Bingham, Maine

Bingham is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population of Bingham was 989 at the 2000 census. Bingham is a historic town located beside the Kennebec River.

History

First settled in 1785, the town is named after William Bingham, a Philadelphia banker and politician who at one time owned two million acres (8,000 km²) of land in Maine cite book |last= Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums |editor=Doris A. Isaacson |title=Maine: A Guide 'Down East' |year=1970 |publisher=Courier-Gazette, Inc. |location=Rockland, Me | pages = 381-382 ] known as the Bingham Purchase. http://newenglandtowns.org/maine/franklin-county "Franklin County, Maine", "New England Towns". Retrieved: 11-22-2007] The community was incorporated on February 6, 1812. By 1859, when the population was 752, Bingham had 2 sawmills and 2 gristmills. It is located on the Old Canada Road (U. S. Route 201), which between 1820 until 1860 served as the primary link between Lower Canada and Maine.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.0 square miles (90.6 km²), of which, 34.6 square miles (89.6 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (1.17%) is water. Bingham is drained by Jackson Brook and the Kennebec River.

The town is crossed by U. S. Route 201 and Maine State Route 16. It is bordered by the towns of Moscow to the north, Brighton Plantation to the east, and Solon to the south.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 989 people, 420 households, and 267 families residing in the town. The population density was 28.6 people per square mile (11.0/km²). There were 619 housing units at an average density of 17.9/sq mi (6.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.39% White, 0.10% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population.

There were 420 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 46.9% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $28,200, and the median income for a family was $31,538. Males had a median income of $25,990 versus $16,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,724. About 15.6% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.5% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

References

Further reading

* [http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mecbingh/history1887.htm Early History of Bingham, Maine]
* A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, "A History and Description of New England", 1859; H. O. Houghton & Company, printers; Cambridge, Massachusetts

External links

* [http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mecbingh/binglib.htm Bingham Union Library]
* [http://maine.gov/local/somerset/bingham/ Maine.gov -- Bingham, Maine]
* [http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mecbingh/index.htm Old Canada Road Historical Society]
* [http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/11510 Old Canada Road Scenic Byway]