Pittsfield, Maine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pittsfield, Maine
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View of Pittsfield in 1905
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| Country | United States |
| State | Maine |
| County | Somerset County |
| Area | |
| • Total | 48.72 sq mi (126.18 km2) |
| • Land | 48.18 sq mi (124.79 km2) |
| • Water | 0.54 sq mi (1.40 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 3,908 |
| • Density | 81/sq mi (31.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Website | Town website |
Pittsfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,908 at the 2020 census. Pittsfield is home to the Maine Central Institute, a semi-private boarding school, and the annual Central Maine Egg Festival.
History
The area was part of the Kennebec Purchase. First called Plymouth Gore, it was settled in 1794 by Moses Martin and his family from Norridgewock. In 1815, the town was organized as the Plantation of Sebasticook, but was incorporated on June 18, 1819, as Warsaw after Warsaw, Poland. In 1824, the name was changed to Pittsfield after William Pitts of Boston, a large landowner after Maine's independence as there was a Pittsfield incorporated already in Massachusetts.
Pittsfield was noted for fine orchards, and became an agricultural trade center. Water power from the Sebasticook River attracted industry, and a gristmill and sawmill were built at the falls. Blacksmith shops and a carriage shop were established. In 1855, the Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad arrived, and Pittsfield developed into a small mill town. In 1869, the first woolen mill was established. The Riverside Woolen Company was the first mill in the state to sell cloth direct from loom to wearer. Fire destroyed the downtown in 1881, but it was soon rebuilt. Woodworking plants and a canning factory were established. The Waverly Woolen Mill was built in 1891–1892, together with 52 dwellings the company rented to workers. Pittsfield was also home to the Sebasticook and the Pioneer woolen mills.
In 1914, the Waverly and the Pioneer mills were sold to the American Woolen Company, which would close in 1934 during the Great Depression. The Pioneer Mill, the largest, remained in operation until after World War II, but as the New England textile business moved to Southern states. The Waverly mill was converted into a shoe factory in the 1940s, with the Pioneer mill converted to manufacture doorbells in the 1950s. Pittsfield was mentioned in the movie Dreamcatcher by Stephen King.
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Perkin's and Vickery blocks c. 1908
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Somerset Avenue c. 1908
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Public Library in 1906, a Carnegie library
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 48.72 square miles (126.18 km2), of which 48.18 square miles (124.79 km2) is land and 0.54 square miles (1.40 km2) is water. Pittsfield is drained by the Sebasticook River. The town is located at approximately latitude 44° 46' 57" North; longitude 69° 23' 2" West.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1820 | 315 | — | |
| 1830 | 610 | 93.7% | |
| 1840 | 951 | 55.9% | |
| 1850 | 1,166 | 22.6% | |
| 1860 | 1,495 | 28.2% | |
| 1870 | 1,813 | 21.3% | |
| 1880 | 1,909 | 5.3% | |
| 1890 | 2,503 | 31.1% | |
| 1900 | 2,891 | 15.5% | |
| 1910 | 2,891 | 0.0% | |
| 1920 | 2,700 | −6.6% | |
| 1930 | 2,935 | 8.7% | |
| 1940 | 3,329 | 13.4% | |
| 1950 | 3,909 | 17.4% | |
| 1960 | 4,010 | 2.6% | |
| 1970 | 4,274 | 6.6% | |
| 1980 | 4,125 | −3.5% | |
| 1990 | 4,190 | 1.6% | |
| 2000 | 4,214 | 0.6% | |
| 2010 | 4,215 | 0.0% | |
| 2020 | 3,908 | −7.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,215 people, 1,639 households, and 1,095 families living in the town. The population density was 87.5 inhabitants per square mile (33.8/km2). There were 1,828 housing units at an average density of 37.9 per square mile (14.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.4% White, 0.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.
There were 1,639 households, of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.2% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.92.
The median age in the town was 40.2 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 28.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.
Notable people
- Harold Furness, cricketer
- Nathaniel Mervin Haskell, 62nd governor of Maine
- Mary Mayhew, lobbyist and politician
- Arthur Millett, silent movie actor
- Carl Milliken, 51st governor of Maine
- Llewellyn Powers, 44th governor of Maine
See also
In Spanish: Pittsfield (Maine) para niños
