: Greenville 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 Piscataquis 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 ...

, United States. The population was 1,437 at the 2020 census. The town is centered on the lower end of

Moosehead Lake Moosehead Lake is a deep, coldwater lake located in Piscataquis County in Northwestern Maine. It is the second-largest lake in New England, and the largest mountain lake in the eastern United States. Situated in the mostly undeveloped Longfellow Mo ...

, the largest body of fresh water in the state. Greenville is the historic gateway to the north country and a center for outdoor recreation in the area. Greenville High School, with 89 students, was ranked as the third best high school in Maine and one of the top 1,000 in the US in 2010.

History

First called T9 R10 NWP (or Township 9, Range 10, North of the

Waldo Patent The Waldo Patent, a letters patent also known as the Muscongus Patent or the Lincolnshire Patent, was a document granting title to of land in what is now the U.S. state of Maine. It is named variously for businessman Samuel Waldo, who eventually ...

), the land was granted about 1812 by the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from th ...

to Thornton Academy in Saco. In 1824, Nathaniel Haskell of Westbrook bought the Thornton Academy Grant. With Oliver Young and John Smith, he began clearing trees that summer for

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

near Wilson Pond, where the Wilson Stream would provide

water power Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a ...

for mills. In 1827, Haskell completed a house, and his family joined him. A

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

was built on Wilson Stream in 1829, with a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

added the following year. In 1835, Henry Gower began clearing land beside

for what would develop into Greenville village. There he erected the first hotel, a two-story building called The Seboomook House, and the first store. On February 6, 1836, Greenville was incorporated from Haskell Plantation, and named for its green forests. By 1846, Greenville village included two houses, two

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

shops and a schoolhouse. On August 10, 1848, the town annexed land from Wilson, the remainder of which was distributed to

Shirley Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

and Elliotsville. A small steamboat was launched in 1836 to tow logs, and in 1838 the first large lake steamer began operation. In later years, a succession of steamers by the name of '' Katahdin'' plied the waters. The current ''S/S Katahdin'' was built in 1914. In July 1884, the Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad (later, the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad) arrived at Greenville Junction. The Canadian Pacific Railway's subsidiary the

International Railway of Maine The International Railway of Maine was a historic railroad constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) between Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, and Mattawamkeag, Maine, closing a key gap in the railway's transcontinental main line to the port of Sai ...

was built through the village in 1888. Tourists were attracted by the region's scenic beauty,

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

. Consequently, several inns and hotels were built, including the Piscataquis Exchange Hotel, the Squaw Mountain Inn and the Moosehead Inn. Steamboat service was available across Moosehead Lake to the grand Mount Kineo House on a peninsula at Mount Kineo. Today, Greenville remains a popular resort area. File:Moosehead Lake from Indian Hill, by J. P. Armbrust.jpg, Moosehead Lake from Indian Hill File:Moosehead Inn, Greenville Junction, ME.jpg, Moosehead Inn in 1908 File:Veneer Products Co., Greenville, ME.jpg, Veneer Products Co. in 1914

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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water. Situated beside

, Greenville is drained by Wilson Stream. Located north of the 45th parallel on a line with

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, Greenville, in climate and vegetation, has more in common with the northernmost United States and southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

than it has with southern Maine.

Climate

This

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorological ...

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 The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Greenville has a

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 freezing ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Greenville, Maine
/ref>

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 1,646 people, 820 households, and 480 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 1,661 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.3%

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 o ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.2%

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 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 0.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 0.5% of the population. There were 820 households, of which 19.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.5% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.51. The median age in the town was 52.3 years. 15.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.4% were from 25 to 44; 37.7% were from 45 to 64; and 24.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,623 people, 731 households, and 437 families residing in the town. The

was 38.2 people per square mile (14.7/km²). There were 1,378 housing units at an average density of 32.4 per square mile (12.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.77%

, 0.12%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

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 ...

, 0.31% Native American, 0.25%

, 0.06% from

, and 0.49% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.25% of the population. There were 731 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.82. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,365, and the median income for a family was $36,694. Males had a median income of $27,955 versus $19,712 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 $16,638. About 8.9% of families and 12.9% 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 14.9% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notes

References

External links

Town of Greenville, Maine
{{authority control Towns in Piscataquis County, Maine Towns in Maine