Strong is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,259 at the 2000 census. Strong is home to the annual Sandy River Festival.
History
The plantation was first called Township No. 3, First Range North of Plymouth Claim, West of Kennebec River (or T3 R1 NPC WKR), then Middletown, then Readstown. It was first settled in 1784 by William Read from Nobleboro. Readstown was incorporated on January 31, 1801 and named for Caleb Strong,[1] governor of Massachusetts from 1800 to 1807, and from 1812 to 1816 (Maine was part of Massachusetts until March 15, 1820, when it became the 23rd state). The Maine Republican Party was founded here on August 7, 1854.[2]
Set on a hilly intervale above a big bend in the Sandy River, the area provided fertile soil for agriculture. Farmers grew hay, wheat, corn, oats and potatoes. The northeast branch of the Sandy River provided water power for mills, helping make Strong prosperous. By 1859, when the population was 1,008, it had sawmills, a gristmill, a fulling mill, a carding machine, a starch factory and a tannery. [3]
The narrow gauge Sandy River Railroad connected Farmington and Phillips in 1879. By 1886, town industries included a boot and shoe factory, machine shops, a cheese factory, a clothespin manufacturer, a maker of cane seat chair bottoms, and an excelsior factory. It was noted as "one of the prettiest villages in the county." [4]
Strong is called "Toothpick Capital of the World"[5] due to the productivity of the Strong Wood Products Incorporated plant, which manufactures 20 million toothpicks per day.[5]
Notable residents
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 29.3 square miles (75.8 km²), of which, 28.7 square miles (74.4 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.4 km²) of it (1.88%) is water. Strong is located above a big bend in the Sandy River, a tributary of the Kennebec River.
The town is crossed by state routes 4, 145, 149 and 234. It borders the towns of New Vineyard to the east, Farmington to the south, and Temple and Avon to the west, and Freeman Township to the north.
Demographics
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 1,259 people, 498 households, and 343 families residing in the town. The population density was 43.8 people per square mile (16.9/km²). There were 614 housing units at an average density of 21.4/sq mi (8.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.21% White, 0.16% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.
There were 498 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,568, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $26,111 versus $18,636 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,232. About 9.0% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
Coordinates: 44°48′27″N 70°13′15″W / 44.8075°N 70.22083°W / 44.8075; -70.22083
