Editing Avon, Maine

{{Short description| Town in the state of Maine, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Avon, Maine
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

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||pushpin_map            =Maine
|pushpin_label           = Avon
|pushpin_label_position =left <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_map_caption    =Location within the state of Maine
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<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Maine]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Maine|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Franklin County, Maine|Franklin]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
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|established_title        = Incorporated
|established_date         = 1802

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name ="Gazetteer files"/>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 107.87
|area_land_km2            = 107.20
|area_water_km2           = 0.67
|area_total_sq_mi         = 41.65
|area_land_sq_mi          = 41.39
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.26

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
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|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 450
|population_density_km2   = 4.2
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|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 311
|elevation_ft             = 1020
|coordinates              = {{coord|44|47|22|N|70|19|25|W|region:US-ME|display=inline}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 04966
|area_code                = [[Area code 207|207]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 23-02235
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0582336
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
}}

'''Avon''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Franklin County, Maine|Franklin County]], [[Maine]], United States. The population was 450 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2300702235|title=Census - Geography Profile: Avon town, Franklin County, Maine|access-date=February 26, 2022}}</ref> Avon is home to [[Mount Blue (Maine)|Mount Blue]], part of [[Mount Blue State Park]].

==History==
First known as Township 2 Abbott's Purchase, or Upper Town, it was settled in 1781 by a pair of [[sea captain]]s—Joshua Soule, originally from [[Duxbury, Massachusetts]] and later [[Bremen, Maine]], with Perkins Allen from [[Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts|Martha's Vineyard]]. The town was incorporated on February 22, 1802, named for the [[River Avon (Warwickshire)|River Avon]] in England. One of the [[Worcestershire]] villages through which River Avon flows is [[Eckington, Worcestershire|Eckington]], birthplace of Capt. Soule's ancestor, [[George Soule (Mayflower passenger)|George Soule]], a ''[[Mayflower]]'' [[Pilgrim (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrim]]. Capt. Soule's son, [[Joshua Soule|Bishop Joshua Soule]], was raised in Avon.<ref name=Coolidge>{{Cite book | last = Coolidge | first = Austin J.|author2=John B. Mansfield | title = A History and Description of New England| publisher = A.J. Coolidge | year = 1859| location = Boston, Massachusetts| pages = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ/page/n71 42]–43| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref>
 
Fertile soil on either side of the Sandy River yielded [[grain]], [[fruit]] and [[vegetable]]s. When the population was 767 in 1837, the town produced 3,220 [[bushel]]s of [[wheat]]. By 1875, two [[sawmill]]s operated on a small stream. In the easterly part of town developed the only village, where some [[trade]] was conducted. The [[Sandy River Railroad]] opened in 1879, transporting [[freight]] and tourists between [[Farmington, Maine|Farmington]], Avon, [[Strong, Maine|Strong]] and [[Phillips, Maine|Phillips]]. The [[narrow gauge]] line became part of the [[Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad]] in 1908, but was discontinued in 1935 during the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]].<ref>[https://archive.org/details/historyfarmingt00parkgoog/page/n117 <!-- pg=111 quote=Perkins Allen settled Avon Maine. --> Thomas Parker, ''History of Farmington'', Farmington, Maine 1875]</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|41.65|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|41.39|sqmi|sqkm|2}}  is land and {{convert|0.26|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name ="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer2010.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=December 16, 2012}}</ref> Avon is drained by the Sandy River, a tributary of the [[Kennebec River]]. [[Mount Blue (Maine)|Mount Blue]], elevation {{convert|3,192|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} [[above sea level]] (and part of [[Mount Blue State Park]]), is located in the southwestern corner of Avon.

The town is crossed by state routes [[Maine State Route 4|4]] and [[Maine State Route 149|149]]. It borders the towns of [[Phillips, Maine|Phillips]] to the north, [[Strong, Maine|Strong]] to the east, [[Weld, Maine|Weld]] to the west, and [[Temple, Maine|Temple]] to the south.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1810= 304
|1820= 450
|1830= 745
|1840= 827
|1850= 778
|1860= 802
|1870= 610
|1880= 571
|1890= 439
|1900= 448
|1910= 380
|1920= 384
|1930= 302
|1940= 387
|1950= 391
|1960= 436
|1970= 495
|1980= 475
|1990= 559
|2000= 504
|2010= 461
|2020= 450
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Census.gov |accessdate=June 4, 2015 }}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=December 16, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 461 people, 216 households, and 126 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|11.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 341 housing units at an average density of {{convert|8.2|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 98.0% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.7% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.7% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 0.4% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There were 216 households, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.7% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.65.

The median age in the town was 46.9 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.9% were from 25 to 44; 35.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 504 people, 202 households, and 144 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|12.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 302 housing units at an average density of {{convert|7.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 99.40% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.40% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.20% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]]. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.60% of the population.

There were 202 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,722, and the median income for a family was $32,250. Males had a median income of $28,125 versus $16,696 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $15,573. About 18.4% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 25.0% of those age 65 or over.

==Notable people==
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* [[Joshua Soule]], bishop for the [[Methodist Episcopal Church]]
* [[Daniel Robbins Sylvester]], Wisconsin State Assemblyman
* [[Zebulon York]], Civil War era general for the [[Confederate States of America]], one of only a small number of Northern born-Confederate top brass

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.visitmaine.com/organization/2710/mt_blue_state_park/ Mount Blue State Park]

{{Franklin County, Maine}}

{{Coord|44|48|22|N|70|16|16|W|type:city_region:US-ME|display=title}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Franklin County, Maine]]
[[Category:Towns in Maine]]