Gardiner, Maine

Gardiner is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,961 at the 2020 census. Gardiner is a nationally accredited Main Street America community. It is included in the Augusta, Maine micropolitan New England City and Town Area.

History

Located at the head of navigation on the Kennebec River, Gardiner was founded as Gardinerstown Plantation in 1754 by Dr. Silvester Gardiner, a prominent Boston physician. Dr. Gardiner had made a fortune as a drug merchant, with one apothecary shop in Massachusetts and two in Connecticut, and became a principal proprietor of the Kennebec Purchase within the old Plymouth Patent. He proved a tireless promoter for his development, which once comprised over .

Dr. Gardiner induced a gristmill builder, saw millwright, house carpenter and wheelwright to settle here, Houses, mills, a church and a blockhouse were built. Situated at the confluence of the Kennebec River and Cobbosseecontee Stream, which has falls that drop 130 feet, the location was recognized by him as ideal for water-powered mills. Gardinerstown, set off from Pittston in 1760, became center of the regional economy.

In 1851, the city was connected by railroad. One of the first workable steam automobiles in America was built in Gardiner in 1858. Beginning in the 1860s, paper mills flourished, as did the commercial ice industry between the 1880s and 1920s. By the 1960s, however, many mills declined and closed, sending Gardiner's economy plummeting. The former mill town is now largely a bedroom community for people who work in Augusta, the state's capital, as well as Bath Iron Works in Bath. Some residents commute as far as the Portland area. The city is endowed with a great deal of antique architecture, much of it beautifully restored. In 1980, the entire downtown historic district became one of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Kennebec County, Maine.

File:Main Street, Gardiner, ME.jpg|Downtown

File:Water Street, Looking West, Gardiner, ME.jpg|Water Street in 1914

File:The Paper Mills, Gardiner, ME.jpg|Paper mills in 1909

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Geography

thumb|Town common of Gardiner

Gardiner is located south of Augusta on the west side of the Kennebec River at the confluence of the Cobbesseeconte Stream. Randolph lies just across the river.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Gardiner has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Gardiner had a population of 5,961. The median age was 41.3 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.6 males age 18 and over.

65.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 35.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,529 households in Gardiner, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.5% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 5,800 people, 2,487 households, and 1,550 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,778 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.4% White, 0.3% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 2,487 households, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.7% were non-families. 29.6% 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 2.30 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the city was 40.9 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 30.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,198 people, 2,510 households, and 1,603 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,702 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.90% White, 0.39% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.81% of the population.

There were 2,510 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.97.

thumb|right|R. P. Hazzard Co. Shoe Factory in 1915

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,103, and the median income for a family was $42,750. Males had a median income of $33,069 versus $25,399 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,033. About 11.4% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

thumb|left|Old High School (1870–1969), designed by [[Francis H. Fassett]]

Gardiner is part of Maine School Administrative District #11 that serves the communities of Gardiner, Pittston, Randolph and West Gardiner. The district operates five elementary schools, a middle school, and high school.

The following schools are located in Gardiner:

Gardiner Area High School (9–12) 620 students
Gardiner Regional Middle School (6–8) 421 students
Laura E Richards School (Pre-K–2) 233 students
River View Community School (3–5) 174 students

Government

Local government

Gardiner has a Mayor and council-manager system, with all governmental powers resting in a legislative body called a City Council. Voters elect a mayor, and seven council members, one for each of Gardiner's four districts and three at-large. The council appoints a city manager to handle the ordinary business of the city.

Political makeup

In the 2012 Presidential election, Barack Obama received 1,699 of the town's votes to Mitt Romney's 1,158. Political affiliation is roughly split into thirds between Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

Voter registration

{| class=wikitable

! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of November 2012

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Total Voters

! Percentage

| Unenrolled

| align = center | 1,528

| align = center | 34.57%

| Democratic

| align = center | 1,487

| align = center | 33.65%

| Republican

| align = center | 1,164

| align = center | 26.34%

| Green Independent

| align = center | 240

| align = center | 5.43%

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 4,419

! align = center | 100%

Notable people

thumb|The Park and Palmer Fountain in 1909. Melted down for the [[war effort, the bronze statue was later replaced.]]

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Louis J. Brann, 56th Governor of Maine
George Burgess, the first Episcopal bishop of Maine
Henry Chadwick, journalist
Charles R. Clason, U.S. Congressman
Patrick Colwell, Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives
Burton M. Cross, Maine's 61st and 63rd Governor
Henry Dearborn, physician, and a veteran of both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812
William Diamond, Maine State Senator
Charles Dow, Maine legislator and businessman
George Evans, U.S. Congressman and Senator
Barzillai Gannett, U.S. Congressman
Silvester Gardiner, physician and founder
Robert Hallowell Gardiner, grandson of Silvester Gardiner and Gardiner's first mayor
John W. Heselton, U.S. Congressman
Horace A. Hildreth, ambassador and the 59th Governor of Maine
Henrietta Hooker, botanist and educator
Julia Ward Howe, social activist and poet
Edward Hunter, army officer
George Kenney, World War II general
John Hiram Lathrop, educator
Earle McCormick, Maine State Senator
Karen Montell, State legislator
Alton Morgan, Maine state legislator
William Clark Noble, sculptor
James Parker, U.S. Congressman
George H. Ray, Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Chester I. Reed, attorney/politician
Laura E. Richards, author and poet
Robert Hallowell Richards, mining engineer and metallurgist
Edwin Arlington Robinson, poet
Arthur Sager, track and field athlete
George Plaisted Sanderson, Civil War veteran
Katie Schide, professional ultramarathoner
Isaac D. Seyburn, Civil War merchant captain
Vivian Blanche Small (1875–1946), president, Lake Erie College
Albert Spear, President of the Maine Senate
Frank Parker Stockbridge (1870–1940), author and journalist
John R. Swanton, anthropologist
Wesley Webber, painter
Dorothy Clarke Wilson, author
William E. Wing, silent-film screenwriter
Henry Aiken Worcester, 19th century minister