Ashland 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 ...

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. The population was 1,202 at the 2020 census.

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. Around Ashland are the smaller towns and townships of Masardis, Oxbow Plantation, Portage, Nashville Plantation, and Garfield Plantation. Most soils in the area have stony silt loam texture and show 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.

History

For thousands of years, Native American tribes inhabited this region. In the 1830s William Dalton became the first Euro-American to establish residency at the site of the future town. The community was organized as a plantation in 1840, at which time there were 40 heads of household listed. It was incorporated as a town in 1862, under the name of Ashland. From 1869 to 1876 the town was renamed "Dalton," but then reverted to its historic and current name. The town grew geographically in size when Sheridan Plantation, which had been organized in 1878 to the north of Ashland, was annexed by Ashland in 1901 to form its present boundaries. The town of Ashland was located on the nineteenth-century stage route from Patten to Fort Kent. In the nineteenth-century logging was the main industry. The lumber industry was at a peak about 1915, although some continues to the present. Russell Camp Maine

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010

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 ...

, there were 1,302 people, 603 households and 355 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 733 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.6%

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 ...

, 0.7%

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% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 0.2% 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 603 households, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% 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, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.1% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age in the town was 45.2 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.3% were from 45 to 64; and 20.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.8% male and 49.2% female.

2000 census

At the 2000

, there were 1,474 people, 629 households and 398 families living in the town. The

was 18.3 per square mile (7.1/km). There were 760 housing units at an average density of 9.4 per square mile (3.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.78%

, 0.88% Native American, 0.20% Asian and 0.14% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.07% of the population. There were 629 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were

living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90. 23.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.3 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $33,472 and the median family income was $40,185. Males had a median income of $32,768 and females $21,027. 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 ...

was $15,328. About 6.1% of families and 9.7% 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 7.4% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The town was served by Ashland Community High School for grades 7–12 and the Ashland Central School for grades K–6. In 2010 construction was completed and the new consolidated Ashland District School, next to the former high school, was opened for grades K–12. The building that housed Ashland Community High School for nearly 50 years was demolished that year to make way for new athletic fields.

References

External links

Town of AshlandOfficial website for MSAD #32 in Ashland
{{Coord, 46, 37, 52, N, 68, 24, 22, W, type:city_region:US-ME, display=title Towns in Aroostook County, Maine Towns in Maine