Editing Strong, Maine

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Strong, Maine
| settlement_type    = [[New England town|Town]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = Toothpick Capital of the World

<!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = M. E. Church & Parsonage, Strong, ME.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <

!-- Maps -->|
| pushpin_map        = Maine
| pushpin_label      = Strong
| pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Maine
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
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| image_map1         = 
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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]]
| parts_type         = Communities
| parts              = {{ubl|Strong|South Strong}}
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = [[Incorporation (municipal government)|Incorporated]]
| established_date   = 1801

<!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name ="Gazetteer files"/>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 74.95
| area_land_km2      = 73.43
| area_water_km2     = 1.53
| area_total_sq_mi   = 28.94
| area_land_sq_mi    = 28.35
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.59

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 1122
| population_density_km2 = 15.3
| population_density_sq_mi = <!-- General information -->
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 226
| elevation_ft       = 741
| coordinates        = {{coord|44|48|32|N|70|11|59|W|region:US-ME|display=inline}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 04983
| area_code          = [[Area code 207|207]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 23-74825
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0582753
| website            = {{URL|https://strongmaine.com/}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Strong''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Franklin County, Maine|Franklin County]], [[Maine]], United States. The population was 1,122 at the [[United States Census, 2020|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2300774825|title=Census - Geography Profile: Strong town, Franklin County, Maine|access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref> Strong is home to the annual Sandy River Festival.

==History==

[[Image:Hotel Strong, Strong, ME.jpg|thumb|left|The Hotel Strong in 1905]]
The plantation was called Township No. 3, First Range North of Plymouth Claim, West of Kennebec River (or T3 R1 NPC WKR), then successively known as Middletown and Readstown. It was first settled in 1784 by William Read from [[Nobleboro, Maine|Nobleboro]]. Readstown was incorporated on January 31, 1801, and named for [[Caleb Strong]], a [[Founding Father of the United States]] and [[governor of Massachusetts]].<ref name="epodunk">{{cite web | url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=2367 | title=STRONG COMMUNITY PROFILE | publisher=www.epodunk.com | access-date=2007-04-21}}</ref> The [[Maine Republican Party]] was founded here on August 7, 1854.<ref name="MAGDE">{{cite book |last= Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums |editor=Doris A. Isaacson |title=Maine: A Guide 'Down East' |year=1970 |publisher=Courier-Gazette, Inc. |location=Rockland, Me | pages = 389 }}</ref>

Set on a hilly intervale above a big bend in the [[Sandy River (Kennebec River)|Sandy River]], the area provided fertile soil for [[agriculture]]. Farmers grew [[hay]], [[wheat]], [[Maize|corn]], [[oats]] and [[potato]]es. The northeast branch of the Sandy River provided [[water power]] for [[water mill|mills]], helping make Strong prosperous. By 1859, when the population was 1,008, it had [[sawmill]]s, a [[gristmill]], a [[fulling mill]], a [[carding]] machine, a [[starch]] factory and a [[Tanning (leather)|tannery]].<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/n356 318]–319| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref>

The [[narrow gauge]] [[Sandy River Railroad]] connected [[Farmington, Maine|Farmington]] and [[Phillips, Maine|Phillips]] in 1879. By 1886, town industries included a [[boot]] and [[shoemaking|shoe]] factory, [[machine shop]]s, Maine's first [[cheese]] factory,<ref name="cheese">{{cite book |editor=Z. A. Gilbert |title=Report of the Secretary of the Maine Board of Agriculture for 1882 |year=1883 |publisher=Sprague & Son |location=Augusta, Me | pages = 172 }}</ref> a [[clothespin]] manufacturer, a maker of [[caning (furniture)|cane]] seat chair bottoms, and an [[wood wool|excelsior]] factory. It was noted as "one of the prettiest villages in the county."<ref>[http://history.rays-place.com/me/strong-me.htm George J. Varney, ''History of Strong, Maine'', Boston, Massachusetts 1886]</ref>

Strong was called "Toothpick Capital of the World"<ref name="Toothpick">{{cite web | url=http://ludb.clui.org/ex/i/ME3145/ | title=Toothpick Capital of the World | publisher=The Center For Land Use Interpretation | access-date=2007-04-21}}</ref> due to the productivity of the Strong Wood Products Incorporated plant, which once manufactured 20 million [[toothpick]]s per day.<ref name="Toothpick"/>

<gallery>
Image:StrongME ForsterMemorialHall.jpg|Forster Memorial Hall (town offices and library)
Image:Saw mill, Strong, Maine, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg|Sawmill {{circa|1870s}}
Image:Sweatland Flat, Strong, Maine, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg|Sweatland Flat
Image:Strong Wood Turning Company, Strong, ME.jpg|Wood Turning Co. {{circa|1920}}
</gallery>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|28.94|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|28.35|sqmi|sqkm|2}}  is land and {{convert|0.59|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]]|access-date=2012-12-16}}</ref> Strong is located above a bend in the [[Sandy River (Kennebec River)|Sandy River]], a tributary of the [[Kennebec River]].

The town borders the towns of [[New Vineyard, Maine|New Vineyard]] to the east, [[Farmington, Maine|Farmington]] to the south, and [[Temple, Maine|Temple]] and [[Avon, Maine|Avon]] to the west, and Freeman Township to the north.

Strong is crossed by state routes [[Maine State Route 4|4]], [[Maine State Route 145|145]], [[Maine State Route 149|149]] and [[Maine State Route 234|234]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1810= 424
|1820= 862
|1830= 985
|1840= 1109
|1850= 1008
|1860= 754
|1870= 634
|1880= 596
|1890= 627
|1900= 637
|1910= 720
|1920= 779
|1930= 878
|1940= 1007
|1950= 1036
|1960= 976
|1970= 1132
|1980= 1506
|1990= 1217
|2000= 1259
|2010= 1213
|2020= 1122
|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|access-date=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]]|access-date=2012-12-16}}</ref> of 2010, there were 1,213 people, 496 households, and 339 families living in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|42.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 634 housing units at an average density of {{convert|22.4|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.5% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], and 1.6% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.2% of the population.

There were 496 households, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.7% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.85.

The median age in the town was 41.5 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 30.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.2% male and 48.8% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,259 people, 498 households, and 343 families living in the town.  The population density was {{convert|43.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 614 housing units at an average density of {{convert|21.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 99.21% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.16% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.32% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.08% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.08% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.16% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.27% of the population.

There were 498 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,568, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $26,111 versus $18,636 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $14,232.  About 9.0% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

== Notable people ==
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* [[Elizabeth Akers Allen]], author, journalist, poet
* [[Ben C. Eastman]], US congressman
* [[John A. Eastman]], Wisconsin state senator
* [[Julia Harris May]] (1833–1912), poet, teacher, school founder
* [[Nathaniel W. Milliken]], Wisconsin state assemblyman
* [[James Porter (7th Cavalry)|James Porter]] (1847–1876), military officer who died at [[Custer's Last Stand]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{Commons category}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20010520160904/http://www.strongmaine.com/ Town of Strong, Maine]}}
* [http://www.maine.gov/local/franklin/strong/ Maine.gov – Strong, Maine]
* [http://www.mainegenealogy.net/individual_place_record.asp?place=strong Maine Genealogy – Strong, Maine]

{{Franklin County, Maine}}
{{Kennebec River}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|44|48|27|N|70|13|15|W|type:city_region:US-ME|display=title}}

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