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Durham, Maine
Union Church, also used as town hall
Union Church, also used as town hall
Location of Durham (in yellow) in Androscoggin County and the state of Maine
Location of Durham (in yellow) in Androscoggin County and the state of Maine
Durham, Maine is located in the United States
Durham, Maine
Durham, Maine
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Maine
County Androscoggin
Incorporation February 17, 1789
Villages Crossman Corner
Plummer Mill
Shiloh
South Durham
South West Bend
West Durham
Area
 • Total 39.04 sq mi (101.11 km2)
 • Land 38.28 sq mi (99.14 km2)
 • Water 0.76 sq mi (1.97 km2)
Elevation
167 ft (51 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 4,173
 • Density 109/sq mi (42.1/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
04222
Area code(s) 207
FIPS code 23-19105
GNIS feature ID 0582448

Durham is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,173 at the 2020 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

Durham was named after County Durham, England, the ancestral home of the town's first settler. It was previously known as Royallsborough, named after Isaac Royall Jr.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.04 square miles (101.11 km2), of which 38.28 square miles (99.14 km2) is land and 0.76 square miles (1.97 km2) is water.

Durham is bordered by Auburn, Lewiston, Lisbon, Topsham, Brunswick, Freeport, Pownal and New Gloucester.

Durham is considered a "gateway" town because it connects two major Maine communities, the Greater Portland Area with the Lewiston–Auburn Area.

Climate

Climate data for Durham, Maine (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 29.3
(−1.5)
32.9
(0.5)
41.4
(5.2)
54.1
(12.3)
65.4
(18.6)
73.6
(23.1)
79.0
(26.1)
77.5
(25.3)
70.4
(21.3)
58.1
(14.5)
45.9
(7.7)
35.2
(1.8)
55.2
(12.9)
Daily mean °F (°C) 18.4
(−7.6)
20.9
(−6.2)
30.2
(−1.0)
41.8
(5.4)
52.6
(11.4)
61.9
(16.6)
67.6
(19.8)
65.9
(18.8)
58.5
(14.7)
46.9
(8.3)
36.2
(2.3)
25.6
(−3.6)
43.9
(6.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 7.5
(−13.6)
8.9
(−12.8)
19.0
(−7.2)
29.6
(−1.3)
39.7
(4.3)
50.3
(10.2)
56.2
(13.4)
54.3
(12.4)
46.5
(8.1)
35.7
(2.1)
26.5
(−3.1)
16.0
(−8.9)
32.5
(0.3)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.61
(92)
3.35
(85)
4.06
(103)
4.53
(115)
3.59
(91)
4.64
(118)
3.75
(95)
3.65
(93)
4.15
(105)
5.37
(136)
4.49
(114)
4.54
(115)
49.73
(1,262)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 20.8
(53)
19.4
(49)
13.8
(35)
3.7
(9.4)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.3
(0.76)
3.3
(8.4)
16.2
(41)
77.5
(196.56)
Source: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1790 724
1800 1,242 71.5%
1810 1,772 42.7%
1820 1,562 −11.9%
1830 1,731 10.8%
1840 1,836 6.1%
1850 1,886 2.7%
1860 1,623 −13.9%
1870 1,350 −16.8%
1880 1,253 −7.2%
1890 1,111 −11.3%
1900 1,230 10.7%
1910 1,625 32.1%
1920 1,144 −29.6%
1930 806 −29.5%
1940 784 −2.7%
1950 1,050 33.9%
1960 1,086 3.4%
1970 1,264 16.4%
1980 2,074 64.1%
1990 2,842 37.0%
2000 3,381 19.0%
2010 3,848 13.8%
2020 4,173 8.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,848 people, 1,496 households, and 1,143 families living in the town. The population density was 100.5 inhabitants per square mile (38.8/km2). There were 1,548 housing units at an average density of 40.4 per square mile (15.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.8% White, 0.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% 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 1,496 households, of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 23.6% were non-families. 16.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.85.

The median age in the town was 41.2 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.1% were from 25 to 44; 33.8% were from 45 to 64; and 9.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.6% male and 49.4% female.

Education

  • Durham Community School is a public school operated by the Durham School Department. The school provides for the education of students in grades K through 8.
  • Education of a majority of the students in grades 9 through 12 is provided by Freeport High School.
  • Durham is a part of Regional School Unit #5, Becky Foley is the Superintendent.

Airport

The privately owned Margerison Airport is located between Hallowell Road and Royalsborough Road, just north of Rabbit Road. Its FAA identifier is ME75, and it was activated in 1979. It has two unpaved runways—headings 9/27 and 15/33. Its area control center is Boston Center, while its flight service station is Bangor.

Notable people

  • Edward H. Hill, founder of Central Maine Medical Center
  • Stephen King, spent part of his childhood in Durham. He based the fictional town of Jerusalem's Lot on it
  • Frank Sandford, founder and leader of an apocalyptic Christian sect known as "The Kingdom"

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Durham (Maine) para niños

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