This article shows U.S. Census totals for Kennebec County, Maine, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.
Contents
- Corporate changes since 1900
- 1900
- 1910
- 1920
- 1930
- 1940
- 1950
- 1960
- 1970
- 1980
- 1990
- 2000
- Plantations
- Unorganized Territory
- References
There are two types of incorporated municipalities in Maine, towns and cities. The tables below differentiate between towns and cities.
Most areas of New England are entirely divided into incorporated municipalities, with no unincorporated territory. In the three northern New England states, however, some unincorporated territory does exist, generally in areas that are very sparsely populated. Maine contains significantly more unincorporated territory than the other states, with the bulk of it in interior and northern counties. Some southern and coastal counties, including Kennebec County, also contain smaller amounts of unincorporated territory, however.
Some unincorporated territory in Maine is organized into a third type of town-level municipality unique to Maine, called a plantation (considered to be “organized”, but not incorporated), while some is entirely unorganized. Kennebec County does not currently contain any plantations, but it has included at least one plantation in the past. The unincorporated territory that currently exists within the county is unorganized. Separate sections with census totals for unincorporated areas follow the main tables below. For any census, adding up the totals for each town-level municipality, including any plantations or unorganized entities, should yield the county total.
The unincorporated territory in Kennebec County consists of a tract of land ("Unity Township") which was originally a gore, later became an organized plantation, and is now unorganized territory. Except for Unity Township, all of Kennebec County is incorporated. (During the period when Unity Township was a plantation, Kennebec County was entirely organized, but it has never been entirely incorporated.)
For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town.
Corporate changes since 1900
There have been no changes in Kennebec County's incorporated municipality roster since 1900 (but see the Plantations section below for information concerning the former Unity Plantation).
1900
County total: 59,117
Unincorporated territory reported 50 residents, all in Unity Plantation.
1910
County total: 62,863
Unincorporated territory reported 56 residents, all in Unity Plantation.
1920
County total: 63,844
Unincorporated territory reported 46 residents, all in Unity Plantation.
1930
County total: 70,691
Unincorporated territory reported 34 residents, all in Unity Plantation.
1940
County Total: 77,231
Unincorporated territory reported 52 residents, all in Unity Plantation.
1950
County Total: 83,881
Unincorporated territory reported 44 residents, all in unorganized territory (the former Unity Plantation).
1960
County total: 89,150
Unincorporated territory reported 53 residents, all in unorganized territory (the former Unity Plantation).
1970
County total: 95,306
Unincorporated territory reported 45 residents, all in unorganized territory (the former Unity Plantation).
1980
County total: 109,889
Unincorporated territory reported 37 residents, all in unorganized territory (the former Unity Plantation).
1990
County total: 115,904
Unincorporated territory reported 36 residents, all in unorganized territory (the former Unity Plantation).
2000
County total: 117,114
Unincorporated territory reported 31 residents, all in unorganized territory (the former Unity Plantation).
Plantations
In 1900, Kennebec County included one plantation, Unity. Unity occupied a tract of land measuring about 10 square miles (26 km²) in the southeastern part of the county, along the border with Waldo County, which had originally been a gore. It was adjacent to, but a distinct entity from, the incorporated town of Unity, across the line in Waldo County (because plantations are organized at the county level, they are allowed to duplicate the names of incorporated towns). Unity Plantation was the only territory in the county that was not part of an incorporated town or city.
Unity surrendered its organization and reverted to unorganized territory in 1942. There have not been any plantations in Kennebec County since that time. Unity Plantation's population in the 1900 through 1940 censuses was as follows:
1900: 50
1910: 56
1920: 46
1930: 34
1940: 52
Unorganized Territory
In 1900, Kennebec County was entirely organized. It lost this status in 1942 when Unity Plantation surrendered its organization and reverted to unorganized territory. The former Unity Plantation, a tract which was originally a gore, has remained the only unorganized territory in the county. At all times since 1942, this has been the only territory in the county that is not part of an incorporated town or city. It is sometimes referred to as "Unity Township". Its population in each census since 1950 is as follows:
1950: 44
1960: 53
1970: 45
1980: 37
1990: 36
2000: 31