Ogunquit ( ) 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. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,577. Ogunquit 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 ...

, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Ogunquit, which means "beautiful place by the sea" in the indigenous Abenaki language, was first a village within

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

, which was settled in 1641. The first sawmill was established in 1686, and shipbuilding developed along the tidal

Ogunquit River The Ogunquit River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 30, 2011 tidal river in southern Maine. It flows to the Atlantic Ocean at the town of Ogunquit. Images Fil ...

. Local shipwrights built

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

s and dories. At what was then called Fish Cove, near the unnavigable Josias River, fishing was a major livelihood. But the cove was unprotected by a headland or

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...

from Atlantic storms, so fishermen had to protect their boats by hauling them ashore each night. Resolving to create a safe anchorage, they formed the Fish Cove Harbor Association, and dug a channel across land they purchased to connect Fish Cove with the Josias River. When the trench was complete, erosion helped to further widen the passage. The resulting tidewater basin is called Perkins Cove, spanned by a manually operated draw footbridge. With a three and a half-mile beach of pale sand and

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s forming a

barrier peninsula Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a ...

, connected to the mainland in 1888 by bridge across the Ogunquit River, the village was discovered by artists. It became a popular

art colony An art colony, also known as an artists' colony, can be defined two ways. Its most liberal description refers to the organic congregation of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, often drawn by areas of natural beauty, the prior existence o ...

and tourist area. Particularly after 1898, when the Ogunquit Art Colony was established, it was not unusual to see both artists and fishermen working around Perkins Cove. To accommodate summer crowds, several seaside hotels and inns were built. Marginal Way, a scenic trail dating back to the 1920s, runs along the coast from Perkins Cove to Ogunquit Beach. Ogunquit seceded from Wells in 1980 and incorporated as a town. Ogunquit was named America's Best Coastal Small Town in USA Today's 10 Best Readers' Choice 2016. Ogunquit is a destination for LGBT tourists, with numerous LGBT-owned and -operated hotels, restaurants, bars, theaters, and other businesses. Most of the LGBT-oriented businesses are in the village area of the town. A July 2016 article in Bloomberg News cited Ogunquit as one of several Maine coastal destinations being visited by "trendsetters and gentrifiers". Image:Bathing Scene, Ogunquit, ME.jpg, Ogunquit Beach Image:Perkins Cove & Marginal Way.jpg, Perkins Cove from Marginal Way Image:The Cliff House, Ogunquit, ME.jpg, The Cliff House Image:Perkins Cove Road, Ogunquit, ME.jpg, Perkins Cove Road

Education

The

Wells-Ogunquit Community School District The Wells-Ogunquit Community School District (also known as Wells-Ogunquit CSD or CSD 18) provides education for students of all ages in the coastal southern Maine towns of Wells and Ogunquit. History The district was created by the Maine Legisla ...

provides education for students of all ages in the coastal southern Maine towns of

and Ogunquit.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Ogunquit is drained by the

Josias Josiah ( or ) or Yoshiyahu; la, Iosias was the 16th king of Judah (–609 BCE) who, according to the Hebrew Bible, instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh. Josiah is credited by most biblical s ...

and

s. The highest elevation in town is just over 160 feet (49 m) above sea level, in several locations. The lowest elevation is sea level, along the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Acidic, stony-

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...

or sandy-loam glacial till soils of the Lyman series underlie most of Ogunquit. There also are outwash sands of the Adams or Croghan series. All of these soils have classic podzol profile development in undisturbed areas. Ogunquit's Marginal Way, a 1.25-mile (2 km) trail with views of the coast, is neatly paved, and the treacherous cliffs are, in places, fenced. The path leads from the downtown shopping area to the fishing village in Perkins Cove, now an outdoor mall with jewelry, clothing, and candle boutiques.

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, Ogunquit has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the town was $47,727, and the median income for a family was $56,731. Males had a median income of $44,583 versus $31,528 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,289. About 1.2% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 892 people, 498 households, and 234 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,009 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.0% White, 0.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.0%

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 ...

, 0.4% from other races, and 1.3% 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 1.5% of the population. There were 498 households, of which 8.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 53.0% were non-families. Of all households, 41.2% were made up of individuals, and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.79 and the average family size was 2.37. The median age in the town was 61.7 years. Of the residents, 7.6% were under the age of 18; 2.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 13.6% were from 25 to 44; 34% were from 45 to 64; and 42.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.1% male and 49.9% female.

Cultural sites and museums

* Barn Gallery , Ogunquit Art Association (est 1928) * Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit (1862) (located in Wells) * Ogunquit Museum of American Art * Ogunquit Playhouse * Captain James Winn House ()
Ogunquit Memorial Library

Notable people

* Clarence H. Adams, commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and President of the Boston Celtics *

Marjorie Agosín Marjorie Agosín (born June 15, 1955) is a Chilean-American writer. She has gained notability for her outspokenness for women's rights in Chile. The United Nations has honored her for her work on human rights. The Chilean government awarded he ...

, award-winning poet, essayist, novelist, and professor at Wellesley College * Edward H. and Gladys G. Aschermann, early 20th century designers; they resided in Ogunquit and designed the interior of the old Ogunquit Playhouse *

John Kendrick Bangs John Kendrick Bangs (May 27, 1862 – January 21, 1922) was an American author, humorist, editor and satirist. Biography He was born in Yonkers, New York. His father Francis N. Bangs was a lawyer in New York City, as was his brother, Francis S. ...

, author * Bobby Coombs, Major League Baseball pitcher *

Joseph B. Davol Joseph Benjamin Davol (August 25, 1864 – June 15, 1923) was an American marine painter and art teacher. He was born in Chicago. Following art studies in Boston and New York, Davol studied in Paris at the Académie Julian in 1895–96. I ...

, marine painter and art teacher *

Nathan Haskell Dole Nathan Haskell Dole (August 31, 1852 – May 9, 1935) was an American editor, translator, and author. A writer and journalist in Philadelphia, New York City, New York, and Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, he translated many of the works of Leo Tol ...

, author *

Totie Fields Totie Fields (born Sophie Feldman; May 7, 1930 – August 2, 1978) was an American comedian. Early life Fields was born Sophie Feldman in Hartford, Connecticut. She started singing in Boston clubs while still in high school, taking the stage na ...

, actress/comedian *

Arnie Ginsburg Arnold William Ginsburg (August 5, 1926 – June 26, 2020), known as Arnie "Woo-Woo" Ginsburg, was an American disc jockey in the Boston radio market from the mid-1950s to the 1970s. Following this period, he became involved in the business si ...

, radio personality *

Peter George Olenchuk Peter George Olenchuk (July 14, 1922 – October 6, 2000) was a major general in the United States Army. Biography Originally a native of Bayonne, New Jersey, Olenchuk graduated from Lebanon Valley College before obtaining a M.A. in Bacteriology ...

, U.S. Army Major General *

J. Scott Smart J. Scott Smart (born John Kenley Tener Smart, November 27, 1902 – January 15, 1960) was an American radio, film and stage actor during the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s. Early years Smart was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His family later ...

, radio, film and stage actor * Sally Struthers, actress *

Craig Timberlake Craig Timberlake (October 30, 1920 – December 31, 2006) was an American stage actor, singer, author, and educator. A talented bass, Timberlake performed in operas and musicals in theatres throughout North America in addition to acting in ...

, stage actor, singer, author, and educator *

John Grimes Walker John Grimes Walker (March 20, 1835 – September 16, 1907) was an admiral in the United States Navy who served during the Civil War. After the war, he served as Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, head of the Lighthouse Board, and commande ...

, admiral in the United States Navy * Charles Herbert Woodbury, artist

Images

File:Marginal Way Beach 1.JPG, The beach along the Marginal Way, 2008 File:Marginal way-1.jpg, The Marginal Way near the Beachmere Hotel, 2008 File:Ogunquit public beach 1.JPG, Ogunquit Beach, 2008 File:Perkins Cove 15.jpg, The bridge at Perkins Cove, 2008 File:Perkins Cove 2.JPG, View from the Bridge at Perkins Cove, 2007 File:Perkins Cove 7.jpg, The beach at Perkins Cove looking toward the Marginal Way, 2008 File:Main rock formation overlooking Ogunquit Beach from the Marginal Way IMG 8974 FRD.jpg, Rock formation at Marginal Way File:Two kites tied to beach volleyball poles at Ogunquit Beach in September IMG 1911 FRD.jpg, Kites flown at Ogunquit Beach File:North Beach Ogunquit IMG 2232 FRD.jpg, North Beach File:Moody Beach Ogunquit IMG 2227 FRD.jpg, Moody Beach

Trivia

Ogunquit Beach is the name of a geologic unit on Mars which was once underwater or on the shore of an ancient lake. Part of

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

's '' The Stand'', published in 1978, is set in Ogunquit. The first episode of the 2020 miniseries adaptation is set in the town, though the series was filmed in Vancouver.

References

External links

Town of Ogunquit, Maine – Official Website

Maine Genealogy: Ogunquit, York County, Maine
{{authority control 1641 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Articles containing video clips Gay villages in the United States Populated coastal places in Maine Populated places established in 1641 Portland metropolitan area, Maine Towns in York County, Maine Resort towns