Bingham, Maine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bingham, Maine
Town
Welcome sign
Bingham, Maine Location in Maine
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Somerset
Settled	1785
Incorporated	February 6, 1812
Area
• Total	35.32 sq mi (91.48 km2)
• Land	34.91 sq mi (90.42 km2)
• Water	0.41 sq mi (1.06 km2)  1.16%
Elevation	728 ft (222 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	866
• Density	25/sq mi (9.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	04920
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-05000
GNIS feature ID	0582354

Bingham is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 866 at the 2020 census. Bingham is a historic town located beside the Kennebec River.

The primary settlement in town, where over 86% of the population resides, is defined as the Bingham census-designated place.

History

First settled in 1785, the town is named after William Bingham, a Philadelphia banker and politician who at one time owned two million acres (8,000 km²) of land in Maine known as the Bingham Purchase. The community was incorporated on February 6, 1812. By 1859, when the population was 752, Bingham had two water powered sawmills and two gristmills. It is located on the Old Canada Road (U. S. Route 201), which between 1820 until 1860 served as the primary link between Lower Canada and Maine. Bingham became an important Maine Central Railroad loading point for pulpwood floated down the Kennebec River to Wyman Dam until environmental regulations curtailed log driving in the 1970s.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.32 square miles (91.48 km²), of which 34.91 square miles (90.42 km²) is land and 0.41 square miles (1.06 km²) is water. Bingham is drained by Jackson Brook and the Kennebec River.

The town is traversed by U.S. Route 201 and Maine State Route 16. It is bordered by the towns of Moscow to the north, Brighton Plantation to the east, and Solon to the south.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bingham has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

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  Bingham Hotel and Main Street in 1905

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  Somerset Railroad trestle in 1910

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  Old mill in 1909

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 922 people, 429 households, and 245 families living in the town. The population density was 26.4 inhabitants per square mile (10.2/km²). There were 600 housing units at an average density of 17.2 per square mile (6.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.0% White, 0.9% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population.

There were 429 households, of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.9% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.72.

The median age in the town was 45.7 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 30.2% were from 45 to 64; and 20.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

Notable people

• Gadabout Gaddis – television pioneer, lived in Bingham. Gadabout Gaddis Airport was his base of operations. The airport, built circa 1950, was later bought by Gaddis.
• Bill Potter – singing cowboy, was born in Stratton and grew up in Bingham.

See also

In Spanish: Bingham (Maine) para niños