Belfast Geography
Belfast is located at 44°25'33" North, 69°0'42" West (44.425896, -69.011646).According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 99.3 km2 (38.3 mi2). 88.2 km2 (34.0 mi2) of it is land and 11.2 km2 (4.3 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 11.26% water.
Belfast Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 6,381 people, 2,765 households, and 1,692 families residing in the city. The population density is 72.4/km2 (187.5/mi2). There are 3,121 housing units at an average density of 35.4/km2 (91.7/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 97.56% White, 0.28% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. 0.69% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,765 households out of which 25.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% are married couples living together, 10.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% are non-families. 31.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.23 and the average family size is 2.77.
In the city the population is spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 43 years. For every 100 females there are 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $32,400, and the median income for a family is $43,253. Males have a median income of $30,514 versus $27,518 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,276. 13.2% of the population and 10.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 19.5% of those under the age of 18 and 9.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Belfast History
Belfast was for the first hundred years of its organized history a ship building center, sending hundreds of three, four, and five masted schooners down the ways and making the fortune of many a New England shipping and whaling family. Its location on the western shore of idyllic Penobscot Bay, sheltered but a short distance from the open ocean, made for an ideal shipbuilding location. Bangor, Maine, the North American lumber capital for most of the later 1800s, was less than a day's run up the Penobscot River, and Boston, Massachusetts was a little over a day's run south. The death of wooden cargo sailing vessels around the turn of the 20th century coincided with the advent of modern refrigeration, allowing the plentiful local seafood (mainly lobsters) to take the place of schooners and lumber as the region's primary export. Lobsters, scallops, sardines, herring, and mackerel made their way to the markets in Boston, New York City, and farther afield. Along the way, Belfast and the surrounding communities became a favored summer destination in Maine's mid-coast region.
After World War II, Belfast's economy was driven by its poultry industry. The annual summer Broiler Festival became a popular celebration of the summer season for locals and summer people alike. The collapse of the broiler industry in the mid-1970s during a national economic downturn was devestating to Belfast and the surrounding communities. Even today, the long narrow concrete footprints of decades-gone chicken houses can be found in overgrown fields throughout the county. The demolition in the early 1980s of the defunct chicken-feed silos at the foot of Main Street that had once fed millions of chickens marked a turning point for the community as the old order faded away. Throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, there was a sizeable migration out of Belfast in search of better employment opportunities, which led to a depressed real estate market. This favorable buying market attracted an influx of young artists and college grads from all over the country. In 1977, a few years before the demise of the broiler chicken industry, the Belfast Co-op was formed and still thrives to this day. It quickly became a meeting place for the community where ideas could be exchanged & refined, creating the basis for the community that exists and thrives to this day. The Co-op was a haven for the new influx of young college grads, artists and idealists that flocked to Belfast, and came to call it home. Since the pollution caused by the poultry industry has faded into memory, Belfast has returned to its earlier grandeur and has become an attractive vacation destination on the Maine coast, offering charming shops & restaurants, as well as the natural beauty of the harbor for travelers to enjoy. Local farms & fisheries continue to thrive today, keeping local traditions alive while actively participating in the ecological stewardship of Maine's lands & waters - as well as the protecting the future of its farming & fishing industries.
In the early 1990s, credit card giant MBNA established a large facility in Belfast. MBNA was instrumental in establishing the Hutchinson Center of the University of Maine, an outpost of the University of Maine System, less than a mile from the main MBNA campus. The explosion of jobs provided by MBNA has increased Belfast's population significantly. (MBNA was recently acquired by Bank of America.) The National Theater Workshop of the Handicapped, which inhabits the old Crosby High School has but ceased its operation operating with minimal staff. The former Stinson plant has become the site of a major waterfront development with condo, retail shops and marina slated to begin contruction in late 2005. So Belfast is once again beginning the redefining process.
Today Belfast is a thriving community whose economy is driven by tourism, traditional fisheries and farms, the arts community, the finance industry, as well as the University of Maine. SailViVA also makes Belfast its home port. SailViVA is a unique non-profit organization dedicated to providing free sailing opportunities to connect people of all ages, abilities, and means to the world’s oceans through educational and recreational programs that stimulate individual growth and instill an enduring love and appreciation of the sea and to ensure that ViVA is maintained as an historic racing yacht for others to enjoy for all generations to come.
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Belfast,_Maine".