West Paris, Maine
Encyclopedia
West Paris is a town
in Oxford County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 1,722 at the 2000 census
.
, granted by the Massachusetts General Court
in 1771 to Captain Joshua Fuller and his company of 64 soldiers as payment for their service to the colony. First settled in 1779, the land was considered superior for pasturage
and hay
crops, and orchard
s were large and productive.
Mills
were built along the Little Androscoggin River
. The Paris Manufacturing Company, which was started modestly by Henry Franklin Morton in 1861 at West Sumner
, grew into an important manufacturer. Near the Grand Trunk Railway
depot
in West Paris, it built a factory to make products including sled
s, skis, wagon
s, step ladders, wheelbarrow
s, ironing boards, children's rolltop desk
s and other furniture
.
In September 1957, West Paris was set off and incorporated as a town.
, the town has a total area of 24.4 square miles (63.2 km²), of which 24.2 square miles (62.7 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.66% water. West Paris is drained by the Little Androscoggin River
.
The town is crossed by state routes 26
and 219.
of 2000, there were 1,722 people, 646 households, and 461 families residing in the town. The population density
was 71.0 people per square mile (27.4/km²). There were 720 housing units at an average density of 29.7 per square mile (11.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.78% White, 0.12% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 0.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.2% were of English
, 13.7% American
, 12.3% Irish
, 6.5% Finnish, 6.0% French
and 5.3% German
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 646 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,000, and the median income for a family was $35,714. Males had a median income of $28,958 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,093. 16.4% of the population and 13.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.6% of those under the age of 18 and 15.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
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 Oxford County
Oxford County, Maine
Oxford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine with a population of 57,833 as of the 2010 U.S. census. Its county seat is Paris.Part of Oxford County is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, metropolitan New England City and Town Area while a different part of Oxford County is...
, 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 1,722 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
It began as part of ParisParis, Maine
Paris is a town in and the county seat of Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,793 at the 2000 census. The census-designated place of South Paris is located within the town. Because the U.S. Post Office refers to the entire town as South Paris, the town as a whole is commonly...
, granted by the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
in 1771 to Captain Joshua Fuller and his company of 64 soldiers as payment for their service to the colony. First settled in 1779, the land was considered superior for pasturage
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
and hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
crops, and orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s were large and productive.
Mills
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
were built along the Little Androscoggin River
Little Androscoggin River
The Little Androscoggin River is a river in Maine. It flows from Bryant Pond in Woodstock to its confluence with the Androscoggin River in Auburn...
. The Paris Manufacturing Company, which was started modestly by Henry Franklin Morton in 1861 at West Sumner
Sumner, Maine
Sumner is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Sumner is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 854 at the 2000 census. The town includes the villages of West Sumner and East Sumner....
, grew into an important manufacturer. Near the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
depot
Depot
Depot is from the French dépôt which means a deposit or a storehouse. In English, depot can mean any one of a number of things, with minor variances between the different English speaking countries:Transport* Train station...
in West Paris, it built a factory to make products including sled
Sled
A sled, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle with a smooth underside or possessing a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners that travels by sliding across a surface. Most sleds are used on surfaces with low friction, such as snow or ice. In some cases,...
s, skis, wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
s, step ladders, wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrow
A wheelbarrow is a small hand-propelled vehicle, usually with just one wheel, designed to be pushed and guided by a single person using two handles to the rear, or by a sail to push the ancient wheelbarrow by wind. The term "wheelbarrow" is made of two words: "wheel" and "barrow." "Barrow" is a...
s, ironing boards, children's rolltop desk
Rolltop desk
A rolltop desk is a 19th century reworking of the pedestal desk with, in addition, a series of stacked compartments, shelves, drawers and nooks in front of the user, much like the bureau à gradin or the Carlton House desk...
s and other furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
.
In September 1957, West Paris was set off and incorporated as a 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 24.4 square miles (63.2 km²), of which 24.2 square miles (62.7 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.66% water. West Paris is drained by the Little Androscoggin River
Little Androscoggin River
The Little Androscoggin River is a river in Maine. It flows from Bryant Pond in Woodstock to its confluence with the Androscoggin River in Auburn...
.
The town is crossed by state routes 26
Maine State Route 26
State Route 26 is a 96.7 mile-long state highway in southwestern Maine. It was first commissioned in 1925, as part of the New England road marking system. Route 26 in Maine, as well as New Hampshire and the short stub in Vermont, covers the route of the old New England Interstate Route 26...
and 219.
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 1,722 people, 646 households, and 461 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 71.0 people per square mile (27.4/km²). There were 720 housing units at an average density of 29.7 per square mile (11.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.78% White, 0.12% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 0.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.2% were of English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, 13.7% American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 12.3% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, 6.5% Finnish, 6.0% French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
and 5.3% German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 646 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% 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, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,000, and the median income for a family was $35,714. Males had a median income of $28,958 versus $21,250 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 $14,093. 16.4% of the population and 13.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.6% of those under the age of 18 and 15.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.