Owls Head, Maine
Encyclopedia
Owls Head is a town
in Knox County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 1,601 at the 2000 census. A resort
and fishing
area, the community is home to the Knox County Regional Airport
. It includes the village of Ash Point.
explored Owl's Head in 1605, the Abenaki Indians
called it Bedabedec Point, meaning "Cape of the Winds." Mariners would name it for the shape of the promontory, which they thought resembled the head of an owl
. First incorporated as part of Thomaston
in 1777, and then as part of South Thomaston
in 1848, Owls Head was itself set off and incorporated on July 9, 1921. The town is home to both the Owls Head Light Station
, a 30 feet (9.1 m) tall granite
lighthouse
built in 1826 to mark the southern entrance of Rockland Harbor
, and to the Owls Head Transportation Museum.
Owls Head was a filming location for the 2001 movie In the Bedroom
.
, the town has a total area of 19.6 square miles (50.8 km²), of which, 8.9 square miles (23.1 km²) of it is land and 10.7 square miles (27.7 km²) of it (54.64%) is water. Located on the Owls Head peninsula, the town is on Penobscot Bay
. The highest point in Owls Head is Post Hill, 194 feet (59m) high.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,601 people, 723 households, and 469 families residing in the town. The population density
was 180.1 people per square mile (69.5/km²). There were 992 housing units at an average density of 111.6 per square mile (43.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.94% White, 0.06% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.12% from other races
, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.
There were 723 households out of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples
living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.68.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.6% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,107, and the median income for a family was $49,231. Males had a median income of $31,685 versus $21,970 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $22,660. About 4.2% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Knox County
Knox County, Maine
Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 39,736. Its county seat is Rockland. The county is named for American Revolutionary War general and Secretary of War Henry Knox, who lived in the county from 1795 until his death in 1806. The county was...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,601 at the 2000 census. A resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
area, the community is home to the Knox County Regional Airport
Knox County Regional Airport
Knox County Regional Airport is a public airport located the town of Owls Head, three miles south of the central business district of the city of Rockland, in Knox County, Maine, USA. The airport covers and has two runways....
. It includes the village of Ash Point.
History
When Samuel de ChamplainSamuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
explored Owl's Head in 1605, the Abenaki 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...
called it Bedabedec Point, meaning "Cape of the Winds." Mariners would name it for the shape of the promontory, which they thought resembled the head of an owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
. First incorporated as part of Thomaston
Thomaston, Maine
Thomaston, Maine is a town on the coast of Maine the United States. The name may also refer to:*Thomaston , Maine, a census-designated place comprising the center of the town*South Thomaston, Maine, an adjacent town...
in 1777, and then as part of South Thomaston
South Thomaston, Maine
South Thomaston is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,416 at the 2000 census. A fishing and resort area, the town includes the village of Spruce Head.-History:...
in 1848, Owls Head was itself set off and incorporated on July 9, 1921. The town is home to both the Owls Head Light Station
Owls Head Light Station
Owls Head Light is a lighthouse located in Owls Head, Maine at the entrance of Rockland Harbor on Western Penobscot Bay. The lighthouse was established in 1826. It is operated by the United States Coast Guard and it is also part of Owls Head Light State Park....
, a 30 feet (9.1 m) tall granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
built in 1826 to mark the southern entrance of Rockland Harbor
Rockland, Maine
Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination...
, and to the Owls Head Transportation Museum.
Owls Head was a filming location for the 2001 movie 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...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 town has a total area of 19.6 square miles (50.8 km²), of which, 8.9 square miles (23.1 km²) of it is land and 10.7 square miles (27.7 km²) of it (54.64%) is water. Located on the Owls Head peninsula, the town is 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...
. The highest point in Owls Head is Post Hill, 194 feet (59m) high.
Demographics
Census
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 1,601 people, 723 households, and 469 families residing in the town. 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 180.1 people per square mile (69.5/km²). There were 992 housing units at an average density of 111.6 per square mile (43.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.94% White, 0.06% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.12% 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 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.
There were 723 households out of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% 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, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.68.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.6% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,107, and the median income for a family was $49,231. Males had a median income of $31,685 versus $21,970 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 town was $22,660. About 4.2% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
- Birch Point State Park
- Mussel Ridge Historical Society
- Owls Head Light StationOwls Head Light StationOwls Head Light is a lighthouse located in Owls Head, Maine at the entrance of Rockland Harbor on Western Penobscot Bay. The lighthouse was established in 1826. It is operated by the United States Coast Guard and it is also part of Owls Head Light State Park....
- Owls Head Transportation Museum