Waldo County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,607. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

. The county was founded on February 7, 1827, from a portion of Hancock County and named after Brigadier-General Samuel Waldo, proprietor of the Waldo Patent.History of Waldo County, Maine
From ''A Gazetteer of the State of Maine''. By George J. Varney. Published by B. B. Russell, 57 Cornhill, Boston 1886. Accessed April 24, 2019, via Ray's Place website.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (14%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Penobscot County – northeast * Hancock County – east * Knox County – south * Lincoln County – southwest * Kennebec County – west * Somerset County – northwest

National protected area

* Carlton Pond Waterfowl Production Area

Demographics

2000 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 2000, there were 36,280 people, 14,726 households, and 10,057 families living in the county. 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 18,904 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.89%

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 ...

, 0.19%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.40% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01%

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 ...

, 0.16% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 0.59% of the population were

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. 24.8% were of English, 14.7%

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

or American, 12.7% Irish, 8.5% French and 5.6% German ancestry. 97.1% spoke English and 1.5% French as their first language. There were 14,726 households, out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% 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, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.88. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,986, and the median income for a family was $40,402. Males had a median income of $29,644 versus $23,816 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 county was $17,438. About 10.90% of families and 13.90% 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 18.60% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 38,786 people, 16,431 households, and 10,627 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 21,566 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.1% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.3% were English, 21.0% were Irish, 19.0% were French, 9.2% American, 7.0% Scottish, 6.6% Italian, 2.7% Polish, and 2.2% Scotch-Irish. Of the 16,431 households, 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.3% were non-families, and 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 44.1 years. The county's median household income was $41,312 and the median family income was $50,222. Males had a median income of $38,960 versus $30,321 for females. The county's per capita income was $22,213. About 10.2% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the

, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Prior to the late 20th century, Waldo County was a solidly Republican county, going for the Democratic nominee only once between 1920 and 1988 — the one Democratic victory was Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide victory in 1964. Waldo was one of a handful of counties nationwide that voted for independent

Ross Perot Henry Ross Perot ( ; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an Independent politician ...

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

. In each election since

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, Waldo County has been won by a Democrat, but never with more than 55% of the vote. It is the only one of the three Maine counties that voted Perot for president in 1992 that did not vote for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

in either of his presidential runs, supporting Democrats since the early 21st century. Trump only lost the county by 62 votes in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, but lost it by larger margins in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and in 2024.

Voter registration

Communities

City

(county seat)

Towns

* Belmont * Brooks * Burnham * Frankfort *

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 ...

* Islesboro * Jackson * Knox *

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

* Lincolnville * Monroe * Montville * Morrill * Northport *

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

* Prospect * Searsmont * Searsport * Stockton Springs * Swanville * Thorndike *

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 ...

* Unity * Waldo * Winterport

Census-designated places

* Searsport * Unity * Winterport

Other unincorporated villages

* East Thorndike * East Troy * Sandy Point

Cultural references

Waldo County features in

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 ...

's classic novel ''

The House of the Seven Gables ''The House of the Seven Gables: A Romance'' is a Gothic fiction, Gothic novel written beginning in mid-1850 by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in April 1851 by Ticknor and Fields of Boston. The novel follows a New England fam ...

'' as the site of extensive landholdings once claimed by the formerly aristocratic Pyncheon family.

Notable people

* Emily Browne Powell (1847-1938), writer; president, Pacific Coast Women's Press Association

References

External links

Official Website of Waldo County

Maine Genealogy: Waldo County, Maine
{{coord, 44.48, -69.12, type:adm2nd_region:US-ME_source:UScensus1990, display=title Maine counties 1827 establishments in Maine Populated places established in 1827