronics stores* SILO , used in Linux...
s that once fed millions of chickens at the foot of Main Street were demolished. There was an exodus of people seeking employment prospects elsewhere through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. But as they left, artists and young college graduates moved in.
In the early 1990s, credit-card giant MBNA
MBNA
MBNA Corporation was a bank holding company and parent company of wholly owned subsidiary MBNA America Bank, N.A., headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, prior to being acquired by Bank of America in 2006...
established a large facility in Belfast. The company was instrumental in establishing the Hutchinson Center of the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
, an outpost of the University of Maine System
University of Maine System
The University of Maine System is a network of public universities in Maine. Created in 1968 by the Maine State Legislature, the University of Maine System consists of seven universities, each with a distinct mission and regional character...
, less than a mile from the main MBNA campus. Jobs provided by MBNA, which was recently acquired by the Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, helped increase Belfast's population significantly. Movies filmed in Belfast include Peyton Place
Peyton Place (film)
Peyton Place is a 1957 American drama film directed by Mark Robson. The screenplay by John Michael Hayes is based on the bestselling 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious.-Plot:...
(1957), Thinner
Thinner (film)
Thinner is a 1996 horror film directed by Tom Holland and written by Michael McDowell with the screenplay by Tom Holland. The film is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.-Plot:...
(1996) and In the Bedroom
In the Bedroom
In the Bedroom is a 2001 American crime drama film directed by Todd Field, and dedicated to Andre Dubus, whose short story Killings is the source material on which the screenplay, by Field and Robert Festinger, is based...
(2001).
Geography
Belfast is located at 44°25′33"N 69°0′42"W (44.425896, -69.011646).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 38.3 square miles (99.2 km²), of which, 34 square miles (88.1 km²) of it is land and 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²) of it (11.26%) is water. Situated on Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River. There are many islands in this bay, and on them, some of the country's most well-known summer colonies. The bay served as portal for the one time "lumber capital of the world," namely; the city of Bangor...
, Belfast is drained by the Passagassawakeag River
Passagassawakeag River
The Passagassawakeag River is a river in Waldo County, Maine in the United States. From the outlet of Lake Passagassawakeag in Brooks, it runs south and east to its estuary in Belfast, Maine...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,381 people, 2,765 households, and 1,692 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 187.5 people per square mile (72.4/km²). There were 3,121 housing units at an average density of 91.7 per square mile (35.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.56% White, 0.28% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
There were 2,765 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,400, and the median income for a family was $43,253. Males had a median income of $30,514 versus $27,518 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $19,276. About 10.0% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Mascot- Belfast LionsColors- Royal Blue, and Gold
These three public elementary schools closed down in early first decade of the 21st century:
- Pierce School- Grades K-3 (Brief use as a private school)
- Anderson School- Grades K-3 (Now Waterfall Arts)
- Robertson School- Grades 3-5 (Not in use)
Schools Part of Belfast's MSAD #34 District as of 2009:
- Captain Albert Stevens Elementary School- Grades K-5 Consolidation of Pierce, Anderson and Robertson Schools (Located in Belfast)
- Ames School- Grades K-5 (Located in Searsmont)
- Weymouth School- Grades K-5 (Located in Morrill)
- Drinkwater School- Grades K-5 (Located in Northport)
- Nickerson School- Grades K-5 (Located in Swanville)
- East Belfast School- Grades K-5 (Located in East Belfast, nicknamed "East Side School")
- Troy A. Howard Middle School- Grades 6-8 (Located in Belfast)
- Belfast Area High School- Grades 9-12 (Located in Belfast)
Towns in the SAD #34 District as of spring 2009:
- Belfast
- BelmontBelmont, MaineBelmont is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 821 at the 2000 census. It was originally known as Green Plantation...
- SwanvilleSwanville, MaineSwanville is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,357 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
- SearsmontSearsmont, MaineSearsmont is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,174 at the 2000 census.-History:Located at the junction of several well-marked Indian trails, it was called Quantabacook. The town was a part of the Waldo Patent purchased by a consortium of wealthy Boston investors...
- NorthportNorthport, MaineNorthport is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,331 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
- MorrillMorrill, MaineMorrill is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 774 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:...
In order to save money, many schools in the state of Maine are forced to combine with other districts. Due to consolidation, MSAD #34 will combine with MSAD #56 in the fall of 2009. The MSAD's will no longer exist; they have been changed as one unit, RSU #20. RSU Superintendent is former Troy A. Howard Middle School and Belfast Area High School Vice Principal Bruce Mailloux. The former MSAD #56 towns of Searsport, Frankfort, and Stockton will be RSU #20.
Towns in the new RSU #20 District as of fall 2009 that are combined with MSAD #56:
- Belfast
- Belmont
- Swanville
- Searsmont
- Northport
- Morrill
- Searsport
- Frankfort
- Stockton Springs
It is also said that all high school students of RSU #20 could soon be at one high school.
Sites of interest
- Belfast Historical Society & Museum
- National Theater Workshop for the Handicapped
- Perry's Nut HousePerry's Nut HousePerry's Nut House is tourist stop and store on Old Route One in seaside Belfast, Maine.Opened in 1927, Perry's is a classic example of an American roadside attraction. Located on the coastal road to Bar Harbor, Perry's features giant painted animal sculptures outside and, until recently, a display...
Notable residents
- Nehemiah AbbottNehemiah AbbottNehemiah Abbott was a United States Representative from Maine. He was born in Sidney, studied law at the Litchfield, Connecticut Law School, was admitted to the bar in 1836 and began his practice at Calais, Maine....
, congressman - Hugh J. Anderson, governor and congressman
- Charles G. BryantCharles G. BryantCharles Grandison Bryant was an architect, soldier, adventurer, and American expansionist whose career stretched from Maine to Texas...
, architect, soldier and adventurer - Dorothy CannellDorothy CannellDorothy Cannell is an English-American writer. She writes mysteries featuring Ellie Haskell, interior decorator and Ben Haskell, writer and chef, and Hyacinth and Primrose Tramwell, a pair of dotty sisters and owners of the Flowers Detection Agency...
, writer - William G. CrosbyWilliam G. CrosbyWilliam George Crosby was an American politician and the 23rd Governor of Maine.- Early life :Crosby was born in Belfast, Maine on September 10, 1805. He studied at Belfast Academy. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1823. He then studied law...
, governor and poet - Herbert L. FossHerbert L. FossHerbert Louis Foss was a United States Navy Seaman received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Spanish-American War.-Spanish American War:...
, Medal of Honor Winner (Navy), Spanish-American War - Jonathan FrakesJonathan FrakesJonathan Scott Frakes is an American actor, author and director best known for his role as Commander William T. Riker in the Star Trek franchise, as well as for his tenure as host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction ....
, actor - Genie FrancisGenie FrancisEugenie "Genie" Francis Frakes is an American actress known for her portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. She is currently playing Genevieve Atkinson on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless...
, actress (former resident) - Albert G. JewettAlbert G. JewettAlbert Gallatin Jewett was the American Chargé d'Affaires to Peru in the mid-1840s, under the administration of President James K. Polk...
, diplomat (U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Peru, 1845–47; later Mayor of Belfast) - Hugh Dean McLellanHugh Dean McLellanHugh Dean McLellan was a United States federal judge.Born in Belfast, Maine, McLellan received an A.B. from Colby College in 1895 and an LL.B. from Columbia Law School in 1902. He was in private practice in Boston, Massachusetts from 1902 to 1932. He was a Lecturer, Boston University Law School...
, judge - Seth L. MillikenSeth L. MillikenSeth Llewellyn Milliken was a U.S. Representative from Maine.Born in Montville, Maine, Milliken attended the common schools and Waterville College.He was graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 1856....
, congressman - Bern PorterBern PorterBernard Harden "Bern" Porter was an American artist, writer, publisher, performer, and scientist.In 2010 his work was recognized by an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.- Biography :...
, artist - William Veazie PrattWilliam Veazie PrattWilliam Veazie Pratt was an admiral in the United States Navy. He served as the President of the Naval War College and as the Chief of Naval Operations.-Biography:...
, admiral - Phineas QuimbyPhineas QuimbyPhineas Parkhurst Quimby , was a New England philosopher, magnetizer, mesmerist, healer, and inventor, who resided in Belfast, Maine, and had an office in Portland, Maine...
, mesmerist - Nathan ReadNathan ReadNathan Read was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. Born in Warren, he attended the common schools and graduated from Harvard University in 1781. He taught school in Beverly and Salem and was elected a tutor in Harvard University, where he continued until 1787...
, judge - Robert P. SkinnerUnited States Ambassador to GreeceThis is a list of ambassadors from the United States to Greece.*Charles Keating Tuckerman *John M. Francis *John M. Read, Jr. *John M. Read, Jr....
, ambassador to Greece . - Joseph B. SmithJoseph B. SmithJoseph B. Smith was an officer in the United States Navy who was killed in action during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, naval officer - Matt "Money" Smith, sports radio personality
- Albert William StevensAlbert William StevensAlbert William Stevens was an officer in the United States Army Air Corps, balloonist and aerial photographer.-Biography:He was born on March 13, 1886 in Belfast, Maine....
, army officer, balloonist and photographer - William WilderWilliam WilderWilliam Henry Wilder was a representative from Massachusetts.He was born in Belfast, Maine. He moved to Massachusetts in 1866. He was president of the Wilder Industries. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1900, and was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court in 1909...
, congressman - Joseph Williamson (Maine)Joseph Williamson (Maine)Joseph Williamson was an American politician and lawyer. He served as President of the Maine Senate in 1833. During his career, Williamson also worked as a businessman, banker and newspaper editor....
, Senate President - John WilsonJohn Wilson (Massachusetts)John Wilson was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in Peterboro, New Hampshire, Wilson graduated from Harvard University in 1799.He studied law....
, congressman - Wendall WoodburyWendall WoodburyWendall J. Woodbury was an American television journalist and news anchor. He spent much of his career as a reporter for WGAL-TV in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, from 1968 until his retirement from broadcast news in 1992 as a feature reporter...
, television journalist and anchor
