Acton, Maine

Acton, Maine
Town
Acton Corner c. 1920
Acton
Coordinates: 43°32′53″N 70°55′55″W / 43.54806°N 70.93194°W / 43.54806; -70.93194
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	York
Incorporated	1830
Government
• Type	Board of Selectmen
• 1st Selectman	Ted Kryzak
• Selectmen	William Shields Ed Walsh
Area^[1]
• Total	41.11 sq mi (106.47 km²)
• Land	37.72 sq mi (97.69 km²)
• Water	3.39 sq mi (8.78 km²)
Elevation	748 ft (228 m)
Population (2010)^[2]
• Total	2,447
• Estimate (2012^[3])	2,504
• Density	64.9/sq mi (25.1/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	04001
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-00275
GNIS feature ID	0582315
Website	http://www.actonmaine.org/

Acton is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,447 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of Acton, Miller Corner and South Acton. The town is home to the Acton Fairground, which holds the Acton Fair every late summer. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.

History

It was part of the extensive Ossipee Tract sold on November 28, 1668 by Newichawannock Chief Captain Sunday (or Wesumbe) to Francis Small, a trader from Kittery. Small sold a half interest in the tract to Major Nicholas Shapleigh of Eliot. In 1770, heirs found the unrecorded deed and divided the land, with Shapleigh's descendants awarded one half of Limerick and all of Parsonsfield and Shapleigh. First called Hubbardstown Plantation, Shapleigh was in 1785 incorporated and named in honor of Nicholas Shapleigh. Its western portion was set off and incorporated on March 6, 1830 as Acton, named after Acton, England.^[4]

The town was first settled at Acton village in 1776 by Benjamin Kimens, Clement Steele and John York, all from York. In 1779, Joseph Parsons built a gristmill on the Salmon Falls River near Wakefield, New Hampshire. Other mills followed at Acton's various water power sites, including sawmills, gristmills, a hemp mill, a carding mill, a felt mill, a tannery and a shoe factory. In 1877, a vein of silver was discovered near Goding Creek and the Lebanon border. Prospectors dug mines during the 1880s, after which the enterprise declined.^[5]

Although much of the soil was poor for farming, the ridges yielded good crops. In 1866, the Shapleigh & Acton Agricultural Society was formed and commenced sponsoring an annual fair and cattle show. It continues each late summer as the Acton Fair.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 41.11 square miles (106.47 km²), of which, 37.72 square miles (97.69 km²) of it is land and 3.39 square miles (8.78 km²) is water.^[1] Acton is drained by the Little Ossipee River, the Mousam River and the Salmon Falls River. The highest elevation in town is Hussey Hill,^[6] 1,051 feet (320.3 m) above sea level. Hussey Hill is also Maine's southernmost 1,000 foot (305 meter) mountain and only elevation above 1,000 feet in town.

The town is crossed by State Route 109. Acton borders the towns of Newfield to the north, Shapleigh to the east, Lebanon to the south, Sanford to the southeast, and the New Hampshire towns of Milton to the west and Wakefield to the northwest.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	1,398		—
1840	1,401		0.2%
1850	1,359		−3.0%
1860	1,218		−10.4%
1870	1,008		−17.2%
1880	1,050		4.2%
1890	878		−16.4%
1900	778		−11.4%
1910	603		−22.5%
1920	499		−17.2%
1930	449		−10.0%
1940	392		−12.7%
1950	473		20.7%
1960	501		5.9%
1970	697		39.1%
1980	1,228		76.2%
1990	1,727		40.6%
2000	2,145		24.2%
2010	2,447		14.1%
Est. 2014	2,545	^[7]	4.0%
^[8]^[9]^[10]

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 2,447 people, 1,014 households, and 689 families residing in the town. The population density was 64.9 inhabitants per square mile (25.1/km²). There were 2,199 housing units at an average density of 58.3 per square mile (22.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.0% White, 0.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.

There were 1,014 households of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.1% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.87.

The median age in the town was 45.7 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 35.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[11] of 2000, there were 2,145 people, 855 households, and 615 families residing in the town. The population density was 57.0 people per square mile (22.0/km²). There were 1,910 housing units at an average density of 50.7 per square mile (19.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.41% White, 0.09% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.23% Asian, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 855 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.5% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,036, and the median income for a family was $45,353. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $24,643 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,447. About 7.0% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Voter registration

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of November 2012^[12]
Party		Total Voters	Percentage
	Unenrolled	751	39.4%
	Republican	593	31.1%
	Democratic	478	25.1%
	Green Independent	84	4.4%
Total		1,906	100%

Education

The children of Acton in grades K-8 go to Acton Elementary School, which is part of the Acton Schools Department. High school students go to Sanford High School.

Site of interest

Acton-Shapleigh Historical Society & Museum

Notable people

Richard Nass, state legislator
Nathan Clifford Ricker, architect and professor at the University of Illinois

References

1 2 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
↑ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
↑ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 25.
↑ Varney, George J. (1886), Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Acton, Boston: Russell
↑ "Hussey Hill, Maine". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
↑ http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/cencounts/files/me190090.txt
↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
↑ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
↑ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of November 6, 2012" (PDF). Maine Bureau of Corporations.

External links

Municipalities and communities of York County, Maine, United States

County seat: Alfred

Cities	Biddeford Saco Sanford

Towns	Acton Alfred Arundel Berwick Buxton Cornish Dayton Eliot Hollis Kennebunk Kennebunkport Kittery Lebanon Limerick Limington Lyman Newfield North Berwick Ogunquit Old Orchard Beach Parsonsfield Shapleigh South Berwick Waterboro Wells York

CDPs	Berwick Cape Neddick Kennebunk Kennebunkport Kittery Kittery Point Lake Arrowhead North Berwick South Eliot West Kennebunk York Harbor

Other villages	Bald Head Bar Mills Cape Porpoise East Parsonsfield East Waterboro Ocean Park York Beach York Cliffs

Saco River watershed

Tributaries	Bearcamp River Beech River Charles River Chocorua River Cold River Cold River (Bearcamp) Cutler River Dan Hole River Deer River Dry River East Branch Saco River East Branch Whiteface River East Fork East Branch Saco River Ellis River Hancock Brook Kezar River Little Cold River Little Ossipee River Little River Little Saco River Lovell River Mad River Middle Branch Mad River Mill Brook New River Old Course Saco River Ossipee River Pequawket Brook Pine River Rocky Branch Sawyer River Shepards River South Branch Mad River South River Swift River Swift River (Bearcamp) Tenmile River West Branch West Branch Tenmile River Whiteface River Wonalancet River

Lakes	Lake Arrowhead Balch Pond Barker Pond Broad Bay Chocorua Lake Conway Lake Dan Hole Pond Echo Lake Hancock Pond Kezar Lake Lovewell Pond Moose Pond Ossipee Lake Pine River Pond Province Lake Sand Pond Silver Lake Skelton Dam

Towns	Acton Arundel Baldwin Bartlett Biddeford Bridgton Brownfield Buxton Chocorua Conway Cornish Dayton Denmark Eaton Effingham Freedom Fryeburg Hart's Location Hiram Hollis Limerick Limington Lovell Lyman Madison Newfield Ossipee Parsonsfield Porter Saco Sebago Shapleigh Standish Stoneham Stow Sweden Tamworth Tuftonboro Wakefield Waterboro Waterford

Landmarks	Crawford Notch Maine Central Railroad U.S. Route 302 White Mountains

Coordinates: 43°32′03″N 70°54′35″W / 43.53417°N 70.90972°W / 43.53417; -70.90972

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