Enfield 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 Penobscot 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. The population was 1,435 at the 2020 census. There is also a large seasonal population with many cottages located on Cold Stream Pond, a lake within the town.

History

Enfield was first settled on the east bank of the

Penobscot River The Penobscot River (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 22, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's W ...

about 1820, and was originally called Cold Stream. It was incorporated on January 31, 1835. In 1891, four armed men boarded and attempted to rob a train as it passed through Enfield, shooting at the engineer, fireman, and conductors. They also shot up the train station. They failed in their attempt to break into the mail-car, but it was a dark night and they escaped capture.

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.

Cold Stream Pond

Cold Stream Pond covers the eastern side of the town of Enfield. There is a public boat launching facility on Old Hatchery Road off Maine State Route 188. A ridge creates a narrow portion of the pond separating a smaller northern basin from the larger southern basin. Summer

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

concentrations often become unfavorably low in the northern basin. The most significant tributary is Smelt Brook draining Upper Cold Stream Pond and Little Round Pond into the northern basin from

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

. The southwestern corner of the pond overflows through Cold Stream, south to reach the Passadumkeag River upstream of the

. Cobb State Fish Hatchery is located beside the outlet, using water from the pond to raise fish for stocking elsewhere. A self-sustaining native population of

lake trout The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater Salvelinus, char living mainly in lakes in Northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, laker, and grey trout. In Lake Sup ...

spawn in Webb Cove in the southeastern corner of the pond. The lake trout forage on a population of

rainbow smelt The rainbow smelt (''Osmerus mordax'') is a North American species of fish of the family (biology), family Osmeridae. Walleye, trout, and other larger fish prey on these smelt. The rainbow smelt prefer juvenile cisco (fish), ciscoes, zooplankton ...

spawning in Smelt Brook.

Atlantic salmon The Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Hucho taimen, Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlan ...

were introduced to the pond in 1876.

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 1,607 people, 650 households, and 461 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 937 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.6%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 1.2% Native American, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% 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 0.2% of the population. There were 650 households, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% 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, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.1% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age in the town was 44.3 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 32.4% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,616 people, 612 households, and 463 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 888 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.76%

, 0.06%

, 0.19% Native American, 0.06% Asian, and 0.93% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.37% of the population. There were 612 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were

living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,458, and the median income for a family was $42,788. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $22,614 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 $15,799. About 10.1% 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 12.7% of those under age 18 and 18.7% of those age 65 or over.

Local schools

See MSAD 31

Notable people

* Merle Fogg (1898–1928), stunt-pilot, namesake of the Merle Fogg Airport in Florida * Matthew Mulligan, tight end for the

Patriots A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

References

External links

Town of Enfield, Maine
* Entry i
Maine Encyclopedia
{{authority control Towns in Penobscot County, Maine Towns in Maine