Sanford, Maine
Encyclopedia
Sanford is a town in York County
York County, Maine
York County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, the population was 197,131. Its county seat is Alfred.Founded in 1636, it is the oldest county in Maine and one of the oldest in the United States....

, 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 20,798 in the 2010 census, the highest of the York County towns, and the 8th largest in the state. Situated on the Mousam River
Mousam River
The Mousam River is a river in Maine in the United States. Its source is Mousam Lake in York County, and it flows into the Atlantic Ocean just west of Kennebunk Beach. It flows through the towns of Sanford and Kennebunk.-External links:...

, Sanford includes the village of Springvale
Springvale, Maine
Springvale is a census-designated place in the town of Sanford in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,488 at the 2000 census...

. The town features many lakes in wooded areas which attract campers.

Sanford 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

Sanford is in the western portion of a tract of land purchased in 1661 from Abenaki Chief Fluellin by Major William Phillips, an owner of mills in Saco
Saco, Maine
Saco is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 18,482 at the 2010 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General Dynamics Armament Systems , a subsidiary of the defense contractor General Dynamics...

. First called Phillipstown, it was willed in 1696 by Mrs. Phillips to her former husband's son, Peleg Sanford. Settlement was delayed, however, by hostilities during the French and Indian Wars
French and Indian Wars
The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts lasting 74 years in North America that represented colonial events related to the European dynastic wars...

. In 1724, Norridgewock
Norridgewock
The Norridgewock were a band of the Abenaki Native Americans/First Nations, an Eastern Algonquian tribe of the United States and Canada. The tribe occupied an area in Maine to the west and northwest of the Penawapskewi tribe, which was located on the western bank of the Penobscot River...

, an enemy stronghold
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...

 on the Kennebec River
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...

, was destroyed by a Massachusetts
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...

 militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...

. Subsequently, the region became less dangerous, and Sanford was first settled in 1739. Incorporated a town in 1768, it was named after Peleg Sanford. Until 1794, Alfred
Alfred, Maine
Alfred is a town in York County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 2,497. Alfred is the county seat of York County and home to part of the Massabesic Experimental Forest...

 was the town's North Parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

.

The Mousam River provided water power for industry. In 1745, Capt. Market Morrison built a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

 above Springvale
Springvale, Maine
Springvale is a census-designated place in the town of Sanford in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,488 at the 2000 census...

. Following the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, Sanford developed into a textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...

 manufacturing center, connected to markets by the Portland and Rochester Railroad. Factories were built at both Springvale and Sanford villages. Products included cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 and woolen
Woolen
Woolen or woollen is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn...

 goods, carpets, shoes
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...

 and 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....

.

In 1867, British-born Thomas Goodall established the Goodall Mills at Sanford, after selling another mill in 1865 at Troy, New Hampshire
Troy, New Hampshire
Troy is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,145 at the 2010 census. It is situated at the base of Mount Monadnock....

 which made woolen blankets contoured to fit horses. His factory beside the Mousam River first manufactured carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...

 robes and blanket
Blanket
A blanket is a type of bedding, generally speaking, a large piece of cloth, intended to keep the user warm, especially while sleeping. Blankets are distinguished from sheets by their thickness and purpose; the thickest sheet is still thinner than the lightest blanket. Blankets are generally used...

s. It would expand to make mohair
Mohair
Mohair usually refers to a silk-like fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. The word "mohair" was adopted into English before 1570 from the Arabic: mukhayyar, a type of haircloth, literally 'choice', from khayyara, 'he chose'. Mohair fiber is approximately 25-45 microns in...

 plush for upholstering railroad seats, carpets, draperies, auto fabrics, military uniform fabric and Palm Beach fabric for summer suits.

The company's textiles were known for brilliant and fast colors, and found buyers worldwide. From 1880 to 1910, the mill town's
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...

 population swelled from 2,700 to over 9,000, some living in houses built by the company and sold to workers at cost. In 1914, the Goodall family built Goodall Park, a 784 seat roofed stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...

, now a treasured historic site. They also helped build the library, town hall, hospital, airport and golf club. A bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

 statue was erected by the citizens of Sanford in 1917 to the memory of Thomas Goodall. His effigy has a place of honor in Central Park.

In 1954, Burlington Mills
Burlington Industries
Burlington Industries is a diversified U. S. fabric maker based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded in 1923, the company has operations in the United States, Mexico, and India and a global manufacturing and product development network based in Hong Kong. The company entered Chapter 11...

, then the nation's largest textile firm, bought Sanford Mills. After moving the loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...

s to its Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...

 plants, Burlington closed Sanford Mills—leaving 3,600 unemployed and 2000000 square feet (185,806.1 m²) of empty mills. Local business owners began traveling the northeast, enticing new employers to move to the area. Life Magazine called Sanford "the town that refused to die." It now has diversified industries, including the manufacture of aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...

 parts. When the federal government offered money in the 1960s for urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...

 to rehabilitate aging or blighted districts, more than thirty Sanford structures were razed. In Springvale, three of four corners were leveled. Nevertheless, much fine 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...

 from the town's prosperous mill era survived.

Sanford was the home of Belle Ashton Leavitt, the third woman attorney admitted to the Maine Bar Association. Leavitt was admitted to the Bar in 1900. Leavitt operated in partnership with attorney Fred J. Allen, her brother-in-law (Allen was married to Belle's sister Ida Leavitt), and member of the Maine Legislature
Maine Legislature
The Maine Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate...

.

The town gained national notoriety in 1984, when 12-year-old Gycelle Cote was strangled by Scott Waterhouse, then 18. Rumors of Satanism
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...

 surrounded the case, and some of Waterhouse's personal belongings were deemed to be occult in nature. These included a copy of The Satanic Bible
The Satanic Bible
The Satanic Bible is a collection of essays, observations, and rituals published by Anton LaVey in 1969. It contains the core principles of LaVeyan Satanism, and is considered the foundation of its philosophy and dogma. It has been described as the most important document to influence contemporary...

and a notebook carrying Satanic drawings and poetry. The furor culminated in several tabloid stories and at least one headline referring to the town as "Terrortown!".

The town gained national notoriety again on November 9, 2009, when the Amber Alert system was used for the first time when 2 year old Haley Traynham was abducted by her father.

In 2003, a proposal to build a $650 million casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

 in South Sanford
South Sanford, Maine
South Sanford is a census-designated place in the town of Sanford in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,173 at the 2000 census...

 was rejected by Maine voters. The 362 acres (1.5 km²) development, ostensibly owned by the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy
Passamaquoddy
The Passamaquoddy are the First Nations people who live in northeastern North America, primarily in Maine and New Brunswick....

 nations, would have encompassed 4,000 slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...

s, 180 gaming tables, a hotel, a 60000 square feet (5,574.2 m²) convention center
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...

 and an 18 hole golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...

. Proponents argued that it would add 4,700 permanent jobs and 25% of revenue would be directed to the state. Detractors predicted higher crime, traffic and an erosion of Maine's quality of life.

Geography

Sanford is located at 43°26′23"N 70°46′23"W (43.439925, -70.773304).
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 48.7 square miles (126.2 km²), of which, 47.8 square miles (123.8 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²) of it (1.89%) is water. Located near foothills, Sanford is drained by the Mousam River.

Sanford borders the towns of Shapleigh, Acton
Acton, Maine
Acton is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,145 at the 2000 census. It includes the villages of Acton, Miller Corner and South Acton. The town is home to the Acton Fairground, which holds the Acton Fair every late summer...

, Alfred
Alfred, Maine
Alfred is a town in York County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 2,497. Alfred is the county seat of York County and home to part of the Massabesic Experimental Forest...

, Kennebunk
Kennebunk, Maine
Kennebunk is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,075 people at the 2000 census. Including Kennebunkport , the population totals 14,196 people...

, Wells
Wells, Maine
Wells is a town in York County, Maine, United States. Founded in 1643, it is the third-oldest town in Maine. The population was 9,400 at the 2000 census. Wells Beach is a popular summer destination.-History:...

, North Berwick, and Lebanon
Lebanon, Maine
Lebanon is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,083 at the 2000 census. Lebanon includes the villages of Center Lebanon, West Lebanon, North Lebanon, South Lebanon and East Lebanon. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan...

.

Demographics

See also Sanford (CDP), Maine
Sanford (CDP), Maine
Sanford is a census-designated place in the town of Sanford in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 10,133 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sanford is located at ....

, South Sanford, Maine
South Sanford, Maine
South Sanford is a census-designated place in the town of Sanford in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,173 at the 2000 census...

, and Springvale, Maine
Springvale, Maine
Springvale is a census-designated place in the town of Sanford in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,488 at the 2000 census...

 for village 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 20,806 people, 8,270 households, and 5,449 families residing in the CDP. 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 435.3 people per square mile (168.1/km²). There were 8,807 housing units at an average density of 184.3 per square mile (71.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.68% White, 0.44% Black or African American
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...

, 0.31% Native American, 2.07% 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 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.

There were 8,270 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% 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, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $34,668, and the median income for a family was $43,021. Males had a median income of $33,115 versus $24,264 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 CDP was $16,951. About 11.1% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Fire Department

Sanford citizens are protected by Firefighter/EMT's working out of three fire stations located in Springvale, South Sanford, and Downtown Sanford. 3 Engines, 1 Ladder, and 1 Rescue are staffed 24 hours a day; 365 days a year. Authorized strength is 45 full-time fire personnel. SFD also provides Emergency Medical Services. All firefighters are required to have a Maine EMS license ranging from EMT-Basic to Paramedic. In 2007 SFD responded to 1,150 Fire Runs & 2,515 Medical Runs for a total of 3,665 emergencies.

Sites of interest

  • Sanford-Springvale Historical Society & Museum
  • Goodall Park
    Goodall Park
    Goodall Park is a baseball venue in Sanford, Maine, USA which is home to the Sanford Mainers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The park opened on May 29, 1915...

    - Baseball
    Baseball
    Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

     stadium home to the Sanford Mainers
    Sanford Mainers
    The Sanford Mainers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Sanford, Maine. The team, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, plays their home games at Goodall Park.-Postseason appearances:-External links:* *...

    , two-time champions of the New England Collegiate Baseball League
    New England Collegiate Baseball League
    The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 42-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August...


Notable people

  • Randy Brooks
    Randy Brooks (musician)
    Randy Brooks was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader.Brooks began on trumpet at age six, and by eleven was touring with Rudy Vallee. He then worked with Claude Thornhill, Bob Allen, Bernie Cummins, Art Jarrett, and Les Brown before founding his own band in 1944...

    , musician
  • Vic Firth
    Vic Firth
    Vic Firth is an American musician and is the founder of Vic Firth Company , a percussion stick and mallet manufacturing company that he started in 1963. The company bills itself as the world's largest manufacturer of drum sticks and mallets...

    , musician, businessman
  • Louis B. Goodall
    Louis B. Goodall
    Louis Bertrand Goodall was a United States Representative from Maine. He was born in Winchester, New Hampshire on September 23, 1851. He moved to Troy, New Hampshire with his parents in 1852...

    , businessman, congressman
  • Sumner Increase Kimball
    Sumner Increase Kimball
    Sumner Increase Kimball, Sc.D. was the organizer of the United States Life-Saving Service and the General Superintendent of the Life-Saving Service from 1878-1915...

    , organizer of the United States Life-Saving Service, founder of Coast Guard Academy
  • Peter Kostis
    Peter Kostis
    Peter Kostis is an American golf analyst and instructor.Kostis is a world-renowned golf instructor and has been a member of the Golf Digest teaching staff for over 20 years. Among his many students are Paul Casey, Chez Reavie, Bernhard Langer, Steve Elkington, Dan Marino, Maury Povich, and Mike...

    , golf instructor, sportscaster
  • Franz Lidz
    Franz Lidz
    Franz Lidz is an American writer and journalist.He was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, a contributing editor at Conde Nast Portfolio, and is a correspondent for GQ, Sports Illustrated, Men's Journal, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Observer, AARP the Magazine, Slate and has written...

    , journalist and author of Unstrung Heroes
    Unstrung Heroes
    Unstrung Heroes is a 1995 American comedy-drama film directed by Diane Keaton. The screenplay by Richard LaGravenese is based on a memoir by journalist Franz Lidz.-Plot synopsis:...

  • Freddy Parent
    Freddy Parent
    Frederick Alfred Parent was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of eleven seasons in Major League Baseball, between 1899 and 1911, for the St. Louis Perfectos , Boston Americans and Chicago White Sox , primarily as a shortstop. Parent batted and threw right-handed...

    , Major League Baseball shortstop (1899–1911)
  • Lawrence Lee Pelletier
    Lawrence Lee Pelletier
    Lawrence Lee Pelletier was the 16th president of Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania.-Life and career:Pelletier was born in Farmington, New Hampshire and grew up in Sanford, Maine. He graduated Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Bowdoin College in 1936. At Harvard University He earned his...

    , 16th president of Allegheny College
    Allegheny College
    Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...

     
  • Joe Riggs
    Joe Riggs
    Joseph Jonathan Riggs is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He has competed at weights ranging from Heavyweight down to Welterweight. Currently, Riggs fights as a Middleweight.-Background:...

    , mixed martial arts fighter, UFC veteran

Further reading


External links

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