Swanville 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 ...

Waldo County Waldo County is a county in the state of Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,607. Its county seat is Belfast. The county was founded on February 7, 1827, from a portion of Hancock County and named after Briga ...

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 1,377 at the 2020 census.

History

The town of Swanville lies within the Muscongus Patent of 1630, which from 1720 was known as the

Waldo Patent The Waldo Patent, a letters patent also known as the Muscongus Patent or the Lincolnshire Patent, was a document granting title to of land in what is now the U.S. state of Maine. It is named variously for businessman Samuel Waldo, who eventually ...

. It was incorporated on February 19, 1818 (or 1819), following a petition made in November 1816 by James Leach and 37 others. Before that time, it was known variously as "The Plantation of Swan", "Swan's Plantation", and "Swan's Tract". Late 19th century industries included farming, brick-making, soap-making, and quarrying. The Oak Hill Quarry opened in 1872, producing a dark blue-gray granite that was used for paving stones.

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. The two largest water bodies in the town are

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoje ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, links=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failu ...

(1364 acres, some of which is in the towns of Searsport and Frankfort), and Toddy Pond (160 acres, some of which is in the town of

Brooks Brooks may refer to: * Brook (small stream) Places Antarctica * Cape Brooks Canada *Brooks, Alberta United Kingdom * Brooks, Cornwall * Brooks, Powys, a location United States * Brooks, Alabama * Brooks, Arkansas * Brooks, California *Brooks, ...

. The Town of Swanville has a dam owned and operated by Maine Hydro, now known as Goose River Hydro, Inc., which also owns the water rights. In 1979, an agreement was brokered between the towns of Swanville, Frankfort, Searsport and Goose River Hydro, Inc. The agreement covers water levels as well as Goose River Hydro's responsibility for dam and land surrounding it. In the late 19th century, the dam was operated by the Belfast Paper Mill Company and used only intermittently.

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 1,388 people, 558 households, and 368 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 793 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.3%

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, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.9% 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 0.4% of the population. There were 558 households, of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% 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, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.1% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the town was 40.2 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 33.3% were from 45 to 64; and 10.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,357 people, 522 households, and 371 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 730 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.54%

, 0.15%

, 0.22% Native American, 0.15% Asian, and 2.95% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population. There were 522 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were

living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,417, and the median income for a family was $35,833. Males had a median income of $28,083 versus $19,861 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 $14,483. About 10.5% of families and 14.6% 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 18.8% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Town of Swanville official website

Maine Genealogy: Swanville, Waldo County, Maine
{{authority control Towns in Waldo County, Maine Towns in Maine