Editing Sumner, Maine

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

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|image_skyline            = Bird's-eye View of West Sumner, ME.jpg
|imagesize                =
|image_caption            = West Sumner {{circa|1910}}
|image_flag               =
|image_seal               =

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|pushpin_map              = Maine#USA
|pushpin_label            = Sumner
|pushpin_label_position   = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
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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        = [[Oxford County, Maine|Oxford]]
|government_footnotes     =
|government_type          =
|leader_title             =
|leader_name              =
|leader_title1            =
|leader_name1             =
|established_title        = [[Incorporation (municipal government)|Incorporated]]
|established_date         = 1798

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name ="Gazetteer files"/>
|area_magnitude           =
|area_total_km2           = 116.21
|area_land_km2            = 114.66
|area_water_km2           = 1.55
|area_total_sq_mi         = 44.87
|area_land_sq_mi          = 44.27
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.60

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 994
|population_density_km2   = 8.7
|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              = 146
|elevation_ft             = 479
|coordinates              = {{coord|44|21|53|N|70|27|11|W|region:US-ME|display=inline}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]s
|postal_code              = 04292 (Sumner)<br/>04220 ([[Buckfield, Maine|Buckfield]])<br/>04289 ([[West Paris, Maine|West Paris]])
|area_code                = [[Area code 207|207]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 23-75035
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0582755
|website                  = {{URL|www.townofsumner.me}}
|footnotes                =
}}

'''Sumner''' is a town in [[Oxford County, Maine|Oxford County]], [[Maine]], United States. Sumner is included in the [[Lewiston-Auburn]], Maine metropolitan [[New England city and town area]]. The population was 994 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2301775035|title=Census - Geography Profile: Sumner town, Oxford County, Maine|access-date=January 22, 2022}}</ref> The town includes the villages of West Sumner and East Sumner.

==History==
Originally called West Butterfield Plantation, it was first settled in 1783 by Noah Bosworth from [[Plympton, Massachusetts|Plympton]], [[Massachusetts]]. Most of the early settlers were [[American Revolution|Revolutionary]] soldiers from [[Plymouth County, Massachusetts]]. The town was incorporated by the [[Massachusetts General Court|General Court]] on June 13, 1798, and named for [[Increase Sumner]], who was then the [[governor of Massachusetts]].<ref name=Coolidge>{{Cite book  | last = Coolidge  | first = Austin J.|author2=John B. Mansfield   | title = A History and Description of New England| year = 1859| location = Boston, Massachusetts| pages = 320–321| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=OcoMAAAAYAAJ&q=coolidge%20mansfield%20history%20description%20new%20england%201859&pg=PA320}}</ref>

Despite an uneven and somewhat broken surface, the town's principal occupation became [[agriculture]]. The two branches of the [[Nezinscot River]] provided [[water power]] for [[watermill|mills]]. By 1859, when the population was 1,151, Sumner had three [[sawmill]]s, two [[gristmill]]s, two [[roof shingle|shingle]] mills, a [[starch]] factory, a [[clover]] mill (to clean clover seeds, food for [[cattle]]), and a [[powder mill]].<ref name="Coolidge"/> The [[Rumford Falls and Buckfield Railroad]] opened a station near East Sumner in 1878.<ref>[http://history.rays-place.com/me/sumner-me.htm George J. Varney, ''History of Sumner, Maine;'' Boston, Massachusetts 1886]</ref>

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|44.87|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|44.27|sqmi|sqkm|2}}  is land and {{convert|0.60|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=December 16, 2012}}</ref> It is drained by the [[East Branch Nezinscot River|east]] and [[West Branch Nezinscot River|west]] branches of the [[Nezinscot River]]. The town is bordered by [[Peru, Maine|Peru]] to the north, [[Hartford, Maine|Hartford]] to the east, [[Buckfield, Maine|Buckfield]] to the south, and [[Paris, Maine|Paris]] and [[Woodstock, Maine|Woodstock]] to the west.

Sumner is served by state routes [[Maine State Route 140|140]] and [[Maine State Route 219|219]].

==Demographics==

{{US Census population
|1800= 330
|1810= 611
|1820= 1055
|1830= 1098
|1840= 1269
|1850= 1151
|1860= 1154
|1870= 1170
|1880= 1014
|1890= 901
|1900= 802
|1910= 762
|1920= 670
|1930= 867
|1940= 541
|1950= 526
|1960= 481
|1970= 525
|1980= 613
|1990= 761
|2000= 854
|2010= 939
|2020= 994
|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===

[[Image:SumnerME FirstUniversalistSocietyOfEastSumner.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Congregational Church of East Sumner <!-- file name is incorrect but sign shown in image states correct name of church -->]] 
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=December 16, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 939 people, 383 households, and 266 families living in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|21.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 565 housing units at an average density of {{convert|12.8|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.4% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.5% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.3% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.5% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 0.7% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.0% of the population.

There were 383 households, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.5% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% 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 45.5 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 36.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.9% male and 49.1% female.

===2000 census===

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 854 people, 330 households, and 248 families living in the town.  The [[population density]] was 19.3 people per square mile (7.5/km{{sup|2}}).  There were 488 housing units at an average density of 11.0 per square mile (4.3/km{{sup|2}}).  The racial makeup of the town was 98.59% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.12% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.47% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.23% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.59% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.47% of the population.

There were 330 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 31.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,196, and the median income for a family was $41,786. Males had a median income of $31,806 versus $23,500 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $17,370.  About 7.7% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.

== Notable person ==
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* [[Samuel F. Hersey]], US congressman; lumber baron

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.townofsumner.me/ Town of Sumner, Maine]
* [http://www.mainegenealogy.net/individual_place_record.asp?place=sumner Maine Genealogy: Sumner, Oxford County, Maine]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=lLtvPekMJYsC&dq=Sumner%2C%20ME%20library&pg=PA3 Centennial Committee, ''Centennial History of the Town of Sumner, Maine 1798–1898;'' Charles E. Handy, Jr., West Sumner, Maine 1899]
* [http://www.maine.gov/local/oxford/sumner/ Maine.gov – Sumner, Maine]

{{Oxford County, Maine}}
{{Androscoggin River}}

{{coord|44|23|31|N|70|26|18|W|type:city_region:US-ME|display=title}}

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