Cumberland, Maine
Encyclopedia
Cumberland is a town
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 Cumberland County
Cumberland County, Maine
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 281,674. Its county seat is Portland, and is the most populous of the sixteen Maine counties, as well as the most affluent. Cumberland County has the deepest and second largest body of water in the...

, 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 7,211 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...

South Portland
South Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...

Biddeford
Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census...

, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area
Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area
The Portland–South Portland–Biddeford Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Greater Portland, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in Maine, anchored by the city of Portland and the smaller cities of South Portland and Biddeford...

.

History

Cumberland, Maine, was once part of North Yarmouth, but in 1821 it was incorporated into its own town. The town was officially named by Ephraim Sturdivant
Ephraim Sturdivant
Captain Ephraim Sturdivant was an American veteran of the War of 1812, namer of Cumberland, Maine, first person to bring merino sheep to Maine, a ship captain, and the first treasurer of Cumberland.-Early life:...

 when the new town government elected him to do the task.

The Cumberland Fair
Cumberland fair
The Cumberland Fair is an annual farmer's fair held in Cumberland, Maine at the Cumberland Fairgrounds. It is put on by the Cumberland Farmers' Club and is usually held the last week in September.-History:...

, one of the state's larger agricultural fairs, has been held yearly in Cumberland at the end of September since 1868. The Portland suburb has a rich farming history, but only a small number of working farms remain, such as Sweetser's Apple Barrel & Orchards, Spring Brook Farms, and Double T Orchards.

Notable people

  • Captain Ephraim Sturdivant
    Ephraim Sturdivant
    Captain Ephraim Sturdivant was an American veteran of the War of 1812, namer of Cumberland, Maine, first person to bring merino sheep to Maine, a ship captain, and the first treasurer of Cumberland.-Early life:...

    , namer of and treasurer for Cumberland.
  • Mike Bordick
    Mike Bordick
    Michael Todd Bordick is an American retired professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball from 1990 to 2003 with four different teams: the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays.-Early life:Bordick's father, Michael, was in the Air Force,...

    , Major League Baseball player.
  • Peter Askim
    Peter Askim
    Peter Askim is an American composer of modern classical music, conductor, music educator and a double bassist.-Background:Born in Denmark, to a Norwegian father and an American mother, he grew up in Cumberland, Maine. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, and...

    , composer of modern classical music, conductor, music educator
  • Joseph Brackett
    Joseph Brackett
    Joseph Brackett Jr. , an American songwriter and Elder of The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing , was born in Cumberland, Maine, and died in the Shaker community of Sabbathday Lake at New Gloucester, Maine.Brackett is known as the author of the Shaker dancing song "Simple...

    , noted Shaker, author of "Simple Gifts
    Simple Gifts
    "Simple Gifts" is a Shaker song written and composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett.It has endured many inaccurate descriptions. Though often classified as an anonymous Shaker hymn or as a work song, it is better classified as a dance song.-Lyrics:...

    "

Geography

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 town has a total area of 46.4 square miles (120.2 km²) – 26.1 square miles (67.6 km²) of which is land; 20.3 square miles (52.6 km²) of it (43.78%) is water.

There is a small recreational park located near the center of the town called Twin Brook. This park is run and maintained by the town and is open to cross-country skiers, walkers, and sports practices.

Cumberland has a few small businesses. The Cumberland Congregational Church is located in the center of the town. There is a convenience store across from the high school called Food Stop. There is also a dentist office and a post office. A new bank was recently built in 2010.

Demographics

As of the census
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 7,159 people, 2,548 households, and 2,046 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 274.6 people per square mile (106.0/km²). There were 2,945 housing units at an average density of 112.9 per square mile (43.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.76% White, 0.14% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% 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 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.

There were 2,548 households, of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 71.0% 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; 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present; and 19.7% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone 65 or older living alone. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.4% under the age of 18; 3.6% from 18 to 24; 27.7% from 25 to 44; 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $67,556, and the median income for a family was $76,571. Males had a median income of $49,538 versus $37,367 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 $33,644. About 2.4% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

School system

The school system that serves Cumberland is known as Maine School Administrative District 51
Maine School Administrative District 51
The Maine School Administrative District 51 operates four public schools in Cumberland, Maine and North Yarmouth, Maine. The district has 163 teachers serving 2,320 students...

 or MSAD 51. There are 4 schools in the district – which also serves North Yarmouth
North Yarmouth, Maine
North Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,565 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

, 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...

: the Mabel I. Wilson School, North Yarmouth Memorial School, Greely Middle School, and Greely High School
Greely High School
Greely High School is a public high school for grades 9 to 12 located in Cumberland, Maine, United States. The enrollment is approximately 715 students. It also has a professional teaching staff of 64 and 50% of the teachers have advanced degrees. Greely High School is a part of Maine School...

.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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