Whitefield 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 Lincoln 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 2,408 at the 2020 census. Whitefield is named for the celebrated British evangelist

George Whitefield George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican minister and preacher who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke Coll ...

, who inspired the colonists before the town was settled in 1770, mainly by Irish Catholics. They remembered him when incorporation came in 1809. In the early twenty-first century it was the boyhood home of Sean and Jamie Oshima, who formed their

folk-pop Folk-pop is a broad Music genre#Subtypes, musical fusion genre that includes contemporary folk songs with pop music, pop arrangements, and pop songs with intimate, acoustic music, acoustic-based folk music, folk arrangements. Folk-pop has been ...

duo Oshima Brothers there. Whitefield is included in the Augusta, Maine micropolitan New England City and Town Area.

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.

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 2,300 people, 917 households, and 643 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 1,055 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.8%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 1.1% 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 people of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 917 households, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% 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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.9% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the town was 44.1 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 35.5% were from 45 to 64; and 12.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,273 people, 844 households, and 620 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 954 housing units at an average density of 20.4 per square mile (7.9/km). The racial makeup of the town was 97.23%

, 0.18%

, 1.23% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.18%

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 ...

, 0.13% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 0.88% of the population. There were 844 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were

living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,477, and the median income for a family was $41,994. Males had a median income of $27,917 versus $21,750 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 $16,456. About 8.2% of families and 12.5% 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 14.6% of those under age 18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.

Amish settlement

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 ...

settlement was started in Whitefield in 2017. It grew from three families in March 2017 to 13 families in August 2018.

Notable people

* William Farley,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

*Sean and Jamie Oshima of the

duo Oshima Brothers

References

External links

Town of Whitefield official websiteTown information page
– history, newsletters, illustrated timeline
Maine Genealogy: Whitefield, Lincoln County, Maine
{{authority control Towns in Lincoln County, Maine Towns in Maine