Machias (pronounced /məˈtʃaɪəs/) is a town in and the county seat of Washington County, Maine, United States.[1] As of the 2000 census, the town population was 2,353. It is home to the University of Maine at Machias and Machias Valley Airport, a small public airport owned by the town.
History
The word Machias roughly translates to "bad little falls" in Passamaquoddy. Located on the Machias River in downeast Maine, it was settled in 1763 by settlers from Scarborough. Machias is home to Burnham Tavern, a historical museum which has mementos of the Battle of Machias, the first naval battle of the American Revolution. This battle, which occurred in June 1775 at Machiasport after townspeople refused to provide the British with lumber for barracks, led to the capture of the armed schooner HMS Margaretta by settlers under Captain Jeremiah O'Brien[2] and Capt. Benjamin Foster. The Massachusetts General Court incorporated Machias as a town on June 23, 1784. It first encompassed present-day East Machias, Whitneyville, Machias and Marshfield. In the 19th century, it developed into a major railroad center for northern lumber operations.
The 2004 PBS show, Colonial House, was filmed in the Machiasport area, with scenes in Machias.
Notable residents
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.8 square miles (38.3 km²), of which, 13.9 square miles (36.0 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it (6.09%) is water. Drained by the Machias River, the town is located at the head of Machias Bay and Little Kennebec Bay on the Gulf of Maine, part of the Atlantic Ocean.
Machias is crossed by U. S. Route 1 and 1A, and by state routes 92 and 192. It is bordered by the towns of Machiasport to the east, Roque Bluffs to the south, Whitneyville to the west, and Marshfield to the north. Separated by water, it is near town of East Machias to the north.
Demographics
See also: Machias (CDP), Maine
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 2,353 people, 939 households, and 503 families residing in the town. The population density was 169.4 people per square mile (65.4/km²). There were 1,129 housing units at an average density of 81.3/sq mi (31.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.92% White, 0.64% Black or African American, 0.98% Native American, 1.44% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.55% of the population.
There were 939 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.4% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.75.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 20.4% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,318, and the median income for a family was $36,705. Males had a median income of $29,107 versus $21,538 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,902. About 15.6% of families and 23.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Sites of interest
References
Further reading
External links
