Blue Hill 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 Hancock 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, located on Blue Hill Bay. The population was 2,792 at the 2020 census. It is home to the Blue Hill Public Library, Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, George Stevens Academy, the Blue Hill Harbor School, The Bay School, New Surry Theatre, Kneisel Hall, Bagaduce Music Lending Library, Seaside Cemetery, the Kollegewidgwok Yacht Club, the Shaw Institute, and the Blue Hill Country Club. The town also hosts the annual Blue Hill Fair.

History

It was one of six townships granted by the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. Th ...

to David Marsh and 351 others for their service in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. Called Plantation Number 5, it was first settled in 1762 by Captain Joseph Wood and John Roundy from

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was Settler, settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''Encyclopedia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed. ...

, who built homes on Mill Island at the tidal falls. It would then be called Newport Plantation. On January 30, 1789, the town was incorporated as Blue Hill, named after its commanding summit overlooking the region. The outlets of various ponds provided water power for several sawmills and gristmills. By 1859, 5,000 cords of firewood were sent from the port annually. Other products included lumber, masts and roof shingles, but the predominant industry was shipbuilding. Beginning in 1792, 133 vessels were constructed at Blue Hill, some of them brigs and ships, but most schooners. The town was also noted for the quality of its granite, some of which was used to build the

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It w ...

, New York Stock Exchange Building, and the U.S. Custom House at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

. In 1876, local quarries employed 300 workers. A Viking penny was found in 1957 at the nearby prehistoric Goddard archeological site by local amateur archeologist Guy Mellgren. The coin is believed to be from the 11th century reign of Olaf Kyrre.

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. Located on Blue Hill Bay, the town is drained by Mill Brook. Blue Hill, elevation , is the town's highest point. Long Island, situated in Blue Hill Bay, is part of the town. Blue Hill is crossed by state routes 15, 172, 176 and 177. It borders the towns of Surry to the northeast, Brooklin to the southeast, Sedgwick to the southwest, and Penobscot to the northwest. The town is the site of Blue Hill Airport.

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 2,686 people, 1,279 households, and 733 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 1,936 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.3%

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%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.7% 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 0.8% of the population. There were 1,279 households, of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% 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, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.7% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.66. The median age in the town was 49.5 years. 17.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.6% were from 25 to 44; 36.8% were from 45 to 64; and 20.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,390 people, 1,074 households, and 681 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 1,486 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.87%

, 0.38%

, 0.21% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.13% of the population. There were 1,074 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were

living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.73. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,484, and the median income for a family was $41,688. Males had a median income of $28,200 versus $23,616 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 $19,189. About 9.3% of families and 13.5% 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 17.4% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Gerald Warner Brace, author * Minerva Kline Brooks, campaigner for women's suffrage * Mary Ellen Chase, author * George Albert Clough, architect *

A. J. Cronin Archibald Joseph Cronin (Cronogue) (19 July 1896 – 6 January 1981) was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is ''The Citadel (novel), The Citadel'' (1937), about a Scottish physician who serves in a Welsh coal mining, minin ...

, author *

Daniel Dennett Daniel Clement Dennett III (March 28, 1942 – April 19, 2024) was an American philosopher and cognitive scientist. His research centered on the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of biology, particularly as those ...

, philosopher * Jonathan Fisher, minister * June Harding, actress, artist * Effie Hinckley Ober Kline, opera impresario, philanthropist *

Jonathan Lethem Jonathan Allen Lethem (; born February 19, 1964) is an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. His Debut novel, first novel, ''Gun, with Occasional Music'', a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, ...

, Author * Bill McHenry, musician * Nina Milliken, politician and resident of Blue Hill * Seth Morgan, novelist (buried in Seaside Cemetery) * Ethelbert Nevin, composer * Horatio Parker, composer * Brian D. Rogers, chancellor of the

University of Alaska Fairbanks The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF or Alaska) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-, National Sea Grant College Program, sea-, and National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, space-grant research university in ...

* Susan Shaw, environmental health scientist, founder of the Shaw Institute (formerly Marine Environmental Research Institute) *

Noel Paul Stookey Noel Paul Stookey (born December 30, 1937) is an American singer-songwriter and activist who is known for being a member of the 1960s folk music, folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary along with Peter Yarrow and Mary Travers. He has been known by his f ...

, musician * Bertha Tapper, pianist * Walter C. Teagle, president and chairman at

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...

* Janwillem van de Wetering, author * Emma Willmann, comedian, actress * Esther E. Wood, historian, educator, author, and journalist

References

External links

Official Website
{{authority control Towns in Hancock County, Maine Towns in Maine Populated coastal places in Maine