Readfield, Maine
Encyclopedia
Readfield is a town in Kennebec County
, Maine
, United States. The population was 2,360 at the 2000 census. Readfield is home to the Kents Hill School
, a preparatory school
, Maranacook Community Schools, public schools for the district, a few summer camps, and the annual Readfield Heritage Days. The town contains four lakes, including Maranacook Lake. The town of Readfield was previously named Pond Town.
, the town has a total area of 31.1 square miles (80.5 km²), of which, 29.2 square miles (75.6 km²) of it is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) of it (6.08%) is water. Drained by Beaver Brook and Tingley Brook, Readfield includes the northern half of Maranacook Lake, the southern half of Torsey Pond, the southeast corner of Echo Lake, and the northeast shore of Lovejoy Pond.
The town is crossed by state routes 17, 41 and 135. It borders the town of Manchester
to the east, Winthrop to the south, Wayne
to the southwest, Fayette
to the west, and Mount Vernon
and Belgrade
to the north.
and five selectmen. The municipal facilities include a volunteer fire department
, a small water system in the village, and private sewer.
of 2000, there were 2,360 people, 867 households, and 673 families residing in the town. The population density
was 80.8 people per square mile (31.2/km²). There were 1,148 housing units at an average density of 39.3 per square mile (15.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.71% White, 0.08% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races
, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.
25% of Readfield residents report English
ancestry, 12% French
, 12% Irish
, 8% German
, 4% French Canadian
, 4% Italian
, 3% Scottish
, 3% Swedish
, 2% Scotch-Irish, 2% American Indian
, 2% Norwegian
, 1% Polish
, 1% Arab, 1% Danish
, 1% Swiss
, 1% Lebanese
, 1% Welsh
and 1% Canadian
.
By a population profile estimate, in 1960 there were 1,029 residents of the town. By 1970, it had grown by 22.3% to 1,258; by 1980 it had grown 54.5% to a population of 1,943. By 1990 it had grown 4.6% to a total of 2,033, and by 2000 it grew by 16.1% for a total of 2,360. A 2007 census estimated the current population at 2,530. The best estimate for 2020 is a population of 2,850.
There were 867 households out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% were married couples
living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
The occupational profile for 2000 was 585 jobs in Executive, Managerial and Professional; 218 jobs in Sales, Administration and Support; 155 jobs in service, 7 jobs in Farm and Forestry, and 232 jobs in Skilled Labor.
The median income for a household in the town was $48,893, and the median income for a family was $51,890. Males had a median income of $37,981 versus $27,971 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,707. About 4.6% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Private school
Kennebec County, Maine
Kennebec County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 122,151. Its county seat is Augusta. The center of population of Maine is located in Kennebec County, in the city of Augusta....
, 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. The population was 2,360 at the 2000 census. Readfield is home to the Kents Hill School
Kents Hill School
Kents Hill School is an independent college-preparatory school located in Kents Hill, Maine, outside of the state capital of Augusta. Kents Hill School instructs students in grades nine through postgraduate. Students attend Kents Hill from across over 50 communities in Maine,...
, a preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
, Maranacook Community Schools, public schools for the district, a few summer camps, and the annual Readfield Heritage Days. The town contains four lakes, including Maranacook Lake. The town of Readfield was previously named Pond Town.
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 31.1 square miles (80.5 km²), of which, 29.2 square miles (75.6 km²) of it is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) of it (6.08%) is water. Drained by Beaver Brook and Tingley Brook, Readfield includes the northern half of Maranacook Lake, the southern half of Torsey Pond, the southeast corner of Echo Lake, and the northeast shore of Lovejoy Pond.
The town is crossed by state routes 17, 41 and 135. It borders the town of Manchester
Manchester, Maine
Manchester is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, located at . The population was 2,465 at the 2000 census. In the early 19th century, the town was known as "The Forks".-Geography:...
to the east, Winthrop to the south, Wayne
Wayne, Maine
Wayne is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,112 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne...
to the southwest, Fayette
Fayette, Maine
Fayette is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,040 at the 2000 census. Students who live in Fayette attend Fayette Central School, and once they graduate from fifth grade are sent to either Livermore Falls, Winthrop,and Maranacook...
to the west, and Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, Maine
Mount Vernon is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,524 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.4 square miles , of which, 37.9 square miles of it is land and 5.6 square miles of...
and Belgrade
Belgrade, Maine
Belgrade is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,978 at the 2000 census. Belgrade's population, however, approximately doubles during the summer months as part-year residents return to seasonal camps located on the shores of Great Pond, Long Pond and Messalonskee...
to the north.
Government
Readfield's municipal government's CEO is Stefan Pakulski. The type of government is a town meetingTown meeting
A town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
and five selectmen. The municipal facilities include a volunteer fire department
Volunteer fire department
See also the Firefighter article and its respective sections regarding VFDs in other countries.A volunteer fire department is a fire department composed of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction.The first organized force of...
, a small water system in the village, and private sewer.
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 2,360 people, 867 households, and 673 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 80.8 people per square mile (31.2/km²). There were 1,148 housing units at an average density of 39.3 per square mile (15.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.71% White, 0.08% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.08% 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 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.
25% of Readfield residents report English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
ancestry, 12% French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 12% Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, 8% German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 4% French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
, 4% Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 3% Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, 3% Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, 2% Scotch-Irish, 2% American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, 2% Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, 1% Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, 1% Arab, 1% Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, 1% Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, 1% Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, 1% Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and 1% Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
By a population profile estimate, in 1960 there were 1,029 residents of the town. By 1970, it had grown by 22.3% to 1,258; by 1980 it had grown 54.5% to a population of 1,943. By 1990 it had grown 4.6% to a total of 2,033, and by 2000 it grew by 16.1% for a total of 2,360. A 2007 census estimated the current population at 2,530. The best estimate for 2020 is a population of 2,850.
There were 867 households out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% 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, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
The occupational profile for 2000 was 585 jobs in Executive, Managerial and Professional; 218 jobs in Sales, Administration and Support; 155 jobs in service, 7 jobs in Farm and Forestry, and 232 jobs in Skilled Labor.
The median income for a household in the town was $48,893, and the median income for a family was $51,890. Males had a median income of $37,981 versus $27,971 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 $20,707. About 4.6% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public schoolsPrivate school
Site of interest
- Readfield Historical Society & Museum, which contains historical artifacts, documents and pictures related to the history of the Town of Readfield. Officers for RHS are: President Florence Drake, Vice President Dr. Allyson Handley, Treasurer Lee Hepfner and Secretary Kathryn Woodsum. Historian is Evelyn Potter and Genealogist is Doreen Crocker.
Notable people
- Christian DuguayChristian DuguayChristian Duguay is an American comic actor. Duguay is most notable as one of the recurring cast of sketch comedy series MADtv.-Early years:...
, comic actor - John Hubbard, physician, 22nd governor of Maine
- Jonathan G. HuntonJonathan G. HuntonJonathan Glidden Hunton was an American politician who served as the ninth Governor of Maine from 1830 to 1831.- Early years :...
, 9th governor of Maine - Anson P. MorrillAnson P. MorrillAnson Peaslee Morrill was an American politician. Born in 1803 in Belgrade, Maine, originally a storekeeper and millkeeper, he was the 24th Governor of Maine from 1855 to 1856, represented Maine's fourth district in the United States House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863 and served in the...
, congressman, 24th governor of Maine