Limerick, Maine Facts for Kids

Limerick (pronounced "LIM-rick") is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. The population was 3,188 at the 2020 census.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2010 census
Education
Notable people
See also

History

This was territory of the Newichewannock Abenaki Indians, whose village was located on the Salmon Falls River. In 1668, Francis Small of Kittery, a trader, bought from Chief Captain Sunday (or Wesumbe) a large tract of land, for which he exchanged two blankets, two gallons of rum, two pounds of gunpowder, four pounds of musket balls and twenty strings of beads. Small thereupon sold half of his interest to Major Nicholas Shapleigh of Eliot, one of the wealthiest merchants in the Piscataqua region.

Settlement was delayed, however, by the ongoing French and Indian Wars, which finally ended with the 1763 Treaty of Paris. In 1773, the heirs of Francis Small and Nicholas Shapleigh promised a township to lawyer James Sullivan of Biddeford if he defended their larger claims. Sullivan accepted and in 1775 helped settle Limerick Plantation, named after Limerick in Ireland, his father's birthplace. It would be incorporated on March 6, 1787. Among the early settlers was Dr. Joshua Leavitt, for whom Leavitt Brook in Limerick is named. The town of New Limerick in Aroostook County would be settled by people from Limerick, Maine.

The village grew along the old Sokokis Trail (now Route 5), which connected the Sokokis village at Pequawket (now Fryeburg) to the tribe's coastal encampment at what is today Saco. Endowed with good soil, Limerick became a thriving farming community. Chief crops included hay, apples, grapes and cranberries. Cattle and dairy products were important. In addition, the town had four blacksmith shops, four shoemakers, two hatmakers, two harness makers and three tanneries. Various brooks provided water power for industry, including four furniture factories and a clothing factory. There were also gristmills, shingle mills and lumber mills. In 1826 the Morning Star, a Free Will Baptist abolitionist newspaper, was founded in the town. In 1846, James Bradbury established the Limerick Manufacturing Company at Brown Brook. It was bought in 1857 by Joshua Holland. The firm produced the nationally famous Holland Blankets, which were supplied to troops during the Civil War. A village once called Hollandville developed around the mill.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.25 square miles (73.17 km²), of which, 27.14 square miles (70.29 km²) is land and 1.11 square miles (2.87 km²) is water. Set among hills and lakes, Limerick is drained by Leavitt Brook, Brown Brook and Spencer Brook.

The town borders Newfield, Parsonsfield, Cornish, Waterboro and Limington. Maine State routes 5, 11, and 160 cross through Limerick.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	409	—
1800	829	102.7%
1810	1,177	42.0%
1820	1,377	17.0%
1830	1,419	3.1%
1840	1,508	6.3%
1850	1,473	−2.3%
1860	1,441	−2.2%
1870	1,425	−1.1%
1880	1,253	−12.1%
1890	966	−22.9%
1900	874	−9.5%
1910	965	10.4%
1920	761	−21.1%
1930	1,199	57.6%
1940	1,080	−9.9%
1950	961	−11.0%
1960	907	−5.6%
1970	963	6.2%
1980	1,356	40.8%
1990	1,688	24.5%
2000	2,240	32.7%
2010	2,892	29.1%
2020	3,188	10.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,892 people, 1,100 households, and 803 families living in the town. The population density was 106.6 inhabitants per square mile (41.2/km²). There were 1,569 housing units at an average density of 57.8 per square mile (22.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.3% White, 0.3% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 1,100 households, of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.0% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.97.

The median age in the town was 39.4 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 30.3% were from 45 to 64; and 11.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

Education

Limerick students grades K–5 attend the Line Elementary School, which is also shared by Newfield and which is based in Newfield. It is part of Regional School Unit 57. Students in grades 6–8 attend Massabesic Middle School, while students in grades 9–12 attend Massabesic High School, both of which are in Waterboro.