Waterville, Maine

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Seal of Waterville, Maine

Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine on the Kennebec River. The population was 15,605 at the 2000 census. It is the home of Colby College and Thomas College. Waterville was incorporated as a separate town in 1802, having previously been the portion of Winslow located on the west side of the Kennebec River and known as Ticonic Village.[1]

Location of city of Waterville in map of Maine
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Location of city of Waterville in map of Maine

Waterville is the birthplace of former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell. Several years ago, the elementary school in Waterville was renamed the George J. Mitchell School.

Hathaway Shirts were made in Waterville for over 160 years, until 2002 when the nation's last maker of name-brand dress shirts shut down in the face of low-priced foreign competition.

Waterville is home to northern New England's largest full-service locomotive repair facility, originally built by the Maine Central Railroad and now operated by Pan Am Railways. Maine Central was one of Waterville's largest employers up until the early 1980s.

Waterville's newspaper of record is the Morning Sentinel.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Waterville is located at 44°33′7″N, 69°38′45″W (44.552051, -69.645839)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.4 km² (14.1 mi²). 35.2 km² (13.6 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (3.35%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 15,605 people, 6,218 households, and 3,370 families residing in the city. The population density was 443.3/km² (1,148.7/mi²). There were 6,819 housing units at an average density of 193.7/km² (501.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.81% White, 0.78% African American, 0.56% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population. The city also has a significant population of 'Francos' (of French Canadian descent) and Lebanese (Maronite Christian). In fact, there are two Lebanese bakeries in the town.

There are 6,218 households out of which 26.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.8% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 18.5% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,816, and the median income for a family was $38,052. Males had a median income of $30,086 versus $22,037 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,430. 19.2% of the population and 15.1% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 29.7% of those under the age of 18 and 14.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

[edit] Sister cities

[edit] Points of interest

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). Doris A. Isaacson: Maine: A Guide 'Down East'. Rockland, Me: Courier-Gazette, Inc., 223-228.
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