Editing West Bath, Maine

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

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = New Meadows Inn, West Bath, ME.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = New Meadows Inn, New Meadows River, 1915
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|pushpin_map              = Maine#USA
|pushpin_label            = West Bath
|pushpin_label_position   = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_map_caption      = 
|map_caption              = 
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- 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        = [[Sagadahoc County, Maine|Sagadahoc]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = Incorporated
|established_date         = 1844

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name ="Gazetteer files"/>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 38.85
|area_land_km2            = 30.82
|area_water_km2           = 8.03
|area_total_sq_mi         = 15.00
|area_land_sq_mi          = 11.80
|area_water_sq_mi         = 3.20

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1910
|population_density_km2   = 62.0
|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              = 0
|elevation_ft             = 0
|coordinates              = {{coord|43|52|18|N|69|51|32|W|region:US-ME|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 04530
|area_code                = [[Area code 207|207]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 23-81930
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0582801
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
}}
'''West Bath''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Sagadahoc County, Maine]], United States.  The population was 1,910 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2302381930|title=Census - Geography Profile: West Bath town, Sagadahoc County, Maine|access-date=January 18, 2022}}</ref> A sub-locality of West Bath is [[Winnegance, Maine|Winnegance]]. West Bath is part of the [[Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area]].

==History==
Winnegance Carrying Place, located between Winnegance Creek on the [[Kennebec River]] and Winnegance Bay on the [[New Meadows River]], was a busy canoe [[portage]] for the Kennebec [[Abenaki]] people. The area was first a portion of [[Georgetown, Maine|Georgetown]], incorporated in 1716, then of [[Bath, Maine|Bath]], incorporated in 1781.<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/n391 353]| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref> West Bath was set off and incorporated as a town on February 14, 1844. When the population was 603 in 1858, industries included a [[gristmill]], [[sawmill]] and [[Clapboard (architecture)|clapboard]], [[roof shingle|shingle]] and [[lath]] machines. West Bath is today a suburb of Bath and [[Brunswick, Maine|Brunswick]].<ref>[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mesagada/wbath.htm Brief Description and History of West Bath, Maine]</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|15.00|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|11.90|sqmi|sqkm|2}}  is land and {{convert|3.10|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> Situated on part of a [[peninsula]], West Bath is drained by Winnegance Creek and the New Meadows River [[estuary]].

The town is crossed by [[U.S. Route 1 in Maine|U. S. Route 1]]. It borders the city of [[Bath, Maine|Bath]] to the northeast, town of [[Phippsburg, Maine|Phippsburg]] to the southeast, and (separated by the New Meadows River) is near the towns of [[Harpswell, Maine|Harpswell]] to the southwest, and [[Brunswick, Maine|Brunswick]] to the northwest.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1850= 603
|1860= 400
|1870= 373
|1880= 315
|1890= 307
|1900= 291
|1910= 230
|1920= 313
|1930= 277
|1940= 353
|1950= 578
|1960= 766
|1970= 836
|1980= 1309
|1990= 1716
|2000= 1798
|2010= 1877
|2020= 1910
|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 1,877 people, 817 households, and 570 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|157.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 1,116 housing units at an average density of {{convert|93.8|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.2% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.5% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.7% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.5% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.2% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 0.8% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.8% of the population.

There were 817 households, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.2% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.69.

The median age in the town was 47.7 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.1% were from 25 to 44; 36.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.9% male and 52.1% 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 1,798 people, 750 households, and 536 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|152.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 983 housing units at an average density of {{convert|83.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 98.22% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.33% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.39% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.33% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.22% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.50% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.44% of the population.

There were 750 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $45,326, and the median income for a family was $52,986. Males had a median income of $34,375 versus $27,448 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $23,022.  About 4.0% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
West Bath is home to one elementary school, West Bath Elementary School.

==Sites of interest==
* [https://www.maineaudubon.org/visit/hamilton/ Hamilton Sanctuary – Maine Audubon Society]

==Notable people==
* [[Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley]], professor
* [[Thomas Buckley]], anthropologist

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://westbath.govoffice.com/ Town of West Bath, Maine]
* [http://www.patten.lib.me.us/ Patten Free Library]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20030419175335/http://www.lkrlt.org/ Lower Kennebec Regional Land Trust]}}
* [http://www.bowdoin.edu/new_meadows/index.html New Meadows River Watershed Project]
* [http://www.maine.gov/local/sagadahoc/west_bath/ Maine.gov – West Bath, Maine]
* [http://www.mainegenealogy.net/individual_place_record.asp?place=west_bath Maine Genealogy: West Bath, Sagadahoc County, Maine]

{{Sagadahoc County, Maine}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Portland metropolitan area, Maine]]
[[Category:Towns in Sagadahoc County, Maine]]
[[Category:Bath, Maine| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Maine]]
[[Category:Casco Bay]]