Columbia Falls, Maine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Columbia Falls, Maine
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Town Hall and Pleasant River c. 1908
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 Columbia Falls, Maine
Location in Maine
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| Country | United States |
| State | Maine |
| County | Washington |
| Incorporated | 1863 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 24.67 sq mi (63.90 km2) |
| • Land | 24.55 sq mi (63.58 km2) |
| • Water | 0.12 sq mi (0.31 km2) |
| Elevation | 154 ft (47 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 476 |
| • Density | 19/sq mi (7.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
04623
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| Area code(s) | 207 |
| FIPS code | 23-13820 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0582415 |
Columbia Falls is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The population was 476 at the 2020 census.
It derives its name from the Class I-III Rapids on the Pleasant River (Pleasant Bay) that flow through the town. Columbia Falls and its Washington County neighbor Columbia, Maine were once the same town. However in 1863 Columbia Falls formed its own town.
In 2023 the community gained national attention after a proposal to build the world's tallest flagpole (1,461 feet (445 meters) high -- taller than the Empire State Building) -- in a $1 billion project that includes a 4,000 seat auditorium in dubbed the Flagpole of Freedom Park.
The project has been proposed by local businessman Morrill Worcester whose company Worcester Wreath Co. which expanded to Wreaths Across America and donates more than one million wreaths to military cemeteries and gravesites around the world.
History
The town began as Township 13 SD, BPP, which was joined together with Township 12 by the Massachusetts General Court on February 8, 1796, and incorporated as Columbia. It was settled soon after the Revolutionary War. On March 25, 1863, the town was set off from Columbia and incorporated as Columbia Falls.
Lumbering and shipbuilding brought the town prosperity and endowed it with some fine early architecture. This includes the Ruggles House (1818–1820), an exquisite Federal home that is now a museum, and the Union Church (1849), a Greek Revival meeting house which since 1902 has housed the town hall, library and archives. The Washington County Railroad arrived at Columbia Falls in 1898. Tourism and harvesting blueberries are important industries today, together with producing Christmas trees and wreaths.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.67 square miles (63.90 km2), of which 24.55 square miles (63.58 km2) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.31 km2) is water. Columbia Falls is drained by the Pleasant River.
The town is crossed by U.S. Route 1 and Maine State Route 187.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 608 | — | |
| 1880 | 685 | 12.7% | |
| 1890 | 698 | 1.9% | |
| 1900 | 569 | −18.5% | |
| 1910 | 663 | 16.5% | |
| 1920 | 658 | −0.8% | |
| 1930 | 583 | −11.4% | |
| 1940 | 596 | 2.2% | |
| 1950 | 550 | −7.7% | |
| 1960 | 442 | −19.6% | |
| 1970 | 367 | −17.0% | |
| 1980 | 517 | 40.9% | |
| 1990 | 552 | 6.8% | |
| 2000 | 599 | 8.5% | |
| 2010 | 560 | −6.5% | |
| 2020 | 476 | −15.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 560 people, 257 households, and 157 families living in the town. The population density was 22.8 inhabitants per square mile (8.8/km2). There were 301 housing units at an average density of 12.3 per square mile (4.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.5% White, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.
There were 257 households, of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.71.
The median age in the town was 46 years. 18.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 to 44; 32.5% were from 45 to 64; and 18.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.
Sites of interest
- Ruggles House
- Union Church, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Bucknam House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Samuel Bucknam House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- Columbia House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Notable people
- F. Eugene Farnsworth, Ku Klux Klan organizer
- Irv Young, professional baseball player
See also
In Spanish: Columbia Falls (Maine) para niños
