Historical United States Census totals for Oxford County, Maine

This article shows U.S. Census totals for Oxford County, Maine, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.

There are two types of incorporated municipalities in Maine, towns and cities. The tables in the New England Historical U.S. Census Totals series differentiate between towns and cities; however, there have never been any cities in Oxford County.

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, including Oxford County.

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. Due to the large extent of unincorporated territory in Oxford County, separate sections with detailed historical census totals for such 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.

For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town.

Corporate changes since 1900

1900

County Total: 32,238

Unincorporated territory reported 623 residents. This consisted of 352 residents in organized plantations, and 271 residents in unorganized territory.

1910

County Total: 36,256

Unincorporated territory reported 734 residents. This consisted of 608 residents in organized plantations, and 126 residents in unorganized territory.

1920

County Total: 37,700

Unincorporated territory reported 765 residents. This consisted of 314 residents in organized plantations, and 451 residents in unorganized territory.

1930

County Total: 41,483

Unincorporated territory reported 383 residents. This consisted of 284 residents in organized plantations, and 99 residents in unorganized territory.

1940

County Total: 42,662

Unincorporated territory reported 734 residents. This consisted of 300 residents in organized plantations, and 434 residents in unorganized territory.

1950

County Total: 44,221

Unincorporated territory reported 614 residents. This consisted of 154 residents in organized plantations, and 460 residents in unorganized territory.

1960

County Total: 44,345

Unincorporated territory reported 769 residents. This consisted of 149 residents in organized plantations, and 620 residents in unorganized territory.

1970

County Total: 43,457

Unincorporated territory reported 466 residents. This consisted of 135 residents in organized plantations, and 331 residents in unorganized territory.

1980

County Total: 49,043

Unincorporated territory reported 637 residents. This consisted of 129 residents in organized plantations, and 508 residents in unorganized territory.

1990

County Total: 52,602

Unincorporated territory reported 677 residents. This consisted of 83 residents in organized plantations, and 594 residents in unorganized territory.

2000

County Total: 54,755

Unincorporated territory reported 738 residents. This consisted of 83 residents in organized plantations, and 655 residents in unorganized territory.

Plantations

As of 1900, Oxford County contained three plantations: Lincoln, Magalloway and Milton. Milton, originally formed from a gore, surrendered its organization and reverted to unorganized territory in 1944. Lincoln and Magalloway, which are both in the northern part of the county, still exist today.

Lincoln Plantation is not to be confused with the unrelated town of Lincoln, in Penobscot County. Because plantations are organized at the county level, they are allowed to duplicate the names of incorporated towns.

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Unorganized Territory

Like all of Maine's interior counties, Oxford County contains a significant amount of unorganized territory. Most of it is in the northern part of the county, in areas which are very sparsely populated:

Between 1935 and 1945, a large number of municipalities in Maine dissolved and reverted to unorganized townships. In Oxford County, this included two towns (Albany and Mason) and one plantation (Milton), all in the southern part of the county.

The areas of Oxford County that are entirely unorganized cover about 620 square miles (1,600 km2), with a population of about 650 people. This covers about 30% of the county’s land area, but includes only about 1.2% of its population. The bulk of this population appears to live in areas that were formerly organized municipalities. Albany had nearly 300 residents at the time it disincorporated, and it appears to have maintained a population level of some significance down to the present time. Albany Township and Milton Township each currently maintain a registrar and clerk, although they do not have true organized municipal governments.

Over the years, the U.S. Census Bureau has used different methods to compile data compilation for unorganized territory in Maine. From 1900 to 1950, data was tabulated for each individual unorganized entity. In 1960, a single catch-all “Unorganized Territory” listing was provided for each Maine County, generally with no further breakdown. Since 1970, the Census has grouped contiguous areas in each county into one or more “unorganized territories”. Three such areas are recognized within Oxford County:

The listings below provide population figures for 1) all unincorporated territory, including plantations; 2) organized plantations, for which breakouts are available in the main tables above; and 3) unorganized territory, with any available breakouts provided.

1900

All unincorporated territory 623

Organized plantations 352

Unorganized territory 271

1910

All unincorporated territory 734

Organized plantations 608

Unorganized territory 126

1920

All unincorporated territory 765

Organized plantations 314

Unorganized territory 451

1930

All unincorporated territory 383

Organized plantations 284

Unorganized territory 99

1940

All unincorporated territory 734

Organized plantations 300

Unorganized territory 434

1950

All unincorporated territory 614

Organized plantations 154

Unorganized territory 460

1960

All unincorporated territory 769

Organized plantations 149

Unorganized territory 620

The 1960 Census reported all unorganized territory in Oxford County under a single catch-all listing. No breakdown is available.

1970

All unincorporated territory 466

Organized plantations 135

Unorganized territory 331

Starting with 1970 Census, the unorganized territory in Oxford County was broken into three groups of contiguous territory (the former Milton Plantation got its own listing because it does not border any other unorganized territory).

1980

All unincorporated territory 637

Organized plantations 129

Unorganized territory 508

1990

All unincorporated territory 677

Organized plantations 83

Unorganized territory 594

2000

All unincorporated territory 738

Organized plantations 83

Unorganized territory 655

Note: the unorganized townships in the northern part of Oxford County are on the WBKP (West of Bingham's Kennebec Purchase) grid. The rows of townships on this grid are numbered east to west, with the first three rows within the modern borders of Franklin County, and rows 4 and 5 in Oxford County, ending at the New Hampshire border. Magalloway Plantation and Richardsontown Twp. are in range 1 of the grid, with range numbers increasing as one goes north.

To the immediate south of the above grid, there were originally a series of lettered townships, starting with "A" at the New Hampshire border and continuing eastward into Franklin County, to at least "E". "A" (two ranges, Grafton and Riley townships), "B" (Upton) and "C" are within the modern borders of Oxford County.

Notes

1960 Census

The Census Bureau made a number of revisions to 1960 census totals subsequent to their initial release. When it did so, however, it appears to have updated municipal totals only, not overall county totals or state totals, even though in most cases changing municipal totals should have caused county and state totals to change. The 1960 total for Oxford County was originally reported as 44,345; and for the town of Stoneham, 18. The total for Stoneham was later revised to that shown in the list above (182; the original total would seem likely to have been a typo). This should have caused the county total to change as well (to 44,509), but subsequent census publications have continued to list the county total as it was originally reported (44,345). As a result, in the list above, the municipal totals for 1960 do not add to the county total. The 1960 state total for Maine that appears in various Census materials (969,265) likewise reflects the original 1960 total for Oxford County, and does not take into account the revision made to the population of Stoneham.

See also


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