| Counties of Maine | |
|---|---|
| Aroostook Wash- ington Han- cock Penob- scot Pisca- taquis Som- erset Waldo Knox Lin- coln ↑ Sagadahoc Kenne- bec Frank- lin Ox- ford Andro- scoggin↘ Cum- berland York | |
| Location | State of Maine |
| Number | 16 |
| Populations | 17,432 (Piscataquis) – 313,809 (Cumberland) |
| Areas | 370 square miles (960 km2) (Sagadahoc) – 6,829 square miles (17,690 km2) (Aroostook) |
| Government | |
| Subdivisions |
|
The U.S. state of Maine has sixteen counties.[1] Before statehood, Maine was officially part of the state of Massachusetts and was called the District of Maine. Maine was granted statehood on March 15, 1820, as part of the Missouri Compromise. Nine of the 16 counties had their borders defined while Maine was still part of Massachusetts, and hence are older than the state itself.[2] Even after 1820, the exact location of the northern border of Maine was disputed with Britain, until the question was settled and the northern counties signed their final official form, the Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed in 1842.[3] Almost all of Aroostook County was disputed land until the treaty was signed.[2]
Maine counties have some law enforcement, run short-term jails, and maintain roads in areas lacking local government. The U.S. Census Bureau states "The counties are responsible for only limited functions in Maine".[4]
The first county to be created was York County, created as York County, Massachusetts, by the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1652 to govern territories it claimed in southern Maine.[5] No new counties have been created since 1860, when Knox County and Sagadahoc County were created. The most populous counties tend to be located in the southeastern portion of the state, along the Atlantic seaboard. The largest counties in terms of land area are inland and further north. Maine's county names come from a mix of British, American, and Native American sources, reflecting Maine's pre-colonial, colonial, and national heritage.[2]
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry. Maine's code is 23, which when combined with any county code would be written as 23XXX. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.[6]
Alphabetical list
| County | FIPS code[7] | Seat[8] | Est.[8] | Origin | Etymology | Population[9] | Area[8][10] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Androscoggin County | 001 | Auburn | 1854 | From parts of Cumberland County, Kennebec County, and Lincoln County | The Androscoggin Native American tribe. | 115,272 | 497 sq mi (1,287 km2) | |
| Aroostook County | 003 | Houlton | 1839 | From parts of Penobscot County, and Washington County | A Mi'kmaq word meaning beautiful river. | 66,776 | 6,829 sq mi (17,687 km2) | |
| Cumberland County | 005 | Portland | 1761 | As Cumberland County, Massachusetts, from part of York County | Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, son of George II of Great Britain. | 313,809 | 1,217 sq mi (3,152 km2) | |
| Franklin County | 007 | Farmington | 1838 | From parts of Kennebec County, Oxford County, and Somerset County | Benjamin Franklin, the Founding Father, scientist, printer, and diplomat. | 30,902 | 1,744 sq mi (4,517 km2) | |
| Hancock County | 009 | Ellsworth | 1790 | As Hancock County, Massachusetts, from part of Lincoln County | John Hancock (1737–1793), the Founding Father and president of the convention that produced the United States Declaration of Independence. | 56,946 | 2,351 sq mi (6,089 km2) | |
| Kennebec County | 011 | Augusta | 1799 | As Kennebec County, Massachusetts, from part of Lincoln County | The Kennebec River in Maine. | 128,461 | 951 sq mi (2,463 km2) | |
| Knox County | 013 | Rockland | 1860 | From parts of Lincoln County and Waldo County | Henry Knox (1750–1806), the first United States Secretary of War (1789 - 1794), who lived in Thomaston, Maine. | 40,981 | 1,142 sq mi (2,958 km2) | |
| Lincoln County | 015 | Wiscasset | 1760 | As Lincoln County, Massachusetts, from part of York County | The city of Lincoln, England. | 36,491 | 700 sq mi (1,813 km2) | |
| Oxford County | 017 | Paris | 1805 | As Oxford County, Massachusetts, from parts of Cumberland County and York County | Probably named for Oxford, Massachusetts. | 60,039 | 2,175 sq mi (5,633 km2) | |
| Penobscot County | 019 | Bangor | 1816 | As Penobscot County, Massachusetts, from part of Hancock County | The Penobscot Native American tribe. | 156,840 | 3,556 sq mi (9,210 km2) | |
| Piscataquis County | 021 | Dover-Foxcroft | 1838 | From parts of Penobscot County and Somerset County | An Abenaki word meaning rapid waters. | 17,432 | 4,377 sq mi (11,336 km2) | |
| Sagadahoc County | 023 | Bath | 1854 | From part of Lincoln County | An Abenaki word meaning mouth of big river. | 37,582 | 370 sq mi (958 km2) | |
| Somerset County | 025 | Skowhegan | 1809 | As Somerset County, Massachusetts, from parts of Kennebec County | The county of Somerset in England. | 51,338 | 4,095 sq mi (10,606 km2) | |
| Waldo County | 027 | Belfast | 1827 | From parts of Hancock County, Kennebec County and Lincoln County | Samuel Waldo, Maine landowner and a colonial soldier in the 1745 siege of Louisbourg. | 40,617 | 853 sq mi (2,209 km2) | |
| Washington County | 029 | Machias | 1790 | As Washington County, Massachusetts, from part of Lincoln County | George Washington, the first President of the United States. | 31,383 | 3,255 sq mi (8,430 km2) | |
| York County | 031 | Alfred | 1652 | As Yorkshire County, Massachusetts, from the southern part of the District of Maine. Renamed York County by Massachusetts in 1668 | York, England, the birthplace of Christopher Levett who first attempted to settle the area. | 220,143 | 1,271 sq mi (3,292 km2) |
Further reading
- writer, Statf (2022). "MAINE COUNTY GOVERNMENT OVERVIEW" (PDF). ce.naco.org. National Association of Counties (NACo).
References
- "Maine Counties | Maine Secretary of State Kids' Page". www.maine.gov.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - Clark, Charles E. (1990). Maine: A History. University Press of New England. ISBN 0-87451-520-3.
- Bassett, John (1913). A Short History of the United States. New York: Macmillan. p. 437. OCLC 869001. pp. 437–438
- "Maine" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 1.
- Clark, Charles E. (1970). The Eastern Frontier: The Settlement of Northern new England, 1610–1763. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. OCLC 94907. p. 50
- "FIPS Publish 6-4". National Institute of Standards and Technology. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013.
- "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA.gov.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - National Association of Counties. "NACo - Find a county". Archived from the original on April 11, 2008.
- "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Maine".
- "Maine QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". State & County QuickFacts. Archived from the original on April 10, 2007.