Cherryfield 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 Washington 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 north ...

, United States on the

Narraguagus River The Narraguagus River is a river located in the U.S. state of Maine with its mouth in the Narraguagus Bay of the Gulf of Maine. It flows through the town of Cherryfield, Maine, Cherryfield and was formerly well known for its sport fly fishing for ...

. It was named for the wild

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

that once peppered the banks of the river. The town population was 1,107 at the 2020 census. The town bills itself as the "

Blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' within the genus ''Vaccinium''. ''Vaccinium'' also includes cranberries, bi ...

Capital of the World". Roughly on both sides of the river are a historic district on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

known as the Cherryfield Historic District. This district comprises a collection of period structures dating from –1890. The town was first settled about 1760. In 1826,the part of Steuben known as Narraguagus was annexed onto Cherryfield.

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 the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water. The town is home to two breeding pairs of

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

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 incl ...

of 2010, there were 1,232 people, 570 households, and 332 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 743 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.2%

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 on ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.9% Native American, 0.4%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.6% 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 1.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 1.0% of the population. There were 570 households, of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.8% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.73. The median age in the town was 48.8 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.7% were from 25 to 44; 32.1% were from 45 to 64; and 23.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,157 people, 493 households, and 317 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 644 housing units at an average density of 14.7 per square mile (5.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.01%

, 0.09%

, 0.69% Native American, 0.43%

, 0.17% from

, and 0.61% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.09% of the population. There were 493 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were

living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.85. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $21,486, and the median income for a family was $31,016. Males had a median income of $26,058 versus $20,000 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 $13,111. About 15.8% of families and 21.9% 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 24.6% of those under age 18 and 27.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Hiram Burnham Hiram Burnham (1814 – September 29, 1864) was an officer in the Union Army who commanded a regiment and then a brigade in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. He was killed in battle while a ...

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

-era general *

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

, Secretary of War under

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

and later President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, lived in Cherryfield in 1857 while overseeing survey work for the Epping Baseline *

Andy Santerre Anthony Lee Santerre (born September 7, 1968) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He is a former competitor in the NASCAR Busch Series and a four-time champion of the NASCAR Busch North Series. Personal life At the age of 19, Santerr ...

, former

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

driver & owner *

Carlton Willey Carlton Francis Willey (June 6, 1931 – July 20, 2009) was an American professional baseball player who pitched eight seasons for the Milwaukee Braves and New York Mets of Major League Baseball. He was a native of Cherryfield, Maine, who threw a ...

, major league pitcher for the

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

References

External links

{{coord, 44, 36, 26, N, 67, 55, 33, W, type:city_region:US-ME, display=title Towns in Washington County, Maine