Marginal Way
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ogunquit ( ) is a
resort town A resort town, 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 area. Sometimes ...
in
York County, Maine York County is both the southernmost and the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Maine, along the state of New Hampshire's eastern border. It is divided from Strafford County, New Hampshire, by the Salmon Falls River and the connected ti ...
, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,577. Ogunquit is part of the
Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area The city of Portland, Maine, is the hub city of a metropolitan area in southern Maine. The region is commonly known as Greater Portland or the Portland metropolitan area. For statistical purposes, the U.S. federal government defines three differ ...
.


History

Ogunquit was first a village within Wells, which was settled in 1641. The first
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, 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 ...
was established in 1686, and
shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...
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 York County, Maine. Its source is a small marsh in the town of South Berwick and i ...
. Local shipwrights built
schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...
s,
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 l ...
s and dories. At what was then called Fish Cove, near the unnavigable
Josias River The Josias River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river in southern Maine in the United States. The Josias River rises from a collection of small p ...
, 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, Antarctica * Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada * ...
from
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
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 A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
. With a one 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, flat ...
s forming a barrier peninsula, connected to the mainland in 1888 by bridge across the Ogunquit River, the village was discovered by artists. It became a popular
art colony Art colonies are organic congregations of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, who are often drawn to areas of natural beauty, the prior existence of other artists, art schools there, or a lower cost of living. They are typically mission ...
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 was 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 LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
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. In 2023, Tripadvisor ranked Ogunquit Beach as among the United States' top 10 beaches. 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, Maine, Wells and Ogunquit, Maine, Ogunquit. History The district ...
provides education for students of all ages in the coastal southern Maine towns of Wells and Ogunquit.


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. Ogunquit is drained by the Josias and
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 York County, Maine. Its source is a small marsh in the town of South Berwick and i ...
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–si ...
or sandy-loam
glacial till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...
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 Podzols, also known as podosols, spodosols, or espodossolos, are the typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests and also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathlan ...
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 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, Ogunquit 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 cold ...
, 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 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 ...
, 0.1%
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 ...
, 0.1% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.3% 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 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 (June 15, 1955 - March 10, 2025) was a Chilean-American writer. She won notability for her outspokenness for women's rights in Chile. The United Nations honored her for her work on human rights. The Chilean government awarded ...
, 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 writer, 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 * Mountfort Coolidge, painter and antiquarian * Bobby Coombs, Major League Baseball pitcher * Joseph B. Davol, marine painter and art teacher * Nathan Haskell Dole, 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, Hartford, Connecticut. She started singing in Boston clubs while still in high schoo ...
, actress/comedian * Arnie Ginsburg, radio personality * Channing Hare, painter * Peter George Olenchuk, U.S. Army Major General * J. Scott Smart, radio, film and stage actor *
Sally Struthers Sally Anne Struthers (born July 28, 1947) is an American actress and activist. She played Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie Bunker, Archie and Edith Bunker in ''All in the Family'', for which she won two Emmy Awards, and Babette on ''Gilmor ...
, actress * Craig Timberlake, stage actor, singer, author, and educator * John Grimes Walker, admiral in the United States Navy * Bob Winn, distance runner and local politician *
Charles Herbert Woodbury Charles Herbert Woodbury (July 14, 1864 – January 21, 1940) was an American marine painter. Biography Woodbury was born on July 14, 1864, in Lynn, Massachusetts, where his earliest work was part of the oeuvre of the group later known a ...
, 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:Ada crouching by small Lobster Point Lighthouse.jpg, Lobster Point Lighthouse found along Marginal Way 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:Ogunquit public beach 1.JPG, Ogunquit Beach, 2008 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. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
's ''
The Stand ''The Stand'' is an epic post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel written by American author Stephen King and first published in 1978 by Doubleday. The plot centers on a deadly pandemic of weaponized influenza and its aftermath, in which some of ...
'', 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 Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
.


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