Westbrook, Maine
Encyclopedia
Westbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine
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...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and a suburb of 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...

. The population was 17,494 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

Originally known as Saccarappa after Saccarappa Falls on the Presumpscot River
Presumpscot River
The Presumpscot River is a river located in Cumberland County, Maine. It is the main outlet of Sebago Lake.-Course:The river flows through the communities of Standish, Windham, Gorham, Westbrook, Portland, and Falmouth before emptying into Casco Bay at Falmouth...

, it was a part of Falmouth (now 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...

) until February 14, 1814, when it was set off and incorporated as Stroudwater. It soon changed its name to Westbrook after Colonel Thomas Westbrook, a commander during Dummer's War
Dummer's War
Dummer's War , also known as Lovewell's War, Father Rale's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the 4th Indian War or the Wabanaki-New England War of 1722–1725, was a series of battles between British settlers of the three northernmost British colonies of North America of the time and the...

 and King's mast agent who was an early settler and mill operator. In 1871, Deering was set off as a separate town, which in 1889 became part of Portland. In 1891, Westbrook was incorporated as a city.

Saccarappa Falls and Congin Falls provided water power for early 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 :...

 within the city. In 1829, 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....

 was built at the former which made the mill town
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:...

 noted for its 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....

. Other industries followed, manufacturing grain bags, machinery and water wheel
Water wheel
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power. A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface...

s, 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,...

 and harness
Horse harness
A horse harness is a type of horse tack that allows a horse or other equine to pull various horse-drawn vehicles such as a carriage, wagon or sleigh. Harnesses may also be used to hitch animals to other loads such as a plow or canal boat....

, boot
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....

s, 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 moccasin
Moccasin
A Moccasin is a form of shoe worn by Native Americans, as well as by hunters, traders, and settlers in the frontier regions of North America.Moccasin may also refer to:* Moccasin , an American Thoroughbred racehorse-Places:...

s, tinware
Tinware
Tinware is any item made of prefabricated tinplate. Usually tinware refers to kitchenware made of tinplate, often crafted by tinsmiths. Many cans used for canned food are tinware as well. Something that is tinned after being shaped and fabricated is not considered tinware.-Properties:Tinware is...

, leather board, bricks, wooden boxes, box shook, meal and flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...

. The Portland Manufacturing Company built a 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....

 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...

 mill at Saccarappa Falls for making "sheetings, stripes and ducks." A paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...

 was built at Cumberland Mills, once an Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 planting ground known as Ammoncongin. By 1859, it produced 1,000 tons of paper annually. In 1867, the factory's name would change to the S. D. Warren Paper Mill
S. D. Warren Paper Mill
S. D. Warren Paper Mill is a small mill built on the Presumpscot River in the 1730s in a rural and fairly unpopulated area. In 1854, that small paper mill, in the soon-to-be established town of Westbrook, Maine, was purchased for $28,000 by Samuel Dennis Warren. The mill was named Grant, Warren and...

.

The Oxford & Cumberland Canal
Cumberland and Oxford Canal
The Cumberland and Oxford Canal was opened in 1832 to connect the largest lakes of southern Maine with the seaport of Portland, Maine. The canal followed the Presumpscot River from Sebago Lake through the towns of Standish, Windham, Gorham, and Westbrook. The Canal diverged from the river at...

 opened in 1832, connecting Portland to Harrison
Harrison, Maine
Harrison is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,315 at the 2000 census. A historic resort area, Harrison straddles Long Lake and Crystal Lake...

 by way of Westbrook and Sebago Lake
Sebago Lake
Sebago Lake is the deepest and second largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine. The lake is deep at its deepest point, with a mean depth of , covers about in surface area, has a length of and a shoreline length of . The surface is around above sea level, so the deep bottom is below the present...

. It was the primary commercial shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...

 route for goods until 1871, when it was rendered obsolete by the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad. Remnants of the canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...

 can still be seen throughout the city, including Beaver Pond, along Stroudwater Street near the Maine Turnpike overpass, and in the woods between Westbrook High School and Oxford & Cumberland Canal Elementary School.

Geography

Westbrook is located at 43°41′7"N 70°21′26"W (43.685348, -70.357116).

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 city has a total area of 17.1 square miles (44.3 km²), of which 16.9 square miles (43.8 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) (1.17%) is water.

Westbrook is drained primarily by two rivers. The Presumpscot River
Presumpscot River
The Presumpscot River is a river located in Cumberland County, Maine. It is the main outlet of Sebago Lake.-Course:The river flows through the communities of Standish, Windham, Gorham, Westbrook, Portland, and Falmouth before emptying into Casco Bay at Falmouth...

 flows through the center of the city, with two prominent falls (the aforementioned Saccarappa Falls and Congin Falls). The smaller Stroudwater River
Stroudwater River
The Stroudwater River is a river located mostly in Cumberland County, Maine. The river begins as a small stream at Duck Pond in Buxton and grows as it flows through Buxton, Gorham, Westbrook, and finally Portland before emptying into the Fore River near Portland's Stroudwater neighborhood...

 flows through the southwestern part of the city. The city also contains part of Highland Lake.

Westbrook is served by Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Maine
In the U.S. state of Maine, Interstate 95 is a long highway running from the New Hampshire border near Kittery, to the Canadian border near Houlton. It is the only two-digit Interstate Highway in Maine...

, U.S. Route 302
U.S. Route 302
U.S. Route 302 is a spur of U.S. Route 2. It currently runs 171 miles north from Portland, Maine, at U.S. Route 1, to Montpelier, Vermont, at US 2...

 and State Routes 22
Maine State Route 22
State Route 22 is a state highway located in southwestern Maine. It serves the western suburbs of Portland, running from Maine State Route 35 in Buxton east into the city, where it ends at Maine State Route 77....

 and 25. It is bordered by 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...

 to the east, 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...

 and Scarborough to the south, Gorham
Gorham, Maine
Gorham is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 16,381 at the 2010 census. In addition to an urban village center known as Gorham Village or simply "the Village," the town also encompasses a number of smaller, unincorporated villages and hamlets with distinct...

 and Windham
Windham, Maine
Windham is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 17,001 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of South Windham and North Windham...

 to the west, and Falmouth
Falmouth, Maine
Falmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 11,185 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area....

 to the north.

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 16,142 people, 6,863 households, and 4,261 families residing in the city. 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 956.9 people per square mile (369.4/km²). There were 7,089 housing units at an average density of 420.3 per square mile (162.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.69% White, 0.88% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.28% 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 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 6,863 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% 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, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,873, and the median income for a family was $47,120. Males had a median income of $32,412 versus $25,769 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 city was $19,501. About 6.7% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Now primarily a suburb of the larger city of 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...

, Westbrook itself has a growing business base and developing core downtown district. IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.
IDEXX Laboratories
IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. or IDXX is a multinational corporation engaged in the development, manufacture, and distribution of products and services for the veterinary, food, and water testing markets...

, a multi-national corporation, is headquartered in Westbrook. In addition to the downt own area, many of the city's businesses are located within two industrial parks (the Col. Westbrook Industrial Park and Five Star Industrial Park), as well as in the area surrounding Maine Turnpike Exit 48.

The city is home to Sappi Ltd.'s
Sappi
Sappi Limited is a global pulp and paper company group.Sappi is a producer of coated fine paper and chemical cellulose. The company conducts its business through three business units: Sappi Fine Paper, Sappi Forest Products and Sappi Trading....

 Westbrook Paper Mill and R&D Center. The mill, formerly the S. D. Warren Paper Mill
S. D. Warren Paper Mill
S. D. Warren Paper Mill is a small mill built on the Presumpscot River in the 1730s in a rural and fairly unpopulated area. In 1854, that small paper mill, in the soon-to-be established town of Westbrook, Maine, was purchased for $28,000 by Samuel Dennis Warren. The mill was named Grant, Warren and...

, was once the city's largest employer and taxpayer, employing over 3,000 people and representing over 50% of the city's tax base. However, foreign competition and the age of the mill have drastically reduced its workforce and production. Today the mill has found a niche in the marketplace, becoming one of the nation's top manufacturers of release papers and employing about 300 people. The Calpine-Westbrook Energy Center has since surpassed the mill as the city's largest taxpayer. Westbrook was also the home of the first Sebago-Moc
Wolverine World Wide
Wolverine World Wide is a footwear manufacturer. They have their own brand, Wolverine Boots and Shoes, and also make footwear for other companies, such as Caterpillar and Harley-Davidson. Wolverine also makes shoes and boots for the military...

 shoe factory.

The faith-based Mercy Hospital of Portland operates Mercy Westbrook, a small community hospital with a minor emergency room and inpatient treatment facilities. Spring Harbor Hospital, southern Maine's only private psychiatric treatment and recovery center, is also located within the city.

Education

  • Westbrook School Department
  • Westbrook High School
  • Westbrook Regional Vocational Center
  • Westbrook Middle School, grades 6 - 8(Formerly Fred C. Wescott Junior High School)

  • Congin Elementary School, grades 3 - 5
  • Canal School Elementary School, grades 3 - 5
  • Pride's Corner Elementary School, grades K - 2
  • Saccarappa Elementary School, grades K - 2

Neighborhoods

Similar to neighboring Portland and South Portland, Westbrook contains several distinct neighborhoods that are generally recognized by residents but have no legal or political significance. Unlike Portland, however, there is no official signage recognizing these neighborhoods. Some of the notable neighborhoods include:
  • Birdland
  • Cumberland Mills
  • Deer Hill
  • Frenchtown
  • The Hamlet
  • Pride's Corner
  • Old Millbrook
  • Westbrook Pointe
  • Woodland
  • Colonial Village
  • Highland Lake

Recreation

In addition to the sports complexes located at Westbrook High School and other schools, the city offers several public recreational areas and facilities, including:
  • Bicentennial Park & Skate Park
  • Riverbank Park
  • Westbrook River Walk - along Presumpscot River in downtown area
  • Cornelia Warren Memorial Trail - along Presumpscot River between Ash St. and Cumberland St.
  • Westbrook River Trail - along Presumpscot River north and east of the Sappi paper mill
  • Rocky Hill - network of trails behind Wescott Community Center
  • Warren Little League Complex
  • Lincoln Street skating rink - ice hockey in colder months, roller hockey in warmer months
  • East Bridge Street skating rink - winter use only
  • Stroudwater Street skating rink - winter use only
  • East Bridge Street ballfields
  • Warren League Grounds
  • Warren Pool - outdoor public pool, summer use only
  • Davan Pool - indoor pool, open year-round


Westbrook is home to the 2002 Maine State Little League Champions, The 2005 12 Year Old Little League New England Regional Champions, 2006 13 Year Old Babe Ruth New England Champions, and The 2008 15 Year Old Babe Ruth World Championship Runner-ups.

Sites of interest


Notable people

  • Benjamin Paul Akers
    Benjamin Paul Akers
    Benjamin Paul Akers was an American sculptor, from Maine.-Early life:Born in Saccarappa, Maine in 1825, Akers moved to Boston in 1849 where he was an apprentice...

    , sculptor
  • Mark Chadbourne, composer, recording artist, producer
  • John Cumberland
    John Cumberland
    John Sheldon Cumberland is an American former professional baseball player and coach primarily in Major League Baseball. Cumberland pitched for six seasons in the MLB between and with the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, St...

    , baseball player and coach
  • Kevin Eastman
    Kevin Eastman
    Kevin Brooks Eastman is an American comic book artist and writer, best known as the creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Eastman is also the current owner, editor and publisher of the magazine Heavy Metal.-Early life:Eastman was born on May 30, 1962 in Springvale, Maine...

    , cartoonist, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...

     
  • James D. Fessenden,Civil War general, born in Westbrook
  • Scott Garland (A.K.A. Scotty 2 Hotty), professional wrestler
  • George Gore
    George Gore
    George F. Gore , nicknamed "Piano Legs", was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for fourteen seasons, eight for the Chicago White Stockings, five for the New York Giants, one for the St. Louis Browns of the National League , and the New York Giants of the Players League...

    , baseball player
  • Nancy A. Henry
    Nancy A. Henry
    -Background:Nancy Henry was born Chipley, Florida in 1961 to J.F. and Nancy J. Henry, and spent her early years in Gainesville, Florida. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Political Science from St. Andrews Presbyterian College in 1982...

    , poet
  • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...

    , poet
  • Edmund Needham Morrill
    Edmund Needham Morrill
    Edmund Needham Morrill was a U.S. Congressman from Kansas and the 13th Governor of Kansas.Edmund Needham Morrill was born in Westbrook, Maine to Rufus and Mary Morrill. He attended the common schools at Westbrook Academy and learned the trade of tanning from his father. At the age of 23, he moved...

    , congressman and governor
  • Rudy Vallee
    Rudy Vallée
    Rudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée...

    , musician, band leader, actor and entertainer
  • Avadis Tevanian, venture capitalist, senior executive at Apple

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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