Waldo, Maine
Encyclopedia
Waldo is a town
in Waldo County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 733 at the 2000 census
.
, a large tract of land owned by Brigadier-General Samuel Waldo
of Boston
. It was first settled in 1811 by Henry Davidson, then organized as Waldo Plantation on July 6, 1821. The town was incorporated by the legislature
on March 17, 1845, taking the name of its early proprietor.
A large portion of Waldo was rocky and uneven, unfit for cultivation
. Some parts had arable
soil, however, producing excellent farm
s and prosperous farmer
s. The town became noted for prize-winning cattle
. It was also known for its forest
s, with much of the timber
used for Belfast
shipbuilding
. The Wescott Stream provided water power, and by 1859 Waldo had seven busy sawmill
s. It also had one gristmill
, some shingle
machines, and a tannery
. In 1870, the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad began operating, its trains passing through the town.
, the town has a total area of 19.4 square miles (50.2 km²), of which, 19.4 square miles (50.2 km²) of it is land and 0.05% is water. Waldo is drained by the Passagassawakeag River
and Wescott Stream.
The town is served by state routes 7
, 131, 137
and 203.
of 2000, there were 733 people, 290 households, and 207 families residing in the town. The population density
was 37.8 people per square mile (14.6/km²). There were 313 housing units at an average density of 16.1 per square mile (6.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.59% White, 0.55% African American, 0.95% Native American, 0.27% Asian, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population.
There were 290 households out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 104.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,063, and the median income for a family was $38,125. Males had a median income of $25,341 versus $21,771 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,030. About 12.4% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 18.4% 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 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 733 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...
.
History
The area was once part of the Waldo PatentWaldo Patent
The Waldo Patent, a letters patent also known as the Muscongus Patent or the Lincolnshire Patent, was an area of land 36 miles square in what is now the U.S...
, a large tract of land owned by Brigadier-General Samuel Waldo
Samuel Waldo (merchant)
Brigadier-General Samuel Waldo was a wealthy merchant, land speculator, soldier and political figure in Massachusetts.He was born in Boston, the son of Jonathan Waldo and Hannah Mason. In 1722, he married Lucy Wainwright...
of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. It was first settled in 1811 by Henry Davidson, then organized as Waldo Plantation on July 6, 1821. The town was incorporated by the 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...
on March 17, 1845, taking the name of its early proprietor.
A large portion of Waldo was rocky and uneven, unfit for cultivation
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
. Some parts had arable
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
soil, however, producing excellent farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
s and prosperous farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s. The town became noted for prize-winning cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. It was also known for its forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s, with much of the timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
used for Belfast
Belfast, Maine
Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,668. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River on Penobscot Bay, Belfast is the county seat of Waldo County...
shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
. The Wescott Stream provided water power, and by 1859 Waldo had seven busy 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....
s. It also had one gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, some shingle
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
machines, and a tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
. In 1870, the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad began operating, its trains passing through the 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 19.4 square miles (50.2 km²), of which, 19.4 square miles (50.2 km²) of it is land and 0.05% is water. Waldo is drained by the Passagassawakeag River
Passagassawakeag River
The Passagassawakeag River is a river in Waldo County, Maine in the United States. From the outlet of Lake Passagassawakeag in Brooks, it runs south and east to its estuary in Belfast, Maine...
and Wescott Stream.
The town is served by state routes 7
Maine State Route 7
State Route 7 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from an interchange with U.S. 1 in Belfast, to an intersection with Route 15 in Dover-Foxcroft. Route 7 is long....
, 131, 137
Maine State Route 137
State Route 137 is a route that runs west to east that begins at the intersection of US 2 in East Mercer and covers a large expanse of land, ending in the city of Belfast at SR 3....
and 203.
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 733 people, 290 households, and 207 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 37.8 people per square mile (14.6/km²). There were 313 housing units at an average density of 16.1 per square mile (6.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.59% White, 0.55% African American, 0.95% Native American, 0.27% Asian, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population.
There were 290 households out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% 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, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 104.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,063, and the median income for a family was $38,125. Males had a median income of $25,341 versus $21,771 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 $14,030. About 12.4% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.