Eustis 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 Franklin 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 641 at the 2020 census. Eustis, which includes the village of Stratton, is a popular recreation area.

History

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

and his troops passed through the area on October 19, 1775, on their way up the North Branch of the Dead River to fight in the ill-fated Battle of Quebec. Eustis was first called Township No. 1 of Range 4, West of Bingham's Kennebec Purchase. The original settler was Caleb Stevens from

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, who brought his wife and nine children. About 1831, the northern half of the township was purchased from the state of Maine by two men, one of whom was Charles L. Eustis of Lewiston. That same year he built a

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 ...

and

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 ...

. In 1840, the township was organized as Hanover Plantation, which about 1850 became part of the larger Jackson Plantation. On March 30, 1857, however, the township was set off and organized as Eustis Plantation, named after its early proprietor. Then on February 18, 1871, with a population of 342, it was officially incorporated as a town.

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. Eustis is drained by the Dead River.

Climate

This

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorolog ...

region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Eustis has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Eustis, Maine
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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 618 people, 313 households, and 179 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 822 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.5%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 0.3% 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 0.5% of the population. There were 313 households, of which 19.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% 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, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.8% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.47. The median age in the town was 49.4 years. 14.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.6% were from 25 to 44; 37.3% were from 45 to 64; and 23.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 52.8% male and 47.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 685 people, 302 households, and 170 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 747 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.47%

, 0.44%

, 2.04% Native American, 0.15% Asian, and 1.90% from two or more races. There were 302 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were

living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.90. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 106.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,000, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $27,614 versus $21,111 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 $13,274. About 7.7% of families and 14.3% 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 10.8% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

* Bigelow Preserve * Dead River Area Historical Society * Flagstaff Lake

References

External links

Town of Eustis, Maine

Stratton Public Library

Arnold Trail Snowmobile Club
{{Coord, 45, 13, 02, N, 70, 28, 42, W, type:city_region:US-ME, display=title Towns in Franklin County, Maine