Roxbury, Maine
Encyclopedia
Roxbury is a town in Oxford County
, Maine
, United States
. The population was 384 at the 2000 census. Ellis Pond is popular with recreational fishermen.
. Farmers grew hay
and raised livestock
. Set on an intervale surrounded by the Western Maine Mountains
, Roxbury was noted in the 19th century for abundant forests and mineral deposits. The Swift River falls
provided water power for watermill
s, and industries included a sawmill
, gristmill
, shingle
mill and shoe
factory. In 1837, the population was 182. By 1859, it had grown to 246. The Rumford Falls & Rangeley Lakes Railroad was completed in 1896, carrying freight, tourists and "rusticators" up the Swift River valley through Roxbury to Mooselookmeguntic Lake
.
, the town has a total area of 44.1 square miles (114.2 km²), of which, 42.9 square miles (111.1 km²) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it (2.74%) is water. Roxbury is drained by the Swift River
, a tributary
of the Androscoggin River
. Ellis Pond (also called Roxbury Pond or Silver Lake, a part of which lies in Byron
) is in the northwest.
The town is crossed by state routes 17 and 120. It borders the towns of Byron
to the northwest, Andover
to the southwest, and Rumford, Mexico and Carthage
to the south.
of 2000, there were 384 people, 165 households, and 119 families residing in the town. The population density
was 9.0 people per square mile (3.5/km²). There were 457 housing units at an average density of 10.7 per square mile (4.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.48% White, 0.26% Native American and 0.26% Pacific Islander.
There were 165 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples
living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.67.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 116.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,750, and the median income for a family was $45,000. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $21,346 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $18,615. About 5.7% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
Oxford County, Maine
Oxford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine with a population of 57,833 as of the 2010 U.S. census. Its county seat is Paris.Part of Oxford County is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, metropolitan New England City and Town Area while a different part of Oxford County is...
, 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 384 at the 2000 census. Ellis Pond is popular with recreational fishermen.
History
Originally known as Township No. 7, it was first settled about 1809. It was incorporated as a town on March 17, 1835, and named after Roxbury, MassachusettsRoxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
. Farmers grew hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
and raised livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
. Set on an intervale surrounded by the Western Maine Mountains
Western Maine Mountains
The Western Maine Mountains region spans most of Maine's western border with New Hampshire. A small part of the scenic White Mountain National Forest is located in this area. This is essentially all of Oxford County and northern York County and Cumberland Counties. Notable towns include Bethel,...
, Roxbury was noted in the 19th century for abundant forests and mineral deposits. The Swift River falls
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
provided water power for watermill
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 :...
s, and industries included a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
, gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, shingle
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...
mill and shoe
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...
factory. In 1837, the population was 182. By 1859, it had grown to 246. The Rumford Falls & Rangeley Lakes Railroad was completed in 1896, carrying freight, tourists and "rusticators" up the Swift River valley through Roxbury to Mooselookmeguntic Lake
Mooselookmeguntic Lake
Mooselookmeguntic Lake is located in Franklin County and Oxford County, Maine, in the United States. It is part of the Androscoggin River watershed....
.
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 44.1 square miles (114.2 km²), of which, 42.9 square miles (111.1 km²) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it (2.74%) is water. Roxbury is drained by the Swift River
Swift River (Maine)
The Swift River is a river in western Maine. It is a tributary of the Androscoggin River, which flows to the Kennebec River near its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean....
, a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Androscoggin River
Androscoggin River
The Androscoggin River is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is in area...
. Ellis Pond (also called Roxbury Pond or Silver Lake, a part of which lies in Byron
Byron, Maine
Byron is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 121 at the 2000 census. Home to Coos Canyon on the Swift River, Byron includes the village of Houghton.-History:...
) is in the northwest.
The town is crossed by state routes 17 and 120. It borders the towns of Byron
Byron, Maine
Byron is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 121 at the 2000 census. Home to Coos Canyon on the Swift River, Byron includes the village of Houghton.-History:...
to the northwest, Andover
Andover, Maine
Andover is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 864 at the 2000 census. Set among mountains and crossed by the Appalachian Trail, Andover is home to the Andover Earth Station and Lovejoy Covered Bridge.-History:...
to the southwest, and Rumford, Mexico and Carthage
Carthage, Maine
Carthage is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 520 at the 2000 census.-History:First known as Plantation No. 4, Abbott's Purchase, it was part of a large tract of land bought in 1815 by Jacob Abbott of Wilton, New Hampshire from Jonathan Phillips of Boston, who had...
to the south.
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 384 people, 165 households, and 119 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 9.0 people per square mile (3.5/km²). There were 457 housing units at an average density of 10.7 per square mile (4.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.48% White, 0.26% Native American and 0.26% Pacific Islander.
There were 165 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% 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, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.67.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 116.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,750, and the median income for a family was $45,000. Males had a median income of $35,625 versus $21,346 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 $18,615. About 5.7% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.