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Kennebunkport is a
resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...
in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,629 people at the 2020 census. It is part of the
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
South Portland South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state, incorporated in 1898. At the 2020 census, the city population was 26,498. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is si ...
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 ...
metropolitan statistical area. The town center, the area in and around
Dock Square Dock Square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, is a public square adjacent to Faneuil Hall, bounded by Congress Street, North Street, and the steps of the 60 State Street office tower. Its name derives from its original (17th-century) location a ...
, is located along the
Kennebunk River The Kennebunk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river in York County, Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern reg ...
, approximately from the mouth of the river on the Atlantic Ocean. Historically a shipbuilding and fishing village, for well over a century the town has been a popular summer colony and seaside tourist destination. The Dock Square area has a district of souvenir shops, art galleries, schooner attractions, seafood restaurants, and bed and breakfasts.
Cape Porpoise Cape Porpoise, Maine is a small coastal village in the town of Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, and was the original English settlement of the town. It is northeast of Dock Square and southwest of Goose Rocks Beach. The village occupies the ma ...
, while retaining its identity as a fishing harbor, has a very small village area with several restaurants, a church, grocery store, coffee shop, small library, and art gallery. Kennebunkport has a reputation as a summer haven for the upper class and is one of the wealthiest communities in the state of Maine. The Municipality of Kennebunkport includes the constituent villages of Kennebunkport Village, Cape Arundel & Colony Beach, the Cottage Coast, Wilde's District (Wildwood), Goose Rocks Beach, Turbatts Creek, Cape Porpoise Village, North Village Crossing (Townhouse Corner), among various other newer developments. The town is the home of
Walker's Point Walker's Point or Walkers Point may refer to: Australia * Walkers Point, Queensland, a locality in the Fraser Coast Region * Walkers Point, Queensland (Bundaberg Region), a town in Woodgate in the Bundaberg Region United States *Walker's Point, ...
, a summer estate of the Bush family. Kennebunkport and neighboring towns
Kennebunk Kennebunk is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 11,536 at the 2020 census (The population does not include Kennebunkport, a separate town). Kennebunk is home to several beaches, the Rachel Carson National Wildlife R ...
and
Arundel Arundel ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Arun District of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. The much-conserved town has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much large ...
comprise school district RSU 21.


History

Kennebunkport was first incorporated in 1653 as Cape Porpus, subject to the government of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
(Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise). Due to Abenaki Indian resistance to colonial expansion, European settlers abandoned the town by 1689 and did not return until the early 18th century. The town was renamed Arundel, and the town center located inland at Burbank Hill. In 1821 the town was renamed again, this time to Kennebunkport in reflection to its economy becoming one of shipbuilding and trade along the
Kennebunk River The Kennebunk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river in York County, Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern reg ...
. By the 1870s the town had developed as a popular summer destination, with both hotels and homes constructed along its coastline. Cape Arundel,
Cape Porpoise Cape Porpoise, Maine is a small coastal village in the town of Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, and was the original English settlement of the town. It is northeast of Dock Square and southwest of Goose Rocks Beach. The village occupies the ma ...
, and Beachwood (now called
Goose Rocks Goose Rocks Beach (formerly known as "Beachwood"), is a public beach located in the town of Kennebunkport, Maine United States, bordered by Cape Porpoise, Maine (another neighborhood of Kennebunkport) to the southwest, and Granite Point (a coastal ...
) were some of the early summer colonies; although Cape Porpoise was, and still is, a working fishing harbor. Since 1939, Kennebunkport has been home to the Seashore Trolley Museum. The Great Fires of 1947, which devastated much of York County, affected Kennebunkport and especially the area near Goose Rocks Beach. Much of the housing near Goose Rocks Beach was destroyed by the fire, but the area has since recovered and been rebuilt.


Geology

Like much of the northeast coast, the geography of the southern Maine coast was largely directed by the retreat of the Laurentide ice cap about 23,000 years ago. The coast is framed by bedrock, left during the formation of the Appalachian mountains, and the irregular shape of the coast (characteristic of much of the New England coast, with the exception of Cape Cod and the islands) is attributed to differential erosion of the underlying rock layer. The coast along Kennebunkport differs sharply from the Maine coast north and east of Portland due to differences in the composition of this rock layer. Beyond Portland, the layer is a largely metamorphic rock, but here the coast is a mixture of igneous rock, and embayments of more deeply eroded sedimentary and metamorphic rock. These embayments result in the sandy beaches that can be found in southern Maine (such as Goose Rocks Beach, Colony Beach, and nearby Kennebunk Beach) but are uncommon north of Portland. Likewise, the geology here differs from that of the outer lands (Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Block Island in Rhode Island, and Long Island in New York), which were formed as terminal and recessional moraines, and do not contain much in the way of a bedrock skeleton.


Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which of it is land and is water. The town has several distinct areas, each developed during a phase of the town's history. The original town center was at
Cape Porpoise Cape Porpoise, Maine is a small coastal village in the town of Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, and was the original English settlement of the town. It is northeast of Dock Square and southwest of Goose Rocks Beach. The village occupies the ma ...
, which today has a small village center, is both a summer colony and year-round community, and hosts a working fishing harbor. Inland from Cape Porpoise is a mix of forest and agricultural land, punctuated by a historic town center at Burbank Hill (there are a few historic buildings of interest here, including a schoolhouse and jail). Heading west towards the mouth of the Kennebunk River is Dock Square, the current town center. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Kennebunkport, and especially Cape Arundel (also known as Point Arundel), developed as a summer colony for the wealthy. Traveling from Dock Square along Ocean Avenue is the Cape Arundel Summer Colony Historic District. This district of many well-preserved examples of early-20th-century shingle-style cottages begins at Chick's Creek and ends at Walker's Point.


Adjacent municipalities

* Biddeford, Maine (north) *
Kennebunk, Maine Kennebunk is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 11,536 at the 2020 census (The population does not include Kennebunkport, a separate town). Kennebunk is home to several beaches, the Rachel Carson National Wildlife R ...
(southwest) * Arundel, Maine (west)


Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

The
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge made up of several parcels of land along of Maine's southern coast. Created in 1966, it is named for environmentalist and author Rachel Carson, whose book ''Silent Spring'' ...
has a significant portion of lands in Kennebunkport northeast of Cape Porpoise and through Goose Rocks. Within Kennebunkport, much of this protected land is salt-water marsh.


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. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Kennebunkport has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.


Summer home of the Bush family

Kennebunkport was also the
summer home A summer house or summerhouse has traditionally referred to a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden ...
of former U.S. President
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
, father of former U.S. President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. First built by Bush's maternal grandfather
George Herbert Walker George Herbert "Bert" Walker Sr. (June 11, 1875 – June 24, 1953) was an American banker and businessman. He was the maternal grandfather of President George H. W. Bush and a great-grandfather of President George W. Bush, both of whom were nam ...
, it has been a family home ever since, and has been owned by the Bush family since sometime in the early 1980s. The Bushes' ancestry is distinct from the Walker family that settled York County, Maine. Some of this family's Walker relatives are buried in the Kennebunkport area ancient cemeteries. During his presidency, George H.W. Bush often invited world leaders, from Margaret Thatcher to
Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...
, to Kennebunkport. In 2007, his son George W. Bush invited Vladimir Putin and
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...
. The Bush compound is on Walkers Point, called Point Vesuvius prior to the Walker family's acquisition.


Demographics

As of 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $54,219, and the median income for a family was $66,505. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $34,028 for females. The per capita income for the town was $36,707. About 1.7% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.


2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,474 people, 1,578 households, and 1,039 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,897 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.0% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% 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 ...
, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or
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 0.9% of the population. There were 1,578 households, of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% 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, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.68. The median age in the town was 51.8 years. 17.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.2% were from 25 to 44; 36.5% were from 45 to 64, and 24.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.


Gallery

File:Kennebunkport South Congregational Church 2004-12-03.jpg, South Congregational Church File:Kennebunkport ME harbor.jpg, The harbor File:Boats on the Kennebunk River at Kennebunkport, Maine.jpg, Boats on the
Kennebunk River The Kennebunk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river in York County, Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern reg ...
File:Ocean Ave, K'port 1.jpg, Businesses on Ocean Avenue File:Dock-square-1.jpg, View of Dock Square File:Kennebunkport Public Library.jpg, Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library File:Walkers-point.aug2008.jpg, Protestors on Ocean Ave. near the Bush Compound, in 2008


Notable people

*
Margaret Deland Margaret Deland (born Margaretta Wade Campbell; February 23, 1857 – January 13, 1945) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet. She also wrote an autobiography in two volumes. She generally is considered part of the literary ...
, novelist * Patrick Dempsey, actor * Dan Goodwin, building, rock, and sports climber *
Frank Handlen Frank William Handlen (September 26, 1916 – May 25, 2023) was an American painter, sculptor and shipwright, known for his marine-based portraits. Biography Born in Brooklyn in 1916, and raised in Caldwell, New Jersey, Handlen depicts shi ...
, painter *
Garnet Hathaway John Garnet Hathaway (born November 23, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Early life Hathaway was born in Naples, Florida, but moved to Kennebunkport, Maine w ...
, professional ice hockey player *
Joshua Herrick Joshua Herrick (March 18, 1793 – August 30, 1874) was an American politician and a United States representative from Maine. Biography Herrick was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, where he attended the common schools. He moved to the district o ...
, US congressman * Dick McCabe, racing driver and champion * Wiley Miller, cartoonist * Jane Morgan, singer, actress * Russell Nype, actor *
Shiloh Pepin Sirenomelia, also called mermaid syndrome, is a rare congenital deformity in which the legs are fused together, giving the appearance of a mermaid's tail, hence the nickname. Classification Sirenomelia is classified by the skeletal structure o ...
, Sirenomelia patient with legs fused * George Clement Perkins, 14th
governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, the g ...
* Kenneth Roberts, author *
Rex Smith Rex Smith (born September 19, 1955) is an American actor and singer. Smith made his acting debut in the Broadway musical '' Grease'' in 1978. He is noted for his role as Jesse Mach in the 1985 television series '' Street Hawk;'' being the first ...
, American singer and actor *
Booth Tarkington Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and '' Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitze ...
, novelist and dramatist *
George Herbert Walker George Herbert "Bert" Walker Sr. (June 11, 1875 – June 24, 1953) was an American banker and businessman. He was the maternal grandfather of President George H. W. Bush and a great-grandfather of President George W. Bush, both of whom were nam ...
, banker, businessman, grandfather of US President
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
, and great-grandfather of
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
*
Bentley Warren Bentley Warren (born December 10, 1940, in Kennebunkport, Maine), is an American racecar driver. He is best known for racing in the United States Automobile Club, USAC Championship Car series, and for some New Englanders, even more so for his rac ...
, racecar driver * Neil Clark Warren, online dating service chairman


In popular culture

Kennebunkport was featured in the 2003 filming of the film ''
Empire Falls ''Empire Falls'' is a 2001 novel written by Richard Russo. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2002, and follows the story of Miles Roby in a fictional, small blue-collar town in Maine and the people, places, and the past surrounding him, a ...
'' by Maine author
Richard Russo Richard Russo (July 15, 1949) is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and teacher. Early life and education Russo was born in Johnstown, New York, and raised in nearby Gloversville. He earned a bachelor's degree, a Master o ...
, with a downtown book shop making a notable appearance. Robin Wright appeared on set in Kennebunkport. Other films with scenes shot in Kennebunkport include ''
Lost Boundaries ''Lost Boundaries'' is a 1949 American film starring Beatrice Pearson, Mel Ferrer (in his first leading role), and Susan Douglas Rubeš. Directed by Alfred L. Werker, it is based on William Lindsay White's story of the same title, a nonfiction ...
'' (1949), ''The Man Who Knew Bush'' (2004 documentary), ''
The Living Wake ''The Living Wake'' (2007) is a dark comedic film written by Mike O'Connell and Peter Kline and produced by Ami Ankin. A directorial debut by Sol Tryon, the film stars Mike O'Connell, Jesse Eisenberg, and Jim Gaffigan. Plot The film follows ...
'' (2007), '' 41'' (2012 documentary) and ''US Route 1-ME'' (2012). ''My Husband's Double Life'' was partially set in the town, but filmed in Toronto.


References


External links


Town of Kennebunkport website

Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library

Cape Porpoise Library

Kennebunkport Historical Society



Epodunk Town Profile

History and old maps of Kennebunkport Maine

Maine Genealogy: Kennebunkport, York County, Maine
{{coord, 43, 21, 42, N, 70, 28, 36, W, type:city_region:US-ME, display=title Populated places established in 1653 Portland metropolitan area, Maine Towns in York County, Maine Towns in Maine Populated coastal places in Maine 1653 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Resort towns