| Long Island, Maine |
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| islands of maine | |
| cumberland county, maine | |
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GEOGRAPHY According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 26.9 Km&2 (10.4 Mi&2 ). 3.7 km&2 (1.4 mi&2) of it is land and 23.2 km&2 (9.0 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 86.24% water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census 2 of 2000, there were 202 people, 93 households, and 61 families residing in the town. The Population Density was 54.5/km&2 (141.2/mi&2). There were 353 housing units at an average density of 95.3/km&2 (246.8/mi&2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.03% White , 0.00% African American , 0.00% Native American , 0.99% Asian , 0.00% Pacific Islander , 0.00% from Other Races , and 1.98% from two or more races. 0.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 93 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were Married Couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.70. In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,833, and the median income for a family was $43,214. Males had a median income of $28,125 versus $28,750 for females. The Per Capita Income for the town was $15,278. 10.0% of the population and 10.0% of families were below the Poverty Line . 8.6% of those under the age of 18 and 11.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. The total population of 202 only includes year-round residents. A significant number of seasonal residents causes the population to swell to over 700 during the summer. There are 175 registered voters on Long Island. Long Island maintains its own elementary school from grades K-5, but sends students to the City of Portland for schooling from grades 6 through 12. HISTORY Long Island, like other Casco Bay islands, was originally inhabited by Native Americans until settlers first arrived in the 1600 ’s. Ignatius Cushing became the first permanent resident to live on the island in 1730 , and soon after, other settlers arrived to make a livelihood out of farming, fishing, and catching Lobsters . During WWII , supply stations and army buildings were constructed on the island to add to Casco Bay’s defenses in the event of an Axis Powers attack. This included a fuel annex, which is often cited as a source of contamination for both the island's marsh and Casco Bay. After the war, tourism became the most popular industry, and several small stores, a fire station, and a K-5 school ( 1953 ) were built. In the summer, several hundreds or even thousands of tourists traveled from places such as Massachusetts and New York to vacation in their summer cottages. The island was originally part of the City Of Portland , which re-evaluated property taxes in 1990 . Due in part to high real estate prices paid by out-of-state residents, property taxes increased substantially. Many residents, although dependent upon Portland for jobs, medical care, transportation and education, felt this move created an unfair discrepancy between the money paid to the City of Portland and the services they received in return. The island voted to secede from Portland, and on July 1 , 1993 , the island was declared the Town of Long Island. The Long Island Historical Society now houses every news article that was printed about the secession movement as well as video and film footage of the secession ceremonies. These archives also include copies of the local and national news coverage given to the community during its "rebellion." Long Island is still a popular destination in the summer, and is an approximately 35-minute ferry ride from Portland. Popular attractions include Sandy Beach and its "singing sands," the Town of Long Island Conservation Area, and the "backshore" rocks on the east end of the island. The town has two general stores; the primary source for groceries is the Long Island General Store. The town also has one restaurant, The Spar, which is only open in the summer. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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