Minot, Maine
Encyclopedia
Minot is a town
in Androscoggin County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 2,248 at the 2000 census
. The town includes the villages of West Minot and Minot Center. It is part of both the Lewiston
-Auburn
, Maine metropolitan statistical area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area
.
to Captain Thomas Baker and his company of soldiers for their services to the state at the 1690 Battle of Quebec
. It replaced a 1736 grant at what is now Salisbury, New Hampshire
, ruled invalid in 1741 because of a prior claim from the descendants of John Mason. In 1795, Bakerstown Plantation was incorporated as Poland
, named after Chief Poland, a noted local Indian
sachem
. On February 18, 1802, the northeastern part of Poland was set off as Minot, named after George Richards Minot (1758–1802), judge of the General Court who had aided in the town's incorporation.
The first settler was Moses Emery from Newbury, Massachusetts
, in 1772. At that time there were several Indians of the Anasagunticook tribe living in the immediate area. The surface of the town is uneven, in some parts hilly, but with good soil for agriculture
, the principal early occupation. Mills
were erected at various water power sites, and products included lumber
, clapboard
s, shingles
, boxes, shooks, barrel staves
. There was also manufacturing in leather
, particularly boot
s, shoes
, saddle
s and harness
. In 1842, land was set off to form Auburn
, to which more land was ceded in 1873. Mechanic Falls
, the industrial village astride the border with Poland, was set off in 1893. The population in 1859 was 1,734. Today, Minot is gradually transitioning into a bedroom community of the cities of Auburn and Lewiston
.
, the town has a total area of 29.9 square miles (77.4 km²), of which 29.8 square miles (77.2 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²), or 0.47%, is water. Minot is drained by the Little Androscoggin River
.
The town is crossed by state routes 11, 119 and 124. It is bordered by the towns of Oxford and Hebron
to the northwest, Turner
to the north, Auburn
to the east, and Poland
to the south, and Mechanic Falls
to the southwest.
of 2000, there were 2,248 people, 794 households, and 646 families residing in the town. The population density
was 75.5 people per square mile (29.2/km²). There were 824 housing units at an average density of 27.7 per square mile (10.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.27% White, 0.22% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races
, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.
There were 794 households out of which 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% were married couples
living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.6% were non-families. 12.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,557, and the median income for a family was $49,926. Males had a median income of $34,459 versus $25,417 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $18,668. About 3.7% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Androscoggin County
Androscoggin County, Maine
Androscoggin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the county's population was 107,702. Its county seat is Auburn...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,248 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. The town includes the villages of West Minot and Minot Center. It is part of both the Lewiston
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
-Auburn
Auburn, Maine
Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 23,055 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan...
, Maine metropolitan statistical area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area
New England City and Town Area
A New England City and Town Area or NECTA is a geographic and statistical entity defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, for use in describing aspects of the New England region of the United States...
.
History
Present-day Minot was part of Bakerstown Plantation, granted in 1765 by the Massachusetts General CourtMassachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
to Captain Thomas Baker and his company of soldiers for their services to the state at the 1690 Battle of Quebec
Battle of Quebec (1690)
The Battle of Quebec was fought in October 1690 between the colonies of New France and Massachusetts Bay, then ruled by the kingdoms of France and England, respectively. It was the first time Quebec's defences were tested....
. It replaced a 1736 grant at what is now Salisbury, New Hampshire
Salisbury, New Hampshire
Salisbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 1,382 at the 2010 census.-History:While still part of Massachusetts, the town was granted as Baker's Town after Captain Thomas Baker in 1736. After New Hampshire became a separate colony, the town was re-granted by the...
, ruled invalid in 1741 because of a prior claim from the descendants of John Mason. In 1795, Bakerstown Plantation was incorporated as Poland
Poland, Maine
Poland is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,866 at the 2000 census. Home to Range Ponds State Park, Poland is a historic resort area...
, named after Chief Poland, a noted local 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...
sachem
Sachem
A sachem[p] or sagamore is a paramount chief among the Algonquians or other northeast American tribes. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms from different Eastern Algonquian languages...
. On February 18, 1802, the northeastern part of Poland was set off as Minot, named after George Richards Minot (1758–1802), judge of the General Court who had aided in the town's incorporation.
The first settler was Moses Emery from Newbury, Massachusetts
Newbury, Massachusetts
Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,666 at the 2010 census. Newbury includes the villages of Old Town , Plum Island and Byfield, home of The Governor's Academy , a private preparatory school.- History :Newbury Plantation was settled and incorporated...
, in 1772. At that time there were several Indians of the Anasagunticook tribe living in the immediate area. The surface of the town is uneven, in some parts hilly, but with good soil for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, the principal early occupation. 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 :...
were erected at various water power sites, and products included 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....
, clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
s, shingles
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
, boxes, shooks, barrel staves
Barrel
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
. There was also manufacturing in leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
, particularly 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...
, saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
s 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....
. In 1842, land was set off to form Auburn
Auburn, Maine
Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 23,055 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan...
, to which more land was ceded in 1873. Mechanic Falls
Mechanic Falls, Maine
Mechanic Falls is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,138 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.-History:It was originally...
, the industrial village astride the border with Poland, was set off in 1893. The population in 1859 was 1,734. Today, Minot is gradually transitioning into a bedroom community of the cities of Auburn and Lewiston
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 town has a total area of 29.9 square miles (77.4 km²), of which 29.8 square miles (77.2 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²), or 0.47%, is water. Minot is drained by the Little Androscoggin River
Little Androscoggin River
The Little Androscoggin River is a river in Maine. It flows from Bryant Pond in Woodstock to its confluence with the Androscoggin River in Auburn...
.
The town is crossed by state routes 11, 119 and 124. It is bordered by the towns of Oxford and Hebron
Hebron, Maine
Hebron is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Hebron is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The town's history has always been interconnected with Hebron Academy, a co-ed college preparatory boarding school which is located in the town's...
to the northwest, Turner
Turner, Maine
Turner is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,972 at the 2000 census. Turner includes the villages of Turner Center and North Turner...
to the north, Auburn
Auburn, Maine
Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 23,055 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan...
to the east, and Poland
Poland, Maine
Poland is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,866 at the 2000 census. Home to Range Ponds State Park, Poland is a historic resort area...
to the south, and Mechanic Falls
Mechanic Falls, Maine
Mechanic Falls is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,138 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.-History:It was originally...
to the southwest.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 2,248 people, 794 households, and 646 families residing in the town. 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 75.5 people per square mile (29.2/km²). There were 824 housing units at an average density of 27.7 per square mile (10.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.27% White, 0.22% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.18% 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 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.
There were 794 households out of which 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% 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, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.6% were non-families. 12.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,557, and the median income for a family was $49,926. Males had a median income of $34,459 versus $25,417 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 town was $18,668. About 3.7% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Rosemarie HemondMiss Maine USAThe Miss Maine USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Maine in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant has been directed by Mackenzie Davis, Miss Maine USA 2004, since 2007....
, Miss Maine USA (1983) - Samuel G. HilbornSamuel G. HilbornSamuel Greeley Hilborn was a U.S. Representative from California.Born in Minot, Androscoggin County, Maine, Hilborn attended the common schools, Hebron Academy, and Gould's Academy, Bethel, Maine, and was graduated from Tufts College, Medford, Massachusetts, in 1859.He studied law and was...
, congressman from California - William LaddWilliam LaddWilliam Ladd was one of the earliest American anti-war activists, and the first president of the American Peace Society.Ladd was born in Exeter, New Hampshire as a direct lineal descendant of Daniel Ladd, Sr....
, first president of the American Peace SocietyAmerican Peace SocietyThe American Peace Society is a pacifist group founded upon the initiative of William Ladd, in New York City, May 8, 1828. It was formed by the merging of many state and local societies, from New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, of which the oldest, the New York Peace Society, dated... - Crosby Stuart NoyesCrosby Stuart NoyesCrosby Stuart Noyes was the publisher of the Washington Evening Star.-Biography:He was born on February 16, 1825 in Minot, Maine. He went to Washington, D.C. in 1847, and in 1848 was a writer for the weekly Washington News. He died on February 21, 1908 in Pasadena, California.-External links:* ...
, owner and publisher of the Washington Evening Star - Francis SlatteryFrancis SlatteryFrancis Slattery was a commander in the U.S. Navy and commanded the nuclear submarine USS Scorpion when it mysteriously sank in the Atlantic Ocean.Slattery was born in West Minot, Maine on September 15, 1931. He attended the U.S...
, naval commander