Amity 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 ...

Aroostook County Aroostook County ( ; ) is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of Maine. It is located along the Canada–United States border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,105. The county seat is Houlton, with offices in Caribou and Fo ...

, eastern

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 ...

, United States, near the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

. The population was 253 at the 2020 census.

History

Amity was first settled in 1826, and incorporated as a

on March 19, 1836, from township T10 R1 WELS. According to some, the town was named for the 1794 Treaty of “Amity, Commerce, and Navigation between England and the United States,” which aimed to end the

boundary dispute A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of territories (land, water or airspace) between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the po ...

between

and

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

. In 1839, after the so-called "

Aroostook War The Aroostook War (sometimes called the Pork and Beans WarLe Duc, Thomas (1947). The Maine Frontier and the Northeastern Boundary Controversy. ''The American Historical Review'' Vol. 53, No. 1 (Oct., 1947), pp. 30–41), or the Madawaska War, w ...

" ended with the signing of the

Webster–Ashburton Treaty The Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty that resolved several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies (the region that later became the Dominion of Canada). Negotiated in the U ...

and gave Maine the town, whose ownership had been disputed, surveyors placed a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

in Monument Brook on the Canada–United States border. It served the dual purpose of commemorating the ending of the Aroostook War, and marking Monument Brook, the northernmost source of the

Chiputneticook Lakes The Chiputneticook Lakes are a group of several lakes along the international boundary between Maine and New Brunswick. They are East Grand Lake, North Lake, Mud Lake, Spednic Lake, and Palfrey Lake. This lake system forms the head waters of ...

. The monument still stands today, but lies in a swamp. No roads lead to it and it is accessible only when on foot. An earlier monument, also to mark the northernmost source of the lakes, had consisted of a wooden post with the location engraved on it. Amity has one building listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, the Reed School in North Amity. It has stood for many years, and formerly served not only as a school but as the center of the community, and hosted a singing school, debates, and plays.

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 , all land. The town is bordered on the north by the township of Cary, on the south by the town of

Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

, on the west by the unorganized territory of South Aroostook, and on the east by the parishes of North Lake, New Brunswick and Richmond, New Brunswick.

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 238 people, 102 households, and 65 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 162 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.2%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, and 0.4% from two or more races. There were 102 households, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.3% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age in the town was 45.9 years. 19.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.1% were from 25 to 44; 39.6% were from 45 to 64; and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 52.5% male and 47.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 199 people, 77 households, and 62 families living in the town. The

was 4.7 people per square mile (1.8/km). There were 122 housing units at an average density of 2.9 per square mile (1.1/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.99%

, 0.50%

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 ...

, and 0.50% from two or more races. There were 77 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.7% were

living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.81. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $26,667, and the median income for a family was $26,667. Males had a median income of $26,458 versus $16,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $13,484. About 13.3% of families and 15.0% 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 ...

, including 27.5% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.

Notable people

Samantha Smith Samantha Reed Smith (June 29, 1972 – August 25, 1985) was an American peace activist and child actress from Manchester, Maine, who became famous for her anti-war outreaches during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. ...

, childhood ambassador and peace activist (born in Houlton) *Thayne Ormsby, man convicted in the triple murder of two men and a child in 2010 (born in Ellsworth)

References

{{authority control Towns in Aroostook County, Maine Towns in Maine