Liberty, Maine
Encyclopedia
Liberty 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 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...

, 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 927 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

.

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 28.3 square miles (73.3 km²), of which, 25.9 square miles (67.1 km²) of it is land and 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) of it (8.48%) is water.

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 927 people, 362 households, and 258 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 35.8 people per square mile (13.8/km²). There were 674 housing units at an average density of 26.0 per square mile (10.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.81% White, 0.11% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.11% 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 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.43% of the population.

There were 362 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% are married
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...

 couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
Average
In mathematics, an average, or central tendency of a data set is a measure of the "middle" value of the data set. Average is one form of central tendency. Not all central tendencies should be considered definitions of average....

 household size is 2.55 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median
Median
In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...

 age is 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,583, and the median income for a family was $37,969. Males had a median income of $29,063 versus $24,286 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 $16,201. 17.1% of the population and 15.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 23.8% of those under the age of 18 and 13.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

History

The midcoast area of Maine was inhabited by coastal and woodland Native American
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...

s such as the Abenaki(or Wabanaki) until they were mostly dislocated by Europeans beginning in the 17th century.

The first Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an (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...

) people moved into the area in and around Liberty in the late 18th century. The first settlement was then known as Davistown Plantation, which is incorporated into neighboring Montville
Montville, Maine
Montville is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,002 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....

 in the early 19th century. Mills in Liberty produced materials that were used in the shipbuilding
Boat building
Boat building, one of the oldest branches of engineering, is concerned with constructing the hulls of boats and, for sailboats, the masts, spars and rigging.-Parts:* Bow - the front and generally sharp end of the hull...

 industry that thrived in nearby coastal towns, such as Waldoboro
Waldoboro, Maine
Waldoboro is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 4,916 at the 2000 census. Waldoboro is a picturesque fishing and resort town.-History:...

, during the early 19th century.

In 1827 Liberty separated from Montville and was incorporated as a town.

The middle to late 19th century saw a decline in population and goods produced. This correlates with the decline of the shipbuilding industry.

Further reading

  • Hurwitz, Alfred. History of Liberty, Maine, 1827-1975. Liberty, Maine,
  • Liberty Historical Soc., Thorndike, Maine, Hutchins Brothers, c1975.
  • Liberty Maine Historical Committee. The town of Liberty: bits history and geography.
  • N. White. Thorndike, Maine, c1927.

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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