Durham, Maine

Durham, Maine
Town
Location of Durham (in yellow) in Androscoggin County and the state of Maine
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Androscoggin
Area
• Total	38.7 sq mi (100.3 km2)
• Land	38.1 sq mi (98.7 km2)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (1.7 km2)
Elevation	167 ft (51 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	3,381
• Density	88.7/sq mi (34.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	04222
Area code	207
FIPS code	23-19105
GNIS feature ID	0582448

Durham is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,381 at the 2000 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England City and Town Area. It is considered one of the best small towns in Maine to live in because of its large neighboring towns and record-low property taxes; making it a low-cost, high-reward town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.8 square miles (100.4 km²), of which, 38.1 square miles (98.7 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.7 km²) of it (1.68%) is water.

Durham is bordered by Pownal, Auburn, Freeport, New Gloucester, Brunswick, Lewiston, Lisbon Falls, and Topsham.

Durham is considered a "gateway" town due to the fact that it connects two major Maine communities, the Greater Portland Area with the Lewiston/Auburn Area.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 3,381 people, 1,226 households, and 980 families residing in the town. The population density was 88.7 people per square mile (34.3/km²). There were 1,257 housing units at an average density of 33.0/sq mi (12.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.96% White, 0.12% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.

There were 1,226 households out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.6% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 12.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $53,846, and the median income for a family was $55,028. Males had a median income of $35,174 versus $28,342 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,883. About 5.9% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Durham is in the Maine's 2nd US Congressional District, Maine Senate District 15, and Maine House of Representatives District 105.

Education

• Durham Elementary School is a public school operated by the Durham School Department. The school provides for the education of students in grades K through 8.
• Education of a majority of the students in grades 9 through 12 is provided by Brunswick High School.
• High school education is also offered by Lisbon High School, Edward Little High School, and Freeport High School.

Notable Residents

• Frank Sandford's religious sect known as "The Kingdom" began at the Shiloh colony in Durham in 1896.
• Author Stephen King was raised in Durham. He went to Durham Elementary School for a few years, then attended Lisbon Falls, Maine High School. He now lives in Bangor, Maine.

External links

• Varney, George J. (1886), Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Durham, Boston: Russell