Pownal is a town 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 *Cumberl ...

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. Pownal was included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 1,566 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

– 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 Biddefo ...

, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area. Pownal is home to Bradbury Mountain State Park.

History

Originally the northwest portion of

Freeport Freeport, a variant of free port, may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Freeport, name of several space stations in the video game ''Freelancer'' (2003) * Freeport, a fictional town in the video game ''SiN'' (1998) * ''Freeport: The Cit ...

, it was first settled in 1680. The town was set off and incorporated 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 ...

on March 3, 1808, named in honor of former Governor

Thomas Pownall Thomas Pownall (bapt. 4 September 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, N.S. – 25 February 1805) was a British colonial official and politician. He was governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1757 to 1760, and afterwards sat in th ...

, who had died three years before.Austin J. Coolidge & John B. Mansfield, ''A History and Description of New England;'' Boston, Massachusetts 1859
/ref> It swapped land with the town of North Yarmouth in 1813 and 1816. With an undulating surface of generally productive soil,

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

became the principal occupation. By 1859, when the population was 1,074, other industries included a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

and a

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

factory. Pownal was chosen by author

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

as the hometown of schoolteacher Johnny Smith, protagonist of his 1979 novel '' The Dead Zone,'' and of Ray Garraty, protagonist of his 1979 novel ''The'' ''Long Walk''. King grew up in neighboring

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

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. Pownal is drained by the eastern branches of the Royal River. The town is served by

Maine State Route 9 State Route 9 (SR 9) is a numbered state highway (US), state highway in Maine, running from the New Hampshire border at Berwick, Maine, Berwick in the west to the Canada–United States border, Canada–US border with New Brunswick at Calai ...

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 1,474 people, 590 households, and 422 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 613 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.7%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.3% from other races, and 1.4% 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 0.7% of the population. There were 590 households, of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% 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, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.5% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the town was 44.6 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 36.3% were from 45 to 64; and 13.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,491 people, 560 households, and 437 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 567 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.85%

, 0.47%

, 0.07% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.27%

, 0.13% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population. There were 560 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were

living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.8% were non-families. 15.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 2.98. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $54,219, and the median income for a family was $60,000. Males had a median income of $38,000 versus $26,188 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 $26,691. About 2.6% of families and 4.3% 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 7.0% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Site of interest

* Bradbury Mountain State Park

Notable person

Frank Knight Frank Hyneman Knight (November 7, 1885 – April 15, 1972) was an American economist who spent most of his career at the University of Chicago, where he became one of the founders of the Chicago School. Nobel laureates Milton Friedman, George S ...

, arborist

References

External links

Town of Pownal official website

Bradbury Mountain State Park

Royal River Conservation Trust

Maine.gov – Pownal, Maine

* ttp://www.mainegenealogy.net/individual_place_record.asp?place=pownal Maine Genealogy: Pownal, Cumberland County, Maine {{Cumberland County, Maine Towns in Cumberland County, Maine Portland metropolitan area, Maine