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Sumner, Maine
West Sumner c. 1910
West Sumner c. 1910
Sumner, Maine is located in Maine
Sumner, Maine
Sumner, Maine
Location in Maine
Country United States
State Maine
County Oxford
Incorporated 1798
Area
 • Total 44.87 sq mi (116.21 km2)
 • Land 44.27 sq mi (114.66 km2)
 • Water 0.60 sq mi (1.55 km2)
Elevation
479 ft (146 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 994
 • Density 23/sq mi (8.7/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
04220, 04292
Area code(s) 207
FIPS code 23-75035
GNIS feature ID 0582755

Sumner is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Sumner is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 994 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of West Sumner and East Sumner.

History

Originally called West Butterfield Plantation, it was first settled in 1783 by Noah Bosworth from Plympton, Massachusetts. Most of the early settlers were Revolutionary soldiers from Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The town was incorporated by the General Court on June 13, 1798 and named for Increase Sumner, who was then the governor of Massachusetts.

Despite an uneven and somewhat broken surface, the town's principal occupation became agriculture. The two branches of the Nezinscot River provided water power for mills. By 1859, when the population was 1,151, Sumner had three sawmills, two gristmills, two shingle mills, a starch factory, a clover mill (to clean clover seeds, food for cattle), and a powder mill. The Rumford Falls and Buckfield Railroad opened a station near East Sumner in 1878.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.87 square miles (116.21 km2), of which, 44.27 square miles (114.66 km2) of it is land and 0.60 square miles (1.55 km2) is water. It is drained by the east and west branches of the Nezinscot River. The town is bordered by Peru to the north, Hartford to the east, Buckfield to the south, and Paris and Woodstock to the west.

Sumner is served by state routes 140 and 219.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1800 330
1810 611 85.2%
1820 1,055 72.7%
1830 1,098 4.1%
1840 1,269 15.6%
1850 1,151 −9.3%
1860 1,154 0.3%
1870 1,170 1.4%
1880 1,014 −13.3%
1890 901 −11.1%
1900 802 −11.0%
1910 762 −5.0%
1920 670 −12.1%
1930 867 29.4%
1940 541 −37.6%
1950 526 −2.8%
1960 481 −8.6%
1970 525 9.1%
1980 613 16.8%
1990 761 24.1%
2000 854 12.2%
2010 939 10.0%
2020 994 5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

SumnerME FirstUniversalistSocietyOfEastSumner
Congregational Church of East Sumner

As of the census of 2010, there were 939 people, 383 households, and 266 families living in the town. The population density was 21.2 inhabitants per square mile (8.2/km2). There were 565 housing units at an average density of 12.8 per square mile (4.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.4% White, 0.4% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population.

There were 383 households, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.5% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.85.

The median age in the town was 45.5 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 36.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.9% male and 49.1% female.

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sumner (Maine) para niños

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