Patten, Maine

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Patten, Maine
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

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pushpin_label_position =left
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of Maine
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Maine
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Penobscot
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 99.7
area_land_km2 = 99.5
area_water_km2 = 0.2
area_total_sq_mi = 38.5
area_land_sq_mi = 38.4
area_water_sq_mi = 0.1

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 1111
population_density_km2 = 11.2
population_density_sq_mi = 28.9

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 203
elevation_ft = 666
latd = 45 |latm = 59 |lats = 51 |latNS = N
longd = 68 |longm = 27 |longs = 36 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 04765
area_code = 207
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 23-57150
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0582666
website =
footnotes =

Patten is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,111 at the 2000 census.

Geography and History

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 128.5 square miles (249.7 km²), of which, 128.5 square miles (249.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.16%) is water.

Patten lies on the western edge of the Mattawamkeag River system basin, almost at the edge of the East Branch of the Penobscot River's basin. Two major Mattawamkeag tributaries occupy its area: in the north, Fish Stream (formerly known as the "Mattawamkeag West Branch", and in the south, small feeders of the Molunkus Stream. Fish Stream is navigable by very small craft as far as Island Falls, Maine, around 10 miles distance, for about six months of the year. In the early days of lumbering it was used to drive local cutting downstream, eventually to the mills at Old Town, Maine and Bangor. The amount of water power, however, did not favor the development of large-scale industry, although small mills and workshops utilized its power during most of the town's history.

Two factors explain Patten's comparatively early development, and it's position as the major town of the Penobscot panhandle and southwestern Aroostook in the nineteenth century. First, it is the first town beyond the Katahdin range, giving it access to the upper East Branch and lower Allagash basins, which were leading lumbering areas. Second, it has the best agricultural land in the proximity of those basins. As a result, lumbering stimulated very early development of commerce and farming; and the town early gained the status as the distribution center and cultural nexus of all the towns west of Houlton, Maine and north of Lincoln, Maine.

The 6 buildings of the Bradford Farm (1840) in Patten are listed on National Register of Historic Places, and are now occupied by the "Bradford House" Bed & Breakfast Inn.

Notable People

Film actress Gladys George (1900-1954) (birth name Gladys Clare Evans), was born in Patten while her parents, members of an English Shakespearean theatre company, were touring there. A child of the stage, she eventually went to Hollywood and received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her part in "Valient is the Word for Carrie" (1936). She appeared in a total of 42 films and television shows between 1919 and 1954, including The Maltese Falcon (1941) with Humphrey Bogart and The Roaring Twenties (1939) with James Cagney. She also had a significant supporting role in the Academy Award winning film Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2007, there were 1,111 people, ,468 households, and ,313 families residing in the large town. The population density was 28.9 people per square mile (11.2/km²). There were 553 housing units at an average density of 14.4/sq mi (5.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.37% White, 0.18% African American, and 0.45% from two or more races.

There were 468 households out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,900, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $27,656 versus $15,987 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,384. About 12.4% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.

References