Raymond 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 ...

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. Raymond is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 4,536 at the 2020 census. It is a summer recreation area and is part of the Portland– South Portland– Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. Raymond Neck is the landing for the

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

to the town of Frye Island in Sebago Lake. The Raymond school system is currently affiliated with the Windham school system in a district known as RSU 14.

History

Raymondtown Plantation was granted in 1767 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 the descendants of Captain William Raymond of Beverly,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, and his

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

. It was the second attempt to repay the troop (or heirs) for service under Governor Sir William Phipps during the Battle of Quebec in 1690. A township had been awarded them in 1735 called Beverly-Canada (now Weare, New Hampshire), but in 1741 descendants of John Mason proved a prior claim. The township at Sebago Lake was given to the Beverly Proprietors as compensation. It was first settled in 1770 by Captain Joseph Dingley and Dominicus Jordan of Cape Elizabeth, although most families arrived after the Revolutionary War. It was on the stage route to Bridgton. On June 21, 1803, the Raymondtown Plantation was incorporated as Raymond, named in honor of Captain Raymond. In 1829, land was annexed to help form the new town of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, and in 1841, Casco was set off and incorporated as a town. The town provided

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 ...

and

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

products for Portland and other cities. Panther Run, which drains Panther Pond, provided

water power Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kin ...

for industry. Raymond village grew near the mills, which 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 ...

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

mill, a stave factory and a children's

sled A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners ...

factory. From about 1812 until 1825,

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (né Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associat ...

lived in Raymond with his siblings and widowed mother. His later writings would reminisce about his boyhood

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

in the woods or

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

in the lake.George J. Varney, ''History of Raymond, Maine'' (1886)
/ref> Automobile tourists discovered Raymond after designation of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway in 1919 (identified as United States Route 302 since 1935). Image:The Meadow Road, Raymond, ME.jpg, Meadow Road Image:Jordan River, Raymond, ME.jpg, Jordan River in 1906 Image:Frye's Leap, Raymond, ME.jpg, Frye's Leap

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. Raymond village is located at the head of Jordan Bay on Sebago Lake. The town is served by U.S. Route 302 and state routes 85 and 121. It is bordered by Gray and Windham to the southeast, Casco to the northwest, and New Gloucester and

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 ...

to the northeast. Frye Island is to the south in Sebago Lake.

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 4,436 people, 1,773 households, and 1,289 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 2,852 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.2%

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, 0.3% 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 ...

, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% 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 0.9% of the population. There were 1,773 households, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% 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, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.3% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% 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 2.87. The median age in the town was 44.6 years. 22% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 36% were from 45 to 64; and 13.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,299 people, 1,616 households, and 1,255 families living in the town. The

was 129.3 people per square mile (49.9/km^2>). There were 2,534 housing units at an average density of 76.2 per square mile (29.4/km^2>). The racial makeup of the town was 98.39%

, 0.40%

, 0.30% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02%

, 0.07% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population. There were 1,616 households, of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% were

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% 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 2.96. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $52,224, and the median income for a family was $56,118. Males had a median income of $35,962 versus $30,662 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 $25,193. About 3.4% of families and 4.0% 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 3.8% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

* Friends' Schoolhouse Museum, Raymond-Casco Historical Society * Hawthorne House, Hawthorne Community Association * WGME-TV transmitter & WGME News 13 Skycam location * Clough's Corner Store

Notable people

* Joseph Bruno, state legislator * Jessica Fay, state legislator *

, author * Bonnie Titcomb Lewis, state legislator * John Robinson, state legislator *

Kirsten Clark Kirsten Lee Clark (born April 23, 1977) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from the United States. Born in Portland, Maine, she made her World Cup debut in November 1995 and retired from international competition following the 2007 seaso ...

, US Olympic skier

References

External links

Town of Raymond official website

Raymond Village Library

Epodunk town profile

''The Independent''
weekly newspaper
Maine Genealogy: Raymond, Cumberland County, Maine
{{Coord, 43, 54, 05, N, 70, 28, 13, W, type:city_region:US-ME, display=title Towns in Cumberland County, Maine Portland metropolitan area, Maine Towns in Maine 1803 establishments in Maine Populated places established in 1803