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32-581: The Pequawket lived near the headwaters of the Saco River and near what is now Carroll County, New Hampshire and Oxford County, Maine . Their primary town, also called Pequawket, was near Fryeburg, Maine . The etymology of Pequawket is disputed but might come from pekwakik , which translates "at the hole in the ground". Their name is also spelled 'Pigwacket and many other spelling variants, and Dean Snow suggests it may have come from Eastern Abenaki apíkwahki , "land of hollows"). On April 16, 1725,

64-665: Is now southern Maine, and by 1658 had completely absorbed what is now southwestern Maine into York County, Massachusetts . The first known and recorded offer for a purchase of land in York County is in 1668, when Francis Small traded goods with the Newichewannock tribe of this area. Their Chief Wesumbe, also known as Captain Sandy, was friendly with Small and warned him of a plot against his life. A group of renegade tribesmen planned on murdering Small instead of paying him with

96-470: Is required from the State of Maine for campfires along any unposted river beaches. The Saco is a major attraction for canoeists. One area of the river, Walker's Rip, is a set of rapids that has caused less talented canoers to capsize, although it can be navigated successfully. Several canoeing rentals are available throughout the river's distance. The Saco River is also famous for sport fishing, even though

128-564: The American Revolutionary War . Some returned to their homeland in the late 18th century. Saco River The Saco River ( / ˈ s ɑː k oʊ / SAH -koh , Abenaki : Sαkóhki ) is a river in northeastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine in the United States . It drains a rural area of 1,703 square miles (4,410 km ) of forests and farmlands west and southwest of Portland , emptying into

160-642: The Appalachian Mountain Club and now maintained by the Saco River Recreation Council) to Brownfield, Maine . There are many sand beaches along the Saco when not at flood stage, and camping is allowed along some of these beaches for free. Misuse, including large quantities of garbage left behind by users and illegal fires, as well as discourtesy toward landowners, has led many beaches to be posted and monitored. A permit

192-491: The Atlantic Ocean at Saco Bay , 136 miles (219 km) from its source. It supplies drinking water to roughly 250,000 people in thirty-five towns; and historically provided transportation and water power encouraging development of the cities of Biddeford and Saco and the towns of Fryeburg and Hiram . Samuel de Champlain sailed a portion of the river in 1605 and referred to it as Chouacoet , which he said

224-485: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,270 square miles (3,300 km ), of which 991 square miles (2,570 km ) is land and 279 square miles (720 km ) (22%) is water. At the 2000 census , there were 186,742 people, 74,563 households and 50,851 families living in the county. The population density was 188 inhabitants per square mile (73/km ). There were 94,234 housing units at an average density of 95 per square mile (37/km ). The racial makeup of

256-842: The Pequawket fought the Battle at Pequawket against Captain John Lovewell and 50 English troops. The Pequawket killed Lovewell; however, the British killed Chief Paugus . After that skirmish, the Pequawket and the Arosaguntacook withdrew to the Connecticut River . The Arosaguntacook migrated north to Canada, where they settled in Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec , while the Pequawket stayed there through

288-478: The area between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers , in the form of a royal charter from Charles I of England . The area was roughly the same as that covered in the 1622 patent after the 1629 split with Mason. The second colony also foundered for lack of money and settlers, although it survived the death of Gorges in 1647. In the 1650s the nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony asserted territorial claims over what

320-767: The coast of North America between the 40th and the 48th parallels "from sea to sea". This first patent encompassed the coast between the Merrimack and Kennebec rivers, as well as an irregular parcel of land between the headwaters of the two rivers. In 1629, Gorges and Mason agreed to split the patent at the Piscataqua River , with Mason retaining the land south of the river as the Province of New Hampshire . Gorges named his more northerly piece of territory New Somersetshire . This venture failed, however, because of lack of funds and colonial settlement. Also failed

352-571: The county led to its division in 1760, with Cumberland and Lincoln counties carved out of its eastern portions. When Massachusetts adopted its state government in 1780, it created the District of Maine to manage its eastern territories. In 1805 the northern portion of York County was separated to form part of Oxford County . When Maine achieved statehood in 1820 all of the counties of the District of Maine became counties of Maine . According to

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384-438: The county was 97.56% White , 0.42% Black or African American , 0.24% Native American , 0.73% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.17% from other races , and 0.85% from two or more races. 0.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The most cited ethnicities were English (17.9%), French (14.5%), French Canadian (13.9%), Irish (12.5%), United States or American (9.6%) and Italian (5.1%). 90.84% of

416-400: The county. The population density was 199.0 inhabitants per square mile (76.8/km ). There were 105,773 housing units at an average density of 106.8 per square mile (41.2/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 96.4% white, 1.1% Asian, 0.6% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of

448-647: The furs that were owed to him. Small escaped after watching his house in what is now Cornish, Maine, burn to the ground. Small returned and rebuilt. The Chief made up the loss by selling Small all the lands bounded by the Great and Little Ossipee Rivers, the Saco River, and the New Hampshire border. Known now as the five Ossipee towns, the tract included all of Limington, Limerick, Cornish (formerly named Francisborough), Newfield and Parsonsfield. The large size of

480-432: The number of fish in it has decreased tremendously throughout time. Multiple violent and reportedly alcohol-related incidents in 2001 led to increased police patrols and efforts by livery companies, landowners, and government agencies to improve conditions. Listed from source to mouth: York County, Maine York County is both the southernmost and the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Maine , along

512-406: The population spoke English and 6.92% spoke French as their first language. There were 74,563 households, of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who

544-497: The population. In terms of ancestry, 22.3% were English , 19.3% were Irish , 9.8% were French Canadian , 8.1% were German , 7.9% were Italian , 5.8% were American , and 5.6% were Scottish . Of the 81,009 households, 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.4% were non-families, and 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size

576-617: The project was abandoned, the men Levett left behind disappeared, and Levett died aboard ship on his return to England from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. One part of Levett's scheme did survive: the name of York, which now adorns the county. The now-decommissioned Fort Levett on Cushing Island in Casco Bay is named for Capt. Levett. In 1639, Gorges obtained a renewed patent, the Gorges Patent , for

608-558: The river branches into the "Old Course" Saco River and the more commonly used "Canal River". Constructed in the 1800s to be more convenient for farmers, the 6-mile-long (10 km) canal is 15 miles (24 km) shorter than the old course and is now considered to be the official course for the river, as the upstream end of the old course is largely silted over. The two channels merge again near Lovell, Maine . After running through six hydropower stations operated by NextEra Energy Resources (including Skelton Dam and Bonny Eagle Dam ),

640-645: The river comes out", which he connected to similar place names like Saugus , said to come from the Pawtucket word for "outlet". The river rises at Saco Lake in Crawford Notch in the White Mountains and flows generally south-southeast through Bartlett and Conway in Carroll County, New Hampshire before crossing into Oxford County, Maine . Shortly after entering Fryeburg, Maine,

672-627: The river enters York County , crosses under Interstate 95 , and passes between Saco and Biddeford, where it is bridged by U.S. Route 1 . It enters Saco Bay on the Atlantic with Camp Ellis in Saco on the north shore and Hills Beach in Biddeford on the south shore. The United States government maintains two stream gauges on the Saco River. The first is at Conway, New Hampshire ( 43°59′27″N 71°05′29″W  /  43.99083°N 71.09139°W  / 43.99083; -71.09139 ), where

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704-437: The river's watershed is 385 square miles (997 km ). Discharge (stream flow) here averages 962 cubic feet per second (27.2 m /s) and has ranged from a minimum of 40 cubic feet per second (1.1 m /s) to a maximum of 47,200 cubic feet per second (1,340 m /s). The second is at Cornish, Maine ( 43°48′29″N 70°46′53″W  /  43.80806°N 70.78139°W  / 43.80806; -70.78139 ) where

736-551: The state of New Hampshire 's eastern border. It is divided from Strafford County, New Hampshire , by the Salmon Falls River and the connected tidal estuary, the Piscataqua River . York County was permanently established in 1639. Several of Maine's earliest colonial settlements are found in the county, which is the state's oldest and one of the oldest in the United States. As of the 2020 census , its population

768-441: The watershed is 1,293 square miles (3,350 km ). Flow here averages 2,756 cubic feet per second (78.0 m /s) and has ranged from a minimum of 244 cubic feet per second (6.9 m /s) to a maximum of 46,600 cubic feet per second (1,320 m /s). The Saco is a popular recreational river, drawing an estimated 3,000 to 7,000 people per summer weekend, mostly on the stretch from Swan's Falls (a campground formerly maintained by

800-459: Was $ 43,630, and the median family income was $ 51,419. Males had a median income of $ 36,317 versus $ 26,016 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 21,225. About 5.90% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line , including 9.90% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States census , there were 197,131 people, 81,009 households, and 53,136 families living in

832-485: Was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 43.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 55,008 and the median income for a family was $ 65,077. Males had a median income of $ 47,117 versus $ 34,001 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 27,137. About 5.6% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over. Historically, York County

864-594: Was 211,972, making it Maine's second-most populous county. Its county seat is Alfred . York County is part of the Portland – South Portland , Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area . The first patent establishing the Province of Maine was granted on August 10, 1622, to Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason by the Plymouth Council for New England , which itself had been granted a royal patent by James I to

896-434: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.96. Age distribution was 24.80% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males. The median age was 38 years. The median household income

928-590: Was a venture by Capt. Christopher Levett , an agent for Gorges and a member of the Council for New England. With the King's blessing, Levett embarked on a scheme to found a colony on the site of present-day Portland . Levett was granted 6,000 acres (24 km ) of land, the first Englishman to own the soil of Portland. There he proposed to found a settlement named York after the city of his birth in England. Ultimately,

960-612: Was one of the more Democratic counties in Maine, a solid Republican state for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. York backed Democrat Woodrow Wilson in both 1912 and 1916 , and voted for the Democratic nominee in each election from 1936 to 1948 , even as the state as a whole backed the Republican in each of those elections. It was also one of only two counties in Maine to back Democrat John F. Kennedy in 1960 ( Androscoggin

992-579: Was the name used by the Almouchiquois people. Various sources also give their name as "Sokoki" (a term also used for the Missiquoi people of western New England) and as being either the ancestors or close relatives of the Pequawket who lived along the river near present-day Fryeburg. William O. Bright attributed the origin of "Saco" to an Eastern Abenaki language word meaning "land where

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1024-461: Was the other). Since 1952 , it has voted for the statewide winner in each presidential election, except for 1976 when Democrat Jimmy Carter won York County while the state as a whole voted for Republican Gerald Ford . Although home to the Bush family compound , it only supported the Bush family in one of its four presidential runs (that of George H. W. Bush in 1988 ). Democrat Joe Biden became

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