Cousins Island is an island in

Casco Bay Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its south ...

within the town of Yarmouth in

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Cumberland, historic county *Cumberla ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, United States. It is listed as a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

, with a population of 490 as of the 2010 census. The CDP is part of the

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

– South Portland–

Biddeford Biddeford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddeford Poo ...

, Maine

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. The island is connected to mainland Yarmouth by the Ellis C. Snodgrass Memorial Bridge (colloquially known as the Cousins Island Bridge), built in 1955. It is also connected to

Chebeague Island Chebeague Island is located in Casco Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Maine. It was originally used as a fishing ground by Abenaki Native Americans. Also known as Great Chebeague (pronounced "sha-big") Island, today it is a town in Cumberland Count ...

by a 15-minute ferry ride on the Chebeague Transportation Company's ferry, the ''Islander''. The island's southwestern peninsula is the site of the Wyman Energy Center, an oil-fired electric power plant capable of producing up to 823 megawatts of electricity. Wyman is a

peaking power plant Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants, and occasionally just "peakers", are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity. Because they supply power only occasionally, the power ...

, which means it is fired up to operate only during times of high electricity demand in the region, such as hot summer days. The Wyman Energy Center also includes a

lithium-ion battery A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also se ...

grid energy storage Grid energy storage (also called large-scale energy storage) is a collection of methods used for energy storage on a large scale within an electrical power grid. Electrical energy is stored during times when electricity is plentiful and inexp ...

system which was the largest and the first of its kind in New England at the time of commissioning. The battery is designed to provide ISO-New England an option for handling the continual changes in electricity supply and demand. The island, Cousins River and Littlejohn Island (collectively known at the time as the Hogg Islands) are named after Englishman John Cousins (–1682), who emigrated from

Marlborough, Wiltshire Marlborough ( , ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the England, English Counties of England, county of Wiltshire on the A4 road (England), Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath, Somerset, Bath. Th ...

. He became the owner of Cousins Island in 1645 after purchasing it from Richard Vines, Steward General and councillor for Sir

Ferdinando Gorges Sir Ferdinando Gorges ( – 24 May 1647) was a naval and military commander and governor of the important port of Plymouth in England. He was involved in Essex's Rebellion against the Queen, but escaped punishment by testifying against the m ...

.Our History
– cousinsandlittlejohnislands.org Two years later, he sold approximately half of it to Richard Bray, who settled there with William Wise.''Chamber of Commerce Journal of Maine'', Volume 13 (1901), p. 9

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 46.51%, is water.

Demographics

References

External links

* {{authority control Landforms of Yarmouth, Maine Census-designated places in Maine Portland metropolitan area, Maine Census-designated places in Cumberland County, Maine Islands of Cumberland County, Maine Islands of Casco Bay Islands of Maine

Geography

Demographics

See also

References

External links