Vanceboro 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 Washington 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 town was named after landowner William Vance. The main village in town is located at the eastern terminus of

Maine State Route 6 State Route 6 (SR 6) is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from west to east across the state. Its western terminus is at the Canada–United States border near Sandy Bay (a terminus it shares with U.S. Route 201), w ...

. Vanceboro is across the St. Croix River from St. Croix, New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Saint Croix–Vanceboro Bridge. Vanceboro is also connected to St. Croix by the Saint Croix–Vanceboro Railway Bridge, which is used by the New Brunswick Southern Railway. The population was 102 at the 2020 census.

History

Vanceboro was selected as the border crossing for the

European and North American Railway The European and North American Railway (E&NA) is the name for three historic Canada, Canadian and United States, American Rail transport, railways which were built in New Brunswick and Maine. The idea of the E&NA as a single system was conceiv ...

(E&NA) between

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...

, and

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

, during surveys in the 1860s. This line was opened by U.S. President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

and

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

Lord Lisgar during a ceremony at the border in October 1871. In 1882, the E&NA's rail line from Vanceboro to Bangor was leased by the

Maine Central Railroad The Maine Central Railroad was a United States, U. S. class 1 railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. By 1884, Maine Central was the longest railroad in New England. Maine Central had expand ...

. In 1889, the MEC's rail line through Vanceboro became part of the transcontinental network of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

following construction of the International Railway of Maine. In 1955 the MEC purchased the entire line from the E&NA shareholders, and in 1974 the CPR purchased the line through Vanceboro from the MEC. On January 1, 1995, CPR sold the line through Vanceboro to the New Brunswick Southern Railway, which operates as the Eastern Maine Railway in the United States. On February 2, 1915, Lt. Werner Horn, a German army reservist, bombed the

international railway bridge The International Railway Bridge is a two-span swing bridge carrying the Stamford Subdivision of the Canadian National Railway across the Niagara River between Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, and Buffalo, New York, United States. It was originally ...

crossing the St. Croix River from Vanceboro into Canada in an unsuccessful attempt to sabotage the CPR line across Maine; it was alleged that the railway was being used to transport war material across the then-neutral United States territory.

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.

Climate

This climatic 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, Vanceboro 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.

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 140 people, 60 households, and 42 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 151 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.0%

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 ...

, 0.7% Native American, 0.7% Asian, and 3.6% 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 1.4% of the population. There were 60 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.0% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age in the town was 48.3 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 32.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 54.3% male and 45.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 147 people, 68 households, and 42 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 7.2 people per square mile (2.8/km). There were 159 housing units at an average density of 7.8 per square mile (3.0/km). The racial makeup of the town was 97.28%

, 0.68%

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 ...

and 2.04% Native American.

or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population. There were 68 households, out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.69. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 36.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 119.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $17,386, and the median income for a family was $24,063. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $15,625 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 $13,580. There were 19.5% of families and 18.4% of the population living 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 8.0% of under eighteens and 14.3% of those over 64.

Economy

Vanceboro is home to a

border post A border checkpoint is a location on an international border where travelers or goods are inspected and allowed (or denied) passage through. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders of ...

which controls the Vanceboro port of entry for Maine State Route 6 and the New Brunswick Southern Railway line.

References

{{authority control Towns in Washington County, Maine Towns in Maine