Portage Lake, Maine
Encyclopedia
Portage Lake is a town in Aroostook County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 390 at the 2000 census.
, the town has a total area of 34.5 square miles (89.4 km²), of which, 30.7 square miles (79.5 km²) of it is land and 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) of it (11.01%) is water.
Portage Lake is located along Maine State Route 11, which runs north-south and is the only state road in town. The town is located south of Fort Kent
and west of both Caribou
and Presque Isle
, which are the closest commercial centers.
of 2000, there were 390 people, 183 households, and 116 families residing in the town. The population density
was 12.7 people per square mile (4.9/km²). There were 485 housing units at an average density of 15.8 per square mile (6.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.74% White, 0.26% from other races
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.26% of the population.
There were 183 households out of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples
living together, 3.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.53.
In the town the population was spread out with 14.4% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 38.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 109.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,232, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $35,104 versus $18,542 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,983. About 8.2% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 22.4% of those age 65 or over.
and means "to carry". The town was first settled in 1844 by lumbermen from Canada
. In 1872, the settlement was organized as a plantation
and in 1909 it was incorporated as a town.
The Stevens were the founders of Portage.
Aroostook County, Maine
Aroostook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 71,870. In land area, it is the largest county in the state and the largest U.S. county east of the Mississippi River. Its seat is Houlton...
, 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 390 at the 2000 census.
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 34.5 square miles (89.4 km²), of which, 30.7 square miles (79.5 km²) of it is land and 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) of it (11.01%) is water.
Portage Lake is located along Maine State Route 11, which runs north-south and is the only state road in town. The town is located south of Fort Kent
Fort Kent, Maine
Fort Kent is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,097 in the 2010 census. Fort Kent is home to an Olympic biathlete training center, an annual CAN-AM dogsled race, and the Fort Kent Blockhouse, built in reaction to the Aroostook War and in modern times designated...
and west of both Caribou
Caribou, Maine
Caribou is the second largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. Its population was 8,189 at the 2010 census.-History:Between 1838 and 1839, the undeclared Aroostook War flared between the United States and Canada, and the Battle of Caribou occurred in December 1838...
and Presque Isle
Presque Isle, Maine
Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in the sparsely populated Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,692 at the 2010 census...
, which are the closest commercial centers.
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 390 people, 183 households, and 116 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 12.7 people per square mile (4.9/km²). There were 485 housing units at an average density of 15.8 per square mile (6.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.74% White, 0.26% 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...
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.26% of the population.
There were 183 households out of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% 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, 3.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.53.
In the town the population was spread out with 14.4% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 38.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 109.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,232, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $35,104 versus $18,542 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 $17,983. About 8.2% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 22.4% of those age 65 or over.
History
The name of the city was borrowed from the name of the lake that occupies much of the center of town. The word portage comes from FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and means "to carry". The town was first settled in 1844 by lumbermen from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1872, the settlement was organized as a plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
and in 1909 it was incorporated as a town.
The Stevens were the founders of Portage.