From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 31.2 km² (12.1 mi²). 9.5 km² (3.7 mi²) of it is land and 21.8 km² (8.4
mi²) of it (69.65%) is water.
History
There is no record of the first European settler, but it is known that
ships were encountering one another in the harbor in the 1600s.
Eastport was incorporated as a town in 1798. From 1807 to 1809 the
town was a center of extensive two-way smuggling during the
1807-1809 embargo the U.S. imposed upon itself. Lubec, on the
mainland, split off to be a separate town in 1811. The city was captured
by a British fleet under the command of Sir Thomas Hardy on July 11,
1814 as part of the War of 1812, and returned to the United States
control in 1818. The boundary between the U.S. and Canada in the
area was still disputed at the time, and finally settled by the
Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842. In 1893 Eastport reincorporated as
a city.
The population grew with the emergence of the sardine fishery and
related canning businesses, which studded the shoreline by the end of
the nineteenth century. As the industry declined, many people moved
away. The city went bankrupt in 1937. In 1976, the Groundhog Day Gale
destroyed many structures on the waterfront.
There is an international ferry crossing to Deer Island during the
summer months. Eastport's 4th of July is a destination for thousands of
celebrants. Navy ships have docked there during the 4th of July
celebration for many years. The city celebrated its bicentennial in 1998.
In 2001, Eastport was the setting of the reality TV show Murder in Small
Town X, where it was referred to as "Sunrise."
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We would like to thank
Mr. James Lowe
for this beautiful
airel shot of Eastport
MORE EASTPORT HISTORY
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Demography
The population peaked at 5,311 in 1900. It fell more or less constantly until about 1970
when it stabilized at around 2,000 people. As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 1,640
people, 750 households, and 444 families residing in the city. The population density was
173.0/km² (447.7/mi²). There were 1,061 housing units at an average density of 111.9/km²
(289.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.60% White, 0.37% African American,
3.96% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and
1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.85% of the population.
There were 750 households out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with
them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with
no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up
of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The
average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.69.
In the city the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to
24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or
older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,488, and the median income for a
family was $31,328. Males had a median income of $22,875 versus $17,917 for females.
The per capita income for the city was $14,864. About 11.2% of families and 17.2% of the
population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of
those age 65 or over.
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