| Waterville, Maine |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT WATERVILLE, MAINE | |
| settlements established in 1802 | |
| cities in maine | |
| kennebec county, maine | |
| micropolitan areas of maine | |
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GEOGRAPHY Waterville is located at (44.552051, -69.645839). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 36.4 Km&2 (14.1 Mi&2 ). 35.2 km&2 (13.6 mi&2) of it is land and 1.2 km&2 (0.5 mi&2) of it (3.35%) is water. HISTORY Waterville, once known as Ticonic Village, was originally part of Winslow . Waterville was incorporated as a separate town in 1802 when Winslow residents on the west side of the Kennebec found themselves unable to cross the river easily so as to voice their opinions in town meetings. The Maine Central Railroad established locomotive and car repair shops in the town and Waterville developed into a thriving mill community. The first high school was built in 1877 while the current Waterville Senior High School was built in 1961. In 2002, the Hathaway shirt company, one of the last remaining textile factories in the United States producing dress shirts, closed after over 160 years of operation in the town. REDEVELOPMENT Like many other towns in Maine and in the United States, Waterville has seen development in the surburbs and the decline of the downtown area. http://www.maine.gov/spo/landuse/pubs/svccenters.php In Waterville, there have been new business and new facilities built by Inland Hospital on Kennedy Memorial Drive. Wal Mart and other stores have been built in the north. In contrast, downtown has several large vacant buildings, such as the Ames department store. Stores that used to be in downtown for several decades have closed in recent decades, including Levine's, Butlers, Sterns, Dunhams, Alvina and Delias, and Laverdieres. Colby College graduate Paul Boghossian has won approval for a plan to convert the sprawling old Hathaway shirt factory to retail, office, and residential use. MaineGeneral Health agreed at the end of June 2007 to become the first tenant when the facility opens in 2008. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 15,605 people, 6,218 households, and 3,370 families residing in the city. This represents a decline of more than 50% from the population in 1966 when there were over 37,000 Waterville citizens. The Population Density was 443.3/km&2 (1,148.7/mi&2). There were 6,819 housing units at an average density of 193.7/km&2 (501.9/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.81% White , 0.78% African American , 0.56% Native American , 1.03% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.42% from Other Races , and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population. There are 6,218 Household s out of which 26.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were Married Couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.8% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 18.5% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,816, and the median income for a family was $38,052. Males had a median income of $30,086 versus $22,037 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $16,430. 19.2% of the population and 15.1% of families were below the federal Poverty level. Statewide, 10.9% of the population was below the poverty level.1 In Kennebec County, 11.1% of the population was below the federal poverty level. Thus, although the county poverty rate is close to the state poverty rate, the poverty rate for Waterville is significantly higher than both the county and state statistic. Out of the total population, 29.7% of those under the age of 18 and 14.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. SISTER CITIES FAMOUS PEOPLE
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