Readfield, Maine

Readfield, Maine
Town
Church Road
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Kennebec
Incorporated	1791
Area
• Total	31.1 sq mi (80.6 km2)
• Land	29.2 sq mi (75.7 km2)
• Water	1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2)
Elevation	226 ft (69 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	2,360
• Density	80.8/sq mi (31.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	04355
Area code	207
FIPS code	23-62190
GNIS feature ID	0582693

Readfield is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,360 at the 2000 census. Readfield is home to the Kents Hill School, a preparatory school, Maranacook Community Schools, public schools for the district, and the annual Kennebec County Fair. The town is a resort area on Maranacook Lake.

History

The town was a portion of Winthrop set off and incorporated on March 11, 1791. In 1824, Luther Sampson established here the Maine Wesleyan Seminary, now called the Kents Hill School. In the late 1840s, the Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad passed through the town, and Readfield Corner developed into the commercial center. Mills were built using water power of the stream that flows from Torsey Pond into Maranacook Lake. Here was established the Readfield Manufacturing Company, a woolen textile factory, as well as a sash and blind factory. Noted for its livestock and dairy farms, Readfield in 1856 became the site of the annual Kennebec County Fair.

Notable residents

• Christian Duguay, comic actor
• John Hubbard, physician & governor
• Jonathan G. Hunton, governor
• Anson P. Morrill, governor & congressman
• Nick Barnes, fattest man alive

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 31.1 square miles (80.6 km²), of which, 29.2 square miles (75.7 km²) of it is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) of it (6.08%) is water. Drained by Beaver Brook and Tingley Brook, Readfield includes the northern half of Maranacook Lake, the southern half of Torsey Pond, the southeast corner of Echo Lake, and the northeast shore of Lovejoy Pond.

The town is crossed by state routes 17, 41 and 135. It borders the town of Manchester to the east, Winthrop to the south, Wayne to the southwest, Fayette to the west, and Mount Vernon and Belgrade to the north.

Government

Readfield's municipal government's CEO is Stefan Pakulski. The type of government is a town meeting and five selectmen. The municipal facilities include a volunteer fire department, a small water system in the village, and private sewer.

Demographics

The Elmwood in 1910

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 2,360 people, 867 households, and 673 families residing in the town. The population density was 80.8 people per square mile (31.2/km²). There were 1,148 housing units at an average density of 39.3/sq mi (15.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.71% White, 0.08% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.

25% of Readfield residents report English ancestry, 12% French, 12% Irish, 8% German, 4% French Canadian, 4% Italian, 3% Scottish, 3% Swedish, 2% Scotch-Irish, 2% American Indian, 2% Norwegian, 1% Polish, 1% Arab, 1% Danish, 1% Swiss, 1% Lebanese, 1% Welsh and 1% Canadian.

By a population profile estimate, in 1960 there were 1,029 residents of the town. By 1970, it had grown by 22.3% to 1,258; by 1980 it had grown 54.5% to a population of 1,943. By 1990 it had grown 4.6% to a total of 2,033, and by 2000 it grew by 16.1% for a total of 2,360. A 2007 census estimated the current population at 2,530. The best estimate for 2020 is a population of 2,850.

There were 867 households out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.10.

Maranacook Lake in c. 1912

In the town the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.

The occupational profile for 2000 was 585 jobs in Executive, Managerial and Professional; 218 jobs in Sales, Administration and Support; 155 jobs in service, 7 jobs in Farm and Forestry, and 232 jobs in Skilled Labor.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,893, and the median income for a family was $51,890. Males had a median income of $37,981 versus $27,971 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,707. About 4.6% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

"Readfield Depot", postcard, about 1909

Public schools

• Maranacook Area Schools
  • Maranacook Community Middle School
  • Maranacook Community High School

Private school

• Kents Hill School

Site of interest

• Readfield Historical Society & Museum

External links

• Town of Readfield, Maine
• History of Readfield, Maine
• Maine.gov -- Readfield, Maine