Ogunquit oh-GUN-kwit is a town in York County, Maine, United States. As of the
2010 census its population was 892. The summer resort's name means "beautiful
place by the sea". Ogunquit is part of the Portland–South
Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History Ogunquit, which means "beautiful place
by the sea" in the indigenous Abenaki language, was first a village within
Wells, which was settled in 1641. The first sawmill here was established in
1686, and shipbuilding developed along the tidal Ogunquit River. Local
shipwrights built schooners, brigs and dories.
At what was then called Fish Cove, near the unnavigable Josias River, fishing
was a major livelihood. But the cove was unprotected by a headland or breakwater
from Atlantic storms, so fishermen had to protect their boats by hauling them
ashore each night. Resolving to create a safe anchorage, they formed the Fish
Cove Harbor Association, and dug a channel across land they purchased to
connect Fish Cove with the Josias River. When the trench was complete, erosion
helped to further widen the passage. The resulting tidewater basin is called
Perkins Cove, spanned by a manually operated draw footbridge. With a 3½-mile
beach of pale sand and dunes forming a barrier peninsula, connected to the
mainland in 1888 by bridge across the Ogunquit River, the village was
discovered by artists. It became a popular art colony and tourist area.
Particularly after 1898, when the Ogunquit Art Colony was established, it
was not unusual to see both artists and fishermen working around Perkins Cove.
To accommodate summer crowds, several seaside hotels and inns were built.
Marginal Way, a scenic trail, runs along the coast from Perkins Cove to Ogunquit
Beach. Ogunquit separated from Wells in 1980 and receives visitors from as far
as Australia. Part of Stephen King's The Stand, published in 1978, is set in
Ogunquit. LGBT destination
Over the past 100 years, Ogunquit has become a destination for LGBT tourists,
and features numerous LGBT-owned and -operated hotels, restaurants, bars,
theaters, and other businesses. Most of the LGBT-oriented businesses are in the
village area of the town. Education
The Wells-Ogunquit Community School District provides education for students
of all ages in the coastal southern Maine towns of Wells and Ogunquit.
Geography According to the United States Census
Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.25 square miles, of which, 4.18
square miles of it is land and 11.07 square miles is water. Ogunquit is
drained by the Josias River and Ogunquit River. The highest elevation in town is
just over 160 feet above sea level, in several locations. The lowest elevation
is sea level, along the coastline with the Atlantic Ocean.
Ogunquit’s Marginal Way, a one and a quarter mile long trail with views of
the coast, is neatly paved and the treacherous cliffs are, in places,
fenced. The path leads from the downtown shopping area to the fishing village in
Perkins Cove, now an outdoor mall of jewelry, clothing and candle boutiques.
= Climate = This climatic region is typified by
large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold
winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ogunquit has a
humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.
Demographics As of 2000 the median income for a
household in the town was $47,727, and the median income for a family was
$56,731. Males had a median income of $44,583 versus $31,528 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $34,289. About 1.2% of families and 4.2%
of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age
18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over. = 2010 census =
As of the census of 2010, there were 892 people, 498 households, and 234 families
residing in the town. The population density was 213.4 inhabitants per square
mile. There were 2,009 housing units at an average density of 480.6 per square
mile. The racial makeup of the town was 97.0% White, 0.1% African American, 0.1%
Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more
races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.
There were 498 households of which 8.6% had children under the age of 18 living
with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female
householder with no husband present, 1.0% had a male householder with no wife
present, and 53.0% were non-families. Of all households, 41.2% were made up of
individuals and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 1.79 and the average family size was 2.37.
The median age in the town was 61.7 years. Of the residents, 7.6% were under
the age of 18; 2.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 13.6% were from 25 to
44; 34% were from 45 to 64; and 42.4% were 65 years of age or older. The
gender makeup of the town was 50.1% male and 49.9% female.
Cultural sites & museums Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit
Ogunquit Museum of American Art Ogunquit Playhouse
Captain James Winn House Notable people
Clarence H. Adams, commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
and President of the Boston Celtics Marjorie Agosín, award-winning poet,
essayist, novelist, and professor at Wellesley College
John Kendrick Bangs, author Bobby Coombs, Major League Baseball
pitcher Joseph B. Davol, marine painter and art
teacher Nathan Haskell Dole, author
Totie Fields, actress/comedienne Arnie Ginsburg, radio personality
Walt Kuhn, artist. Peter George Olenchuk, U.S. Army Major
General J. Scott Smart, radio, film and stage
actor Sally Struthers, actress
Craig Timberlake, stage actor, singer, author, and educator
John Grimes Walker, admiral in the United States Navy
Charles Herbert Woodbury, artist Images
References External links
Town of Ogunquit, Maine - Official Website
Charles H. Woodbury & the Ogunquit School of Art
Maine Genealogy: Ogunquit, York County, Maine