Verona Island, Maine

Verona Island is a town located on an island of the same name in the Penobscot River in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 533 at the 2000 census.

History

This island and community has undergone numerous name changes. It was originally Penobscot Island, part of the Waldo Patent. When Henry Knox bequeathed it to his orphaned grandchildren, it became known as Orphan Island. In 1839 it became the plantation of Wetmore Isle. The name was changed to Verona (after Verona, Italy) upon its incorporation as a town on February 18, 1861. The town recently lengthened its name to Verona Island, matching the name of the land form on which it was located, in a March 27, 2004 referendum [ [http://janus.state.me.us/legis/ros/lom/LOM121st/12Pub514-550/Pub514-550-22.htm March 27, 2004 name change referendum] ] .

The island was once a shipbuilding village. In 1905 the last vessel was built. This was the "Roosevelt", which carried Robert Peary from New York to the Arctic in 1908 for his final expedition to the North Pole.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 = 272 ]

The Waldo-Hancock Bridge (carrying U.S. 1), which opened November 16, 1931 to connect Verona Island and Prospect, Maine in Waldo County, is on the National Register of Historic Places but was in such bad condition that it was replaced. As of July, 2007, the Waldo-Hancock Bridge has not been dismantled, and stands in disrepair.

The new bridge, opened in October 2006, is called the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory. The legislature's Transportation Committee originally decided it would be named the Downeast Gateway Bridge, but strong opposition by community leaders from eastern Waldo County forced this decision to be reconsidered. The new name was unanimously approved on March 9, 2006 by the legislature's Transportation Committee.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.7 square miles (22.6 km²), of which, 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²) of it is land and 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²) of it (28.56%) is water.

The highest point is McCloud Mountain, elevation 344 feet.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 533 people, 223 households, and 161 families residing in the town. The population density was 85.6 people per square mile (33.0/km²). There were 262 housing units at an average density of 42.1/sq mi (16.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.69% White, 0.19% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.19% of the population.

There were 223 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,827, and the median income for a family was $47,778. Males had a median income of $35,125 versus $31,563 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,714. About 5.7% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Town Meeting

In 2007, the Verona Island town meeting was a 4 hour festival, with many disagreements, including 5 rejected warrant proposals, and a debate over whether "thirding" an issue was a legal legislative proposal. The woman that thought "thirding" was real said that if an issue is thirded, there will be no discussion.

The 2008 town meeting was a very low key affair, with only one issue being rejected, which was Article 28, an article that would have put the town's wetlands into resource protection as recommended by the state.

References

External links

* [http://www.maine.gov/local/hancock/verona/ Town of Verona] , on [http://www.maine.gov Maine.gov]
* [http://www.hcpcme.org/landuse/verona/VeronaIA030405.doc Verona Island, Maine Comprehensive Plan] (2005)
* [http://www.waldohancockbridge.com/ Bridge site] at Maine Department of Transportation site