Unity 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
Waldo 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 2,292 at the
2020 census. The town is the service center for the northern portion of Waldo County. Outside of Waldo County, it is best known as the home of the
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, its
Common Ground Country Fair and former home of
Unity College.
Unity College was founded in 1965 to offset the economic effects of the declining chicken farming industry. As of 2007, the college was the town's largest employer. In 2020, the college announced a significant shift in its educational model, moving to a hybrid learning system that led to a reduction in staff by 15%. As of 2024, the original Unity campus is largely vacant, with only about 50 students using the facilities at any given time.
History
When originally settled by
Quakers
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...
, the town was known as Twenty-Five Mile Pond Plantation. The name came from its being located on a pond twenty-five miles from Fort Halifax in
Winslow. The name was changed to Unity upon incorporation as a town in 1804. In 1898, the
Village School was opened. It remained the largest grade school in Unity until 1953 when a new elementary school was built.
In 1996, the
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) purchased 200 acres of land in Unity, where it is now based. The MOFGA-run
Common Ground Country Fair moved with the organization and annually brings more than 50,000 visitors to the town.
During 2008–2009, eight
Amish
The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...
families moved into the community.
They belong to the "
Michigan Amish Churches", an
Amish affiliation that is more open to outsiders than most other Amish affiliations.
"The Atypical Amish Community at Unity, Maine" at amishamerica.com
/ref>
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, chiefly Unity Pond. Principal rivers are Twentyfive Mile Stream (Unity Pond's sole outflow), Sandy Stream and Halfmoon Stream.
The town is crossed by state routes 9, 220, 139 and US route 202. Unity is bordered by Burnham to the north, Troy
Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
and Thorndike to the east, Knox to the southeast, Freedom
Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws".
In one definition, something is "free" i ...
to the south, Albion
Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...
to the southwest and Unity Township to the west.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,099 people, 750 households, and 429 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 939 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.9% 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 ...
, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% 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 1.3% of the population.
There were 750 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.8% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.88.
The median age in the town was 31.2 years. 17.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 26.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.1% were from 25 to 44; 24% were from 45 to 64; and 12.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,889 people, 713 households, and 419 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 926 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.72% 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 ...
, 0.32% Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or 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 ...
, 0.42% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 1.16% 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 0.74% of the population.
There were 713 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% 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 2.89.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 22.8% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...
age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,927, and the median income for a family was $36,696. Males had a median income of $29,398 versus $22,708 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,086. About 18.6% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 16.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
* Samuel Stillman Berry, marine zoologist, born in Unity (1887)
* Walter M. Brackett, painter, born in Unity
* George Colby Chase, English scholar; second president of Bates College
Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian ...
References
Further reading
*
*Taber, James R. (1916). "History of Unity, Maine" Maine Farmer Press, Augusta, ME. No copyright page found. www.archive.org
External links
*
Maine Genealogy: Unity, Waldo County, Maine
{{Kennebec River
Towns in Waldo County, Maine