Columbia Falls 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. The population was 476 at the 2020 census.

History

The town began as Township 13 SD, BPP, which was joined together with Township 12 by the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

on February 8, 1796 and incorporated as Columbia. It was settled soon after the Revolutionary War. On March 25, 1863, the town was set off from Columbia and incorporated as Columbia Falls.Maine.gov -- Columbia Falls, Maine

Lumbering Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

and

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

brought the town prosperity and endowed it with some fine early

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

. This includes the Ruggles House (1818–1820), an exquisite

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

home that is now a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

, and the

Union Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations. Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...

(1849), a

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

meeting house A meeting house (meetinghouse, meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes public meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a * church, which is a body of people who believe in Chr ...

which since 1902 has housed the town hall, library and archives. The Washington County Railroad arrived at Columbia Falls in 1898.

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

and harvesting

blueberries 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 ...

are important industries today, together with producing

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...

s and

wreath A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle . In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...

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. Columbia Falls is drained by the Pleasant River. The town is crossed by

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

and

Maine State Route 187 State Route 187 (SR 187) is a V-shaped state highway in Maine that connects to U.S. Route 1 (US 1) at both ends; in Columbia Falls (western) and Jonesboro (eastern). SR 187 serves as the thorough route to Jonesport. Major jun ...

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 560 people, 257 households, and 157 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 301 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.5%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.7%

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 ...

, 0.2% 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 1.3% 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 1.4% of the population. There were 257 households, of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% 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, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age in the town was 46 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 to 44; 32.5% were from 45 to 64; and 18.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 599 people, 251 households, and 168 families living in the town. The

was 24.4 people per square mile (9.4/km²). There were 310 housing units at an average density of 12.6 per square mile (4.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.83%

, 0.83% Native American, 0.33%

, 0.67% from

, and 0.33% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.67% of the population. There were 251 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were

living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.90. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,864, and the median income for a family was $40,208. Males had a median income of $28,021 versus $19,625 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 $14,723. About 12.9% of families and 19.0% 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 26.1% of those under age 18 and 29.1% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

* Ruggles House *

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Bucknam House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places * Samuel Bucknam House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places *

Columbia House Columbia House was an umbrella brand for Columbia Records' mail-order music clubs, the primary iteration of which was the Columbia Record Club, established in 1955. The Columbia House brand was introduced in the early 1970s by Columbia Records ...

, listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Notable people

* F. Eugene Farnsworth, Ku Klux Klan organizer *

Irv Young Irving Melrose "Young Cy" Young (July 21, 1877 – January 14, 1935) was a professional baseball pitcher. He played six seasons in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1911 for the Boston Beaneaters/Doves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago White Sox ...

, professional baseball player

References

External links

Maine.gov – Columbia Falls, Maine

Downeast Salmon Federation
{{authority control Towns in Washington County, Maine Towns in Maine 1863 establishments in Maine