Blue Hill, Maine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blue Hill, Maine
Town
Blue Hill from Parker Point
Motto(s):  "Got lost Blue Hill, Maine"
Blue Hill, Maine Location in Maine Show map of Maine Blue Hill, Maine Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Hancock
Incorporated	1789
Villages	Blue Hill Blue Hill Falls East Blue Hill North Blue Hill South Blue Hill
Area
• Total	86.57 sq mi (224.22 km2)
• Land	62.48 sq mi (161.82 km2)
• Water	24.09 sq mi (62.39 km2)
Elevation	46 ft (14 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,792
• Density	45/sq mi (17.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	04614
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-05700
GNIS feature ID	0582357
Website	Town of Blue Hill, Maine

Blue Hill is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States, located on Blue Hill Bay. The population was 2,792 at the 2020 census. It is home to the Blue Hill Public Library, Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, George Stevens Academy, the Blue Hill Harbor School, The Bay School, New Surry Theatre, Kneisel Hall, Bagaduce Music Lending Library, the Kollegewidgwok Yacht Club, the Shaw Institute and the Blue Hill Country Club. The town also hosts the annual Blue Hill Fair.

History

It was one of six townships granted by the Massachusetts General Court to David Marsh and 351 others for their service in the French and Indian War. Called Plantation Number 5, it was first settled in 1762 by Captain Joseph Wood and John Roundy from Andover, Massachusetts, who built homes on Mill Island at the tidal falls. It would then be called Newport Plantation. On January 30, 1789, the town was incorporated as Blue Hill, named after its commanding summit overlooking the region.

The outlets of various ponds provided water power for several sawmills and gristmills. By 1859, 5,000 cords of firewood were sent from the port annually. Other products included lumber, masts and roof shingles, but the predominant industry was shipbuilding. Beginning in 1792, 133 vessels were constructed at Blue Hill, some of them brigs and ships, but most schooners. The town was also noted for the quality of its granite, some of which was used to build the Brooklyn Bridge, New York Stock Exchange Building, and the U.S. Custom House at Norfolk, Virginia. In 1876, local quarries employed 300 workers.

A Viking penny was found in 1957 at the nearby prehistoric Goddard archeological site by local amateur archeologist Guy Mellgren. The coin is believed to be from the 11th century reign of Olaf Kyrre.

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  Blue Hill c. 1920

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  Main Street c. 1909

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  The Elms c. 1920

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 86.57 square miles (224.22 km²), of which 62.48 square miles (161.82 km²) is land and 24.09 square miles (62.39 km²) is water. Located on Blue Hill Bay, the town is drained by Mill Brook. Blue Hill, elevation 940 feet (290 meters), is the town's highest point. Long Island, situated in Blue Hill Bay, is part of the town.

Blue Hill is crossed by state routes 15, 172, 176 and 177. It borders the towns of Surry to the northeast, Brooklin to the southeast, Sedgwick to the southwest, and Penobscot to the northwest. The town is the site of Blue Hill Airport.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,686 people, 1,279 households, and 733 families living in the town. The population density was 43.0 inhabitants per square mile (16.6/km²). There were 1,936 housing units at an average density of 31.0 per square mile (12.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.3% White, 0.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population.

There were 1,279 households, of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.7% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.66.

The median age in the town was 49.5 years. 17.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.6% were from 25 to 44; 36.8% were from 45 to 64; and 20.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

Notable people

• Gerald Warner Brace, author
• Minerva Kline Brooks, campaigner for women's suffrage
• Mary Ellen Chase, author
• George Albert Clough, architect
• A. J. Cronin, author
• Daniel Dennett, philosopher
• Jonathan Fisher, minister
• June Harding, actress, artist
• Effie Hinckley Ober Kline, opera impresario, philanthropist
• Jonathan Lethem, Author
• Bill McHenry, musician
• Nina Milliken, politician and resident of Blue Hill
• Ethelbert Nevin, composer
• Horatio Parker, composer
• Brian D. Rogers, chancellor of the University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Susan Shaw, environmental health scientist, founder of the Shaw Institute (formerly Marine Environmental Research Institute)
• Noel Paul Stookey, musician
• Bertha Tapper, pianist
• Walter C. Teagle, president and chairman at Standard Oil
• Janwillem van de Wetering, author
• Emma Willmann, comedian, actress
• Esther E. Wood, historian, educator, author, and journalist

See also

In Spanish: Blue Hill (Maine) para niños