Washington, Maine Facts for Kids

Washington, also known as the Town of Washington, is a small town in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. In 2020, about 1,590 people lived there.

A Look at Washington's History
Geography of Washington
Population and People
- How Many People Live Here?
- Homes and Families
Education in Washington
Notable People from Washington
See also

A Look at Washington's History

Washington, Maine, was first settled in 1797 by the Nelson family. Back then, it was called Putnam, named after a war hero, General Israel Putnam. The name was officially changed to Washington in 1825.

One interesting part of Washington's past is the "paint mine." This was a cave with a lot of red and yellow ocher. People who lived here thousands of years ago might have used this ocher. These ancient people are sometimes called the "Red Paint People" because they used a lot of red ocher. The red part of Washington's official town flag reminds everyone of these early inhabitants.

Geography of Washington

Washington is located in the state of Maine. The United States Census Bureau says the town covers about 39.20 square miles (101.53 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 38.04 square miles (98.52 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 1.16 square miles (3.00 square kilometers), is water, like lakes or rivers.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	620	—
1830	1,135	—
1840	1,600	41.0%
1850	1,756	9.8%
1860	1,662	−5.4%
1870	1,276	−23.2%
1880	1,249	−2.1%
1890	1,230	−1.5%
1900	1,019	−17.2%
1910	814	−20.1%
1920	660	−18.9%
1930	615	−6.8%
1940	689	12.0%
1950	722	4.8%
1960	636	−11.9%
1970	723	13.7%
1980	954	32.0%
1990	1,185	24.2%
2000	1,345	13.5%
2010	1,527	13.5%
2020	1,590	4.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

How Many People Live Here?

In 2010, the town had 1,527 people living in 614 homes. About 427 of these were families. The town had about 40 people per square mile.

Most people in Washington were White (96.9%). A small number were African American, Native American, or Asian. Some people were from two or more different backgrounds. About 0.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Homes and Families

Out of all the homes, about 28.5% had children under 18 living there. More than half (56%) were married couples living together. Some homes had a single parent, either a mother (7%) or a father (6.5%). About 30.5% of homes were not families.

Almost a quarter (23.8%) of all homes had just one person living in them. About 9.1% of these single-person homes were people aged 65 or older. On average, about 2.43 people lived in each home, and about 2.83 people lived in each family.

The average age of people in Washington was 43.9 years old. About 20.4% of residents were under 18. About 15.5% were 65 or older. The town had slightly more males (51.9%) than females (48.1%).

Education in Washington

The public schools in Washington are managed by Regional School Unit 40. Prescott Memorial School is located right in Washington.

Students who are a bit older go to Medomak Valley Middle School and Medomak Valley High School. These schools are in a nearby town called Waldoboro.

Washington also has its own library, called Gibbs Library.

Notable People from Washington

Alonzo Bowman - He received the Medal of Honor, a very brave award.
Elmer McCurdy - He was born in Washington in 1880.
Clyde Sukeforth - He was a professional baseball player, coach, and scout.
Frances Hodges White - She is an author who writes books for children.
John Christie - He wrote books about skiing.
David Spahr - He is an author who writes about mushrooms and finding wild foods.

Washington, Maine facts for kids

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