Orono ( ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Penobscot County, Maine Penobscot County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Maine, named for the Penobscot people in Wabanakik. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 152,199, making it the third-most-populous count ...

, United States. Located on the

Penobscot The Penobscot (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic p ...

and Stillwater rivers, it was first settled by

American colonists The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of the Americas, European colonization of North America from the late 15th century until the unifying of the Thirteen Colonies, Thirteen British Colonies a ...

in 1774. They named it in honor of Chief Joseph Orono, a sachem of the indigenous

nation who long occupied this territory. In the 19th century, the town became a center of the lumber industry. Sawmills on the rivers were powered by the water, and logs were floated downriver on the Penobscot for shipping and export from coastal ports. Since 1865, it has been the location of the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...

, established as a land-grant institution and the state's flagship educational institution. In the fall of 2018, the university enrolled 11,404 students at Orono. Not including university residents, the town's population was 11,183 at the 2020 census.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The town is divided by the Stillwater River, a branch of the

Penobscot River The Penobscot River (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 22, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's W ...

. It occupies part of Marsh Island, as well as some smaller islands such as Ayers Island, which is surrounded by the Penobscot and the Stillwater rivers, and the remainder of the town is on the mainland. The Orono Dam impounds the Stillwater River at its confluence with the Penobscot River near downtown Orono.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Orono has a warm-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, according to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system is "''Dfb''", thus abbreviated ed in on climate maps.Climate Summary for Orono, Maine
/ref>

Conservation

The Orono Land Trust operates a number of protected areas in Orono.

Piney Knoll Conservation Area Piney Knoll Conservation Area is a protected area of Orono, Maine, United States. Located at the southern end of Marsh Island along the Penobscot River, it is noted as a site for bird-watching as well as local wildlife. It includes 4.5 miles of ...

, situated alongside the Penobscot River, is known for its walking trails and bird-watching. The

also owns a considerable amount of protected land in the town. Prominent parcels include Dwight B. Demeritt Forest.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 10,363 people, 2,831 households, and 1,229 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 3,089 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.1% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population. There were 2,831 households, of which 17.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 56.6% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% 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 2.77. The median age in the town was 21.8 years. 8.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 55.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 12.2% were from 25 to 44; 13.1% were from 45 to 64; and 10.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.8% male and 48.2% female.

Notable people

* Charles J. Dunn, Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court * Wallace Rider Farrington, territorial governor of Hawaii *

Merritt Lyndon Fernald Merritt Lyndon Fernald (October 5, 1873 – September 22, 1950) was an American botanist. He was a respected scholar of the Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and phytogeography of the vascular plant flora of temperate eastern North America. During his ...

(1873–1950), botanist * Constance Hunting, poet, publisher * Frances Laughton Mace, poet * Jonathan Norcross, inventor, 4th mayor of Atlanta * Ralph Perkins, state legislator * Elizabeth Schneider, state senator * Joseph B. Treat, Wisconsin politician * Nathaniel Treat, Maine politician * Nathaniel B. Treat, Wisconsin politician * Eva Valesh (1866–1956), labor journalist * Israel Washburn Jr., US congressman, a founder of the Republican Party, 29th Governor of

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

* Dorothy Clarke Wilson, novelist, playwright

Points of interest

* Fay Hyland Botanical Plantation * Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamentals Trial Garden * Old Fire Engine House * Pat's Pizza * Jeremiah Colburn House

Notes

References

External links

Town of Orono Official WebsiteOrono High SchoolAsa Adams Elementary School
{{Authority control Populated places established in 1774 Towns in Penobscot County, Maine 1774 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies