Penobscot County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

, named for the Penobscot Nation on Wabanakik. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,199. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Bangor. The county was established on February 15, 1816, from part of Hancock County when the area was still part of

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. Penobscot County is home to the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...

. Penobscot County comprises the Bangor, ME

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (4.5%) is water. The county highpoint is East Turner Mountain at 2456 ft next to

Baxter State Park Baxter State Park is a large wilderness area permanently preserved as a state park in Northeast Piscataquis, Piscataquis County in north-central Maine, United States. It is in the North Maine Woods region and borders the Katahdin Woods and Wat ...

Adjacent counties

* Aroostook County – north * Washington County – southeast * Hancock County – south *

Waldo County Waldo County is a county in the state of Maine, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,607. Its county seat is Belfast. The county was founded on 7 February 1827 from a portion of Hancock County and named after ...

– southwest * Somerset County – west * Piscataquis County – northwest

National protected area

* Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 144,919 people, 58,096 households, and 37,820 families living in the county. The population density was 43 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 66,847 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The county's racial makeup was 96.60% White, 0.49% Black or African American, 1.00% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.8% were of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, 17.3%

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

or American, 14.0% French, 13.0%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and 6.7% French Canadian ancestry. 95.8% spoke

and 2.3% French as their first language. There were 58,096 households, of which 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.50% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.90% were non-families. 26.70% of households were one person and 10.00% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88. The age distribution was 22.80% under the age of 18, 11.30% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.10% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.30 males. The median household income was $34,274 and the median family income was $42,206. Males had a median income of $32,824 versus $23,346 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,801. About 9.70% of families and 13.70% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 15.00% of those under age 18 and 11.10% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 153,923 people, 62,966 households, and 38,917 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 73,860 housing units at an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 95.4% white, 1.2% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.9% were

, 17.2% were

, 9.4% were American, 7.1% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 6.0% were French Canadian, and 5.9% were Scottish. Of the 62,966 households, 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 28.0% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 39.9 years. The county's median household income was $42,658 and the median family income was $54,271. Males had a median income of $41,094 versus $31,910 for females. The county's per capita income was $22,977. About 10.1% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the

, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

As the most populous county in

Maine's 2nd congressional district Maine's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Maine. Covering , it comprises nearly 80% of the state's total land area. The district comprises most of the land area north of the Portland, Maine, Portland an ...

, Penobscot County's support for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

in 2016 helped deliver him a split electoral vote from Maine. It was the first time since

1828 Events January–March * January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France. * January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organized. * January 22 – Arth ...

that Maine split its electoral votes.

Communities

Cities

* Bangor (county seat) *

Brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer ...

* Old Town

Towns

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario *Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

* Bradford *

Bradley Bradley is an English surname derived from a place name meaning "broad wood" or "broad meadow" in Old English. Like many English surnames Bradley can also be used as a given name and as such has become popular. It is also an Anglicisation of t ...

* Burlington * Carmel * Charleston * Chester * Clifton *

Corinna Corinna or Korinna ( grc, Κόριννα, Korinna) was an ancient Greek lyric poet from Tanagra in Boeotia. Although ancient sources portray her as a contemporary of Pindar (born ), not all modern scholars accept the accuracy of this tradition ...

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government refor ...

* Dexter * Dixmont *

East Millinocket East Millinocket is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,572 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water. ...

* Eddington * Edinburg *

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

* Etna * Exeter *

Garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. Etymology From the ...

* Glenburn * Greenbush * Hampden * Hermon * Holden * Howland * Hudson * Kenduskeag * Lagrange * Lakeville * Lee *

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

* Lowell * Mattawamkeag * Maxfield * Medway * Milford * Millinocket * Mount Chase * Newburgh * Newport * Orono * Orrington * Passadumkeag * Patten * Plymouth * Springfield * Stacyville * Stetson * Veazie * Winn * Woodville

Plantations

* Carroll Plantation * Drew Plantation * Seboeis Plantation * Webster Plantation

Census-designated places

* Dexter *

* Hampden * Howland *

* Mattawamkeag * Milford * Millinocket * Newport * Orono * Patten

Unorganized territories

* Argyle * East Central Penobscot * Kingman * North Penobscot * Prentiss * Twombly Ridge *

Whitney Whitney may refer to: Film and television * ''Whitney'' (2015 film), a Whitney Houston biopic starring Yaya DaCosta * ''Whitney'' (2018 film), a documentary about Whitney Houston * ''Whitney'' (TV series), an American sitcom that premiered i ...

Indian reservation

Penobscot Indian Island Reservation Penobscot Indian Island Reservation ( Abenaki: ''Álənαpe Mə́nəhan'') is an Indian reservation for the Penobscot Tribe of Maine, a federally recognized tribe of the Penobscot

Education

School districts include:
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Bangor School District Bangor or City of Bangor may refer to: Places Australia * Bangor, New South Wales * Bangor, Tasmania Canada * Bangor, Nova Scotia * Bangor, Saskatchewan * Bangor, Prince Edward Island United Kingdom Northern Ireland * Bangor, County Down **Bang ...

* Brewer School District * Burlington Public Schools * Carroll Plantation School District *

Drew Plantation School District Drew may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places ;In the United States * Drew, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Drew, Mississippi, a city * Drew, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Drew, Oregon, an unincorporated community * Drew County, Arkansas ...

* East Millinocket School District * Glenburn School District * Greenbush School District * Indian Island School District *

Hermon School District Mount Hermon ( ar, جبل الشيخ or جبل حرمون / ALA-LC: ''Jabal al-Shaykh'' ("Mountain of the Sheikh") or ''Jabal Haramun''; he, הַר חֶרְמוֹן, ''Har Hermon'') is a mountain, mountain cluster constituting the southern e ...

* Lakeville School District * Lowell School District * Medway School District * Milford School District *

Millinocket School Department Millinocket School Department is a school district headquartered in Millinocket, Maine. Its schools are Granite Street School and Stearns Junior-Senior High School. In April 2012, due to decreasing enrollment in the high school, the district su ...

* Orrington School District * Regional School Unit 19 * Regional School Unit 22 * Regional School Unit 26 * Regional School Unit 34 *

Regional School Unit 89 In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

* School Administrative District 23 * School Administrative District 30 * School Administrative District 31 * School Administrative District 41 * School Administrative District 46 * School Administrative District 63 * School Administrative District 64 * School Administrative District 67 * School Administrative District 68 * Seboeis Plantation School District * Veazie School District * Woodville School District * Penobscot Unorganized Territory

is in Orono.

References

External links

Penobscot County Official WebsitePenobscot County
on Maine.gov

''Historical Magazine'', February 1872. {{Authority control Maine counties Maine placenames of Native American origin 1816 establishments in Massachusetts Populated places established in 1816