Farmington (town), Maine

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Farmington, Maine
nickname =
motto =


imagesize =
image_caption = Bird's-eye View of Farmington in 1907


image_



mapsize = 185px
map_caption = Location in Franklin County, Maine
subdivision_type = County
subdivision_name = Franklin County
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = 1794
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 17.5
area_total_sq_mi = 10.9
area_land_km2 = 16.9
area_land_sq_mi = 10.5
area_water_km2 = 0.6
area_water_sq_mi = 0.4
area_water_percent = 3.8
area_urban_km2 =
area_urban_sq_mi =
area_metro_km2 =
area_metro_sq_mi =
population_as_of = 2006
population_note =
population_total = 7,580
population_metro =
population_urban = 3,716
population_density_km2 = 52.2
population_density_sq_mi = 135.3
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = Eastern
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd=44 |latm=30 |lats=37 |latNS= N
longd=70 |longm=8 |longs=29 |longEW= W
elevation_m = 130
elevation_ft = 425
website = [http://www.farmington-maine.org/ www.farmington-maine.org]
postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 04938, 04992, 04940
area_code = 207
website =

Farmington is a town in and the county seat of Franklin County, Maine, United States.GR|6 As of the 2000 census, the town population was 7,410. Farmington is home to the University of Maine at Farmington, the Ski Museum of Maine and the annual Farmington Fair.

History

The area was once territory of the Canibas tribe of Abenaki Indians. They had 2 camps located near Farmington Falls, with fields cleared for cultivation of maize and potatoes. Their fort's stockade enclosed about an acre at the center of what is today Farmington Falls village. In 1703, the Massachusetts General Court granted the land to William Tyng and his company as reward for services to the state. It was variously called Plantation Number One or Sandy River Plantation.

It remained undeveloped through the French and Indian Wars, not least because Norridgewock, a fortified Indian village hostile to English settlement, was downriver. But Indian hostility ceased with the Fall of Quebec in 1759 and Treaty of Paris in 1763. A group from Topsham arrived in 1776 to explore the area with a view of laying out a town. Improvements were made, and in 1781 the first settlers arrived, the same year a sawmill was established. On February 1, 1794, Sandy River Plantation was incorporated as Farmington, named for its unusually fertile soil.

Beginning with a cluster of log houses at Farmington Falls, the town grew and prospered. Agriculture remained important, with hay a principal product. Orchards yielded apples and other fruit. Farmington became one of the largest wool producing towns in New England, with herds of sheep grazing hills and intervales. Water power from the streams attracted industry. In time, there were 5 lumber mills, 2 sash, blind and door factories, 2 brickyards, a foundry, a rake factory, 3 gristmills, nearly a dozen carriage factories, a cheese factory, 2 corn canning factories, 2 mowing machine factories, a spool factory and a tannery.

A manufacturing and agricultural trade center, Farmington was designated county seat when Franklin County was formed in 1838.cite book |last= Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums |editor=Doris A. Isaacson |title=Maine: A Guide 'Down East' |year=1970 |publisher=Courier-Gazette, Inc. |location=Rockland, Me | pages = 284-285 ] The Androscoggin Railroad completed its line from Leeds Junction to Farmington in 1859, carrying freight and tourists. In 1879, the town became the southern terminus for the narrow gauge Sandy River Railroad (later part of the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad), making it a gateway to the Rangeley Lake and Sugarloaf Mountain areas. Farmington suffered a devastating fire on October 22, 1886, when 33 houses, 19 stores, 3 churches, the county jail and the post office were destroyed. The 1877 Methodist Church designed by noted architect Arthur H. Vinal survived. Farmington is today a college town and resort area.

Notable residents

* Edward Abbott, clergyman, journalist & author
* Jacob Abbott, author & educator
* Hiram Belcher, congressman
* Supply Belcher, composer & musician
* Jonathan Reuben Cohen, philosophy professor
* Nathan Cutler, politician
* Robert Goodenow, congressman
* Chester Greenwood, inventor
* S. Clifton Ives, bishop
* Gregory Kearney, cartoonist
* Peter Mills, politician
* Samuel P. Morrill, congressman & minister
* Lillian Nordica, singer
* Seth Wescott, snowboarder

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 56.0 square miles (145.1 km²), of which, 55.8 square miles (144.6 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (0.36%) is water. Farmington is drained by Wilson Stream, Temple Stream, Beaver Brook and the Sandy River.

The town is crossed by U.S. Route 2 and State Routes 4, 27, 43, 133, and 149. It borders the towns of Industry and New Sharon to the east, Chesterville to the south, Wilton to the southwest, Temple to the west, and Strong and New Vineyard to the north.

Farmington has four areas that it is locally divided up into, and is also sometimes mapped in that way. These areas are West Farmington, Fairbanks, Farmington Falls, and Farmington (downtown). All except Fairbanks have their own zip code, but they are all still within Farmington.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,410 people, 2,813 households, and 1,533 families residing in the town. The population density was 132.7 people per square mile (51.2/km²). There were 3,048 housing units at an average density of 21.1 persons/km² (54.6 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 97.48% White, 0.20% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,813 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 9.1% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 45.5% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.4% under the age of 18, 25.0% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 81.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,814, and the median income for a family was $33,656. Males had a median income of $27,569 versus $21,101 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,982. About 18.0% of families and 22.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.6% of those under the age of 18 and 5.4% ages 65 or older.

Prophecy

Farmington is the subject of a prophecy by the Quaker Licia Kuenning about a Coming New Order in the town. This was originally prophesied for Tuesday 6 June 2006 [http://www.megalink.net/~klee/fpf.html] but is now prophesied "within the next few years". [http://www.megalink.net/~klee/neworder.html]

According to the prophecy, after the coming of the new order, within the municipal limits of Farmington:
* There will be no death and no illness (except the remnants of earlier illnesses which will go away in three days or less)
* There will be no crime or bad behavior. You will be safe in Farmington; nothing will harm you here.
* If one goes outside the borders of Farmington at that time one will not be protected in this particular way, though one will be no worse off than before.

Government

Farmington is the county seat of Franklin County and as a result has many administrative buildings such as a courthouse. It is governed by a board of selectment and town meeting.

ites of interest

* Farmington Historical Society
** Center Church (1873)
** Titcomb House (1846)
* Red Schoolhouse Museum
* Ski Museum of Maine

References

Further reading

* [http://books.google.com/books?id=uy26pYZRX1kC&dq=History+of+Maine&lr=&num=50&as_brr=0&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 History of Farmington, Maine, from Its First Settlement.] By Thomas Parker. Published 1875. Full image at books.google.
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~mefrankl/ParkersHist.htm History of Farmington, Maine -- Thomas Parker (1846)]
* [http://history.rays-place.com/me/farmington-me-gezetteer.htm History of Farmington, Maine (1886)]
* [http://history.rays-place.com/me/farmington.htm Historical Sketch of Farmington, Maine (1889)]

External links

* [http://www.FarmingtonMaine.org/ Town of Farmington, Maine]
* [http://www.Farmington.lib.me.us/ Farmington Public Library]
* [http://maine.gov/local/franklin/farmington/ Maine.gov -- Farmington, Maine]