Gorham

Gorham is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 18,336 at the 2020 United States Census. In 2013, Gorham was voted second-best town in Maine after Hampden by a financial website. Gorham is part of the PortlandSouth PortlandBiddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. It borders Buxton, Westbrook, Standish, Windham, and Scarborough. In the 2010 census, there were 16,381 people in Gorham; in the 2010 U.S. census there were 17,381. The town has a total area of 51.62 square miles (0.11 km²), of which, 50.2 square miles of it is water. The majority of Gorham's industry is based along the border with Westbrook, and many of the mills that formerly existed along the Presumpscot River are now under water, flooded with the construction of the Dundee Dam. In recent decades Gorham has increased in popularity as a bedroom community of Portland. Its popularity has attracted many new housing developments and businesses. It also offers a plethora of recreational activities such as trails for hiking and the river for kayaking, canoeing and swimming. It is home to one of the three campuses of the University of Southern Maine. In 2010, the town had a population of 16,382; in 2010, it had a totalArea of 51,132 square miles. (1.2 km²) The town is drained by the Little River and Stroud River.

History

Narragansett Number 7 was one of seven townships granted by the Massachusetts General Court to soldiers (or their heirs) who had fought in the Narraganset War of 1675. The land was first settled in 1736 by Captain John Phinney and his family, followed in 1738 by Hugh McLellan and Daniel Mosher. By 1743, the first sawmill was established by John Gorham at Little River. In 1803, Gorham Academy was founded. The institution would evolve into Western Maine Normal School, and later Gorham State Teachers College. Today, it is the University of Southern Maine at Gorham. In recent decades Gorham has increased in popularity as a bedroom community of Portland. Its popularity has attracted many new housing developments and businesses. The majority of Gorham's industry is based along the border with Westbrook, and many of the mills that formerly existed along the Presumpscot River are now under water, flooded with the construction of the Dundee Dam. The Cumberland and Oxford Canal opened in 1829 connecting Casco Bay with Sebago Lake, although it would be discontinued in 1871, having been rendered obsolete by John A. Poor's York and Cumberland Railroad (later the Boston and Maine Railroad), which entered Gorham in 1851. The railroad was dismantled in 1961, but the former grade serves as a multi-use recreational trail. On September 12, 1870 the first train of the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad traveled from Portland to Sebago lake through White Rock. White Rock station closed in 1921.

Geography

The town is served by U.S. Route 202, and state routes 4, 22, 25, 112, 114 and 237. It borders Buxton, Standish, Windham, Westbrook, and Scarborough. Gorham is drained by the Little River, Presumpscot River and Stroudwater River. The town has a total area of 51.29 square miles (132.84 km²), of which, 50.62 squaremile (131.11 km²) of it is land and 0.67 square mile (1.74km²) is water. It has a population of 2,816. The population of Gorham in 2010 was 2,715. It is located on the Maine Turnpike, which runs through the town. The turnpike runs through Gorham and into the town of Standish. It also runs through Windham and Scarborough, and borders the towns of Buxton and Standish on the other side of the Turnip River. It was the site of the World War II Battle of the Bulge, which took place in World War I. The Battle was fought between the United States and the Soviet Union in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The American Civil War, which ended in the First World War, was also fought in Gorham. The battle was fought near the town's center, near what is now known as Gorham, Maine. The war ended with the defeat of the Soviet Army, which had been based in the town since the early 1800s.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 16,381 people, 5,719 households, and 4,064 families living in the town. There were 5,972 housing units at an average density of 118.0 per square mile (45.6/km²) The racial makeup of the town was 97.57% White, 0.42% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American,0.64% Asian, 0,01% Pacific Islander, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population. The town's median income was $50,316, and the median income for a family was $55,434. About 5.1% of families and 7.4% of residents were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 6.7. of those age 65 or over. The population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 13.7%. from 18 to 24, 28.9%. from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there are 93.8 males. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.03. The gender makeup was 48.3% male and 51.7%; the town's population was 50.3%.

Education

The Gorham School District has three elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. For the 2011 to 2012 school year, the district had approximately 2,698 students enrolled. Heather Perry is the Superintendent of the School District. The district is located in the town of Gorham, New Hampshire. The school district is part of the New Hampshire Education Association. The superintendent is Heather Perry, who has been with the district since 2007. The Superintendent is the son of the former superintendent of the school district, who died in 2008. The current superintendent is Robert Perry, a former superintendent himself who served from 1989 to 2007.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Gorham, Cumberland County, Maine = 93. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 70. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 50. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Gorham = 2.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 18,336 individuals with a median age of 29 age the population grows by 9.65% in Gorham, Cumberland County, Maine population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 362 residents per square mile of area (139.9/km²). There are average 2.25 people per household in the 1,458 households with an average household income of $50,564 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 5.40% of the available work force and has dropped -3.42% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 27.76%. The number of physicians in Gorham per 100,000 population = 441.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Gorham = 43.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 71.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 131. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 203. 78 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 13 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 54, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Gorham, Cumberland County, Maine which are owned by the occupant = 61.62%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 33 years with median home cost = $203,540 and home appreciation of -3.62%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $15.24 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,373 per student. There are 13.8 students for each teacher in the school, 515 students for each Librarian and 433 students for each Counselor. 5.80% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 19.64% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 14.41% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).