Bowdoin is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Sagadahoc County,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

, United States. The population was 3,136 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland– South Portland–

Biddeford Biddeford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddeford Poo ...

, Maine

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

Bowdoin was part of a tract of land extending from

Merrymeeting Bay Merrymeeting Bay is a large freshwater tidal bay located in the U.S. state of Maine. Merrymeeting Bay's unusual geography defies common landform terms. It is not what is usually meant by the word bay. It is somewhat like an estuary but it has fres ...

to the

Androscoggin River The Androscoggin River ( Abenaki: ''Aləssíkαntekʷ'') is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ...

that was conveyed in 1752 by the Kennebec Company to William Bowdoin of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, older brother of James Bowdoin. Originally called West Bowdoinham Plantation, it was settled some years before the Revolutionary War. In 1773, William Bowdoin died, and by 1779 James Bowdoin had legal claim to the area and was granting deeds. It contained about 121 families when the town was incorporated by the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from th ...

on March 21, 1788, named after the Bowdoin family. In 1799, it ceded land to form Thompsonborough, whose name changed in 1802 to Lisbon. In 1834, it ceded more territory to Lisbon. Bowdoin developed as an agricultural town, raising

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

and producing

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

and

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

es. Other industries included an

ice Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaqu ...

company,

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

, carding mill and brickyard. Since 1993,

alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can success ...

s have been raised in the town.History of Bowdoin, Maine

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Bowdoin is drained by the

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

, Dead River, as well as the east and west streams of the

Cathance River The Cathance River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 30, 2011 river in Maine flowing into Merrymeeting Bay. It rises in Bowdoin at the junction of West Cathance ...

. The town is served by

U.S. Route 201 U.S. Route 201 (US 201) is part of the nationwide system of United States Numbered Highways. It runs for entirely within the state of Maine and is a spur route of U.S. Route 1. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick at US 1 and Maine State Rou ...

and State Routes 138 and

125 125 may refer to: *125 (number), a natural number *AD 125, a year in the 2nd century AD *125 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *125 (dinghy) *125 (New Jersey bus) See also * 12/5 (disambiguation) 12/5 may refer to: *December 5 in month/day date nota ...

. It borders the towns of Lisbon and Sabattus to the west, Litchfield to the north, Richmond and Bowdoinham to the east, and Topsham to the south.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 3,061 people, 1,143 households, and 867 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 1,202 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.2% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.5% of the population. There were 1,143 households, of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.1% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the town was 40.4 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 33.6% were from 45 to 64; and 9.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.9% male and 49.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,727 people, 987 households, and 765 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 1,035 housing units at an average density of 23.8 per square mile (9.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.80%

, 0.26%

, 0.11% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.07%

, 0.33% from

, and 1.17% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.77% of the population. There were 987 households, out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.11. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,688, and the median income for a family was $46,094. Males had a median income of $32,975 versus $22,025 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $17,260. About 7.9% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools in the area are operated by Maine School Administrative District 75.
Bowdoin Central School

Notable people

* Mike McHugh, hockey left wing

References

External links

Town of Bowdoin, Maine

Bowdoin Historical Society

Bowdoin Central School
{{authority control Portland metropolitan area, Maine Towns in Sagadahoc County, Maine Towns in Maine