Minot 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 Androscoggin 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 2,766 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of West Minot and Minot Center. It is part of both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan statistical area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area.

History

Present-day Minot was part of Bakerstown Plantation, granted in 1765 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 Captain Thomas Baker and his company of soldiers for their services to the state at the 1690 Battle of Quebec. It replaced a 1736 grant at what is now Salisbury, New Hampshire, ruled invalid in 1741 because of a prior claim from the descendants of John Mason. In 1795, Bakerstown Plantation was incorporated as

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, named after Chief Poland, a noted local Indian sachem. On February 18, 1802, the northeastern part of Poland was set off as Minot, named after George Richards Minot (1758–1802), historian and judge of the General Court who had aided in the town's incorporation. The first settler was Moses Emery from

Newbury, Massachusetts Newbury 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, ...

, in 1772. At that time there were several Indians of the Anasagunticook tribe living in the immediate area. The surface of the town is uneven, in some parts hilly, but with good soil for agriculture, the principal early occupation. Mills were erected at various water power sites, and products included lumber, clapboards, shingles, boxes, shooks and barrel staves. There was also manufacturing in leather, particularly boots, shoes, saddles and harnesses. In 1842, land was set off to form Auburn, to which more land was ceded in 1873. Mechanic Falls, the industrial village astride the border with Poland, was set off in 1893. The population in 1859 was 1,734. Today, Minot is gradually transitioning into a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

of the cities of Auburn and Lewiston.

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. Minot is drained by the

Little Androscoggin River } The Little Androscoggin River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 30, 2011 river in Maine. It flows from Bryant Pond in Woodstock () to its confluence with the A ...

. The town is crossed by state routes 11, 119 and 124. It is bordered by the towns of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and

Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...

to the northwest,

Turner Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters * Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for tur ...

to the north, Auburn to the east, and

to the south, and Mechanic Falls to the southwest.

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 2,607 people, 1,001 households, and 757 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 1,056 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 ...

, 0.3%

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, 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 0.8% of the population. There were 1,001 households, of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.9% 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, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.4% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the town was 42.3 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.4% were from 25 to 44; 32.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,248 people, 794 households, and 646 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 824 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.27%

, 0.22%

, 0.13% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.18% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population. There were 794 households, out of which 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% were

living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.6% were non-families. 12.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $47,557, and the median income for a family was $49,926. Males had a median income of $34,459 versus $25,417 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 $18,668. About 3.7% of families and 6.1% 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 5.2% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

Site of interest

* Minot Historical Society & Museum

Education

Minot is part of Regional School Unit #16. Amy Hediger is the Superintendent of Schools. Schools in this district include Elm Street School, Minot Consolidated School, Poland Community School, Whittier Middle School and Poland Regional High School.

Notable people

* William P. Bartlett, Wisconsin State Assemblyman * Emma Bedelia Dunham (1826–1910), poet * Ellen Hamlin, wife of Vice President of the United States

Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American politician and diplomat who was the 15th vice president of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republi ...

* Samuel G. Hilborn, US congressman from California * William Ladd, first president of the

American Peace Society The American Peace Society was a pacifist group founded upon the initiative of William Ladd, in New York City, May 8, 1828. It was formed by the merging of many state and local societies, from New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, ...

* Crosby Stuart Noyes, owner and publisher of the ''

Washington Evening Star ''The Washington Star'', previously known as the ''Washington Star-News'' and the ''Washington'' ''Evening Star'', was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981. The Sunday edition was known as the ''Sunday ...

'' * Francis Slattery, naval commander * Mesannie Wilkins, 63-year old farmer who traveled from Maine to California on horseback in 1954, ''Last of the Saddle Tramps''

References

External links

Town of Minot, Maine

Maine.gov – Minot, Maine

Maine Genealogy: Minot, Androscoggin County, Maine
{{authority control Towns in Androscoggin County, Maine Towns in Maine