Appleton 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 ...

in Knox County,

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. It is about 15 miles inland from

Penobscot Bay Penobscot Bay () is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine and Atlantic Ocean in south central Maine, a stretch known as Midcoast Maine, in a broader Atlantic region known as Down East. The bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River, ...

and coastal towns such as Camden and Rockland, about 30 miles east of the state capital of Augusta. The population was 1,411 at the 2020 census.

History

The town was incorporated on January 28, 1829, from the former Plantation of Appleton. The plantation and town was named for Nathaniel Appleton, who was for more than 20 years an officer of the Twenty Associates, the proprietors of Appleton, as well as Camden,

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's own life, or the world at large. As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines ''hope'' as "to expect with confid ...

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

, and Montville.

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.

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 1,316 people, 545 households, and 362 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 646 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.8%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% 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 0.6% of the population. There were 545 households, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% 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, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.6% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the town was 43 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 34.8% were from 45 to 64; and 12.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,271 people, 480 households, and 346 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 547 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.51%

, 0.39%

, 0.08% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population. There were 480 households, out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were

living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.13. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,615, and the median income for a family was $41,731. Males had a median income of $27,065 versus $25,385 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 $16,484. About 4.6% of families and 7.9% 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 ...

, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools: * Appleton Village School (K–8), School Union 69 *

Camden Hills Regional High School Camden Hills Regional High School (CHRHS) is a public high school in Rockport, Maine, United States. It serves as the sole public high school of the Five Town Community School District, which encompasses the towns of Camden, Rockport, Lincoln ...

Notable people

* Barbara Merrill, Democrat-turned unenrolled state legislator who ran for governor in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

Jonathan Richman Jonathan Michael Richman (born May 16, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970, he founded the Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key acoustic an ...

, singer, songwriter and guitarist *

Gary Sukeforth Gary E Sukeforth (born 1960) is an American politician and businessperson from Maine. Sukeforth is a former unenrolled (independent) member of the Maine House of Representatives from Appleton, Maine in Knox County. He is the owner of the Common ...

, unenrolled state legislator and grocery store owner * Zachary Fowler, Winner of season 3 "Alone"

References

External links

Town of Appleton
{{authority control Towns in Knox County, Maine Towns in Maine