Rangeley, Maine | |
|---|---|
 View from Bald Mountain | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: "Maine's Four Season Playground" | |
  Rangeley  Rangeley | |
| Coordinates:44°57′57″N70°38′51″W / 44.9658°N 70.6474°W /44.9658; -70.6474 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maine |
| County | Franklin |
| Incorporated | 1855 |
| Villages | Rangeley Bald Mountain Mooselookmeguntic Mountainview Oquossoc South Rangeley |
| Area | |
• Total | 55.62 sq mi (144.06 km2) |
| • Land | 41.48 sq mi (107.43 km2) |
| • Water | 14.14 sq mi (36.62 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,614 ft (492 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,222 |
| • Density | 30/sq mi (11.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 04970 (Rangeley) 04964 (Oquossoc) |
| Area code | 207 |
| FIPS code | 23-61840 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0582690 |
| Website | www |
Rangeley is atown inFranklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,222 at the2020 census.[2] Rangeley is the center of the Rangeley Lakes Region, a resort area. The town includes the villages ofRangeley andOquossoc, as well as the communities ofMooselookmeguntic, Bald Mountain, Mountainview, and South Rangeley.
It is named after anEnglishman, Squire James Rangeley, who inherited a 31,000-acre (130 km2) tract bought fromMassachusetts in 1796 by his father. He arrived in 1825 to establish an estate based on the English system of landlord and tenants, also giving extensive land to settlers. He built asawmill, agristmill, a two-story mansion, and a ten-mile (16 km) road to connect his property with the rest of the world.[3] Rangeley resided here for 15 years, then sold the property and moved toPortland.[4]
Farms producedhay, wheat,oats,barley and potatoes, with cattle grazing the hills. Logging became a principal industry, withbooms of logs towed bysteamboat across the Rangeley lakes, then guided down rivers inlog drives. On March 29, 1855, the town of Rangeley was set off and incorporated from a portion ofRangeley Plantation. By 1870, the population was 313. In 1886, it had twenty dwellings, two hotels, two stores and a post office. Industries included acarriage shop, twoblacksmith shops, aboat builder's shop, a sawmill and ashoe shop.[5]
ThePhillips and Rangeley Railroad, anarrow gaugecommon carrier, opened in 1891, becoming part of theSandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad in 1908. Timber and other goods were shipped to markets, and tourists arrived fromBoston;Hartford; New York City; andPhiladelphia. Consequently, the region developed in the 1900s into a seasonal resort area with camps, cabins, summer homes, inns and hotels. The cool mountain climate and abundance ofsport fishing made this a highly desirable and exclusive resort destination. Some inhabitants became fishing guides, and among the anglers was PresidentHerbert Hoover. The big hotels would decline, however, with the end of the railroad and invention of the automobile and proliferation of roads leading to vacationers building personal camps. In 1958, The Rangeley Lake House was razed. But smaller motels and camp rentals have taken their place, and Rangeley remains a popular resort.[6]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 55.62 square miles (144.06 km2), of which 41.48 square miles (107.43 km2) is land and 14.14 square miles (36.62 km2) is water.[1]
Centrally located between theheadwaters of both theAndroscoggin River andKennebec River, the town lies on the eastern shores ofRangeley Lake in theWestern Maine Mountains.Smalls Falls, lying just south of the town onRoute 4, is a popular tourist destination. A sign in town notes that Rangeley is halfway between theEquator andNorth Pole.
Thisclimatic region has large seasonal temperature differences, with warm (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Rangeley has ahumid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[7] Similar to the rest ofNew England, snowfall is high in Rangeley, but due to the cold mean temperatures in winter, it remains on the ground for several months. Summer temperatures are moderated by the elevation and are thus cooler than other nearby towns.
Rangeley's extreme temperatures since the current station's inception in 1969 have ranged from 94 °F (34 °C) on September 10, 2002, to −45 °F (−43 °C) on January 20, 1994.[8] It is exceptionally rare for a station on the east side of the Americas to have its warmest measured temperature for more than half a century in early fall.Diurnal temperature variation is generally high, which means vast differences between day and night temperatures. Even considering this, Rangeley occasionally gets severe cold also during daytime. The coldest daily high measured was −18 °F (−28 °C) on December 26, 1980, and the mean for the coldest daily maximum during the 1991–2020 normals was in the subzero Fahrenheit range at −2 °F (−19 °C).[8] Warm summer nights are quite rare, with the record high minimum being 70 °F (21 °C) on July 14, 1987, and July 12, 2020, and the 1991–2020 mean for the warmest low being at 65 °F (18 °C).[8] The maximum snow depth measured since regular confirmed recordings were made was at 44 inches (110 cm) on March 8, 1982, and March 31, 2001.[8]
| Climate data for Rangeley, Maine, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1969–present: 1530ft (466m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 56 (13) | 62 (17) | 77 (25) | 85 (29) | 92 (33) | 93 (34) | 93 (34) | 93 (34) | 94 (34) | 83 (28) | 72 (22) | 60 (16) | 94 (34) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 44.3 (6.8) | 47.0 (8.3) | 56.2 (13.4) | 70.1 (21.2) | 81.6 (27.6) | 86.2 (30.1) | 87.1 (30.6) | 85.4 (29.7) | 82.0 (27.8) | 72.5 (22.5) | 60.7 (15.9) | 48.3 (9.1) | 89.2 (31.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 23.0 (−5.0) | 26.6 (−3.0) | 35.7 (2.1) | 48.2 (9.0) | 62.5 (16.9) | 71.6 (22.0) | 76.4 (24.7) | 75.2 (24.0) | 67.9 (19.9) | 53.7 (12.1) | 40.4 (4.7) | 29.0 (−1.7) | 50.9 (10.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 11.7 (−11.3) | 13.2 (−10.4) | 22.6 (−5.2) | 36.4 (2.4) | 49.7 (9.8) | 59.6 (15.3) | 64.6 (18.1) | 63.0 (17.2) | 55.8 (13.2) | 43.4 (6.3) | 31.8 (−0.1) | 19.9 (−6.7) | 39.3 (4.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 0.4 (−17.6) | −0.3 (−17.9) | 9.4 (−12.6) | 24.5 (−4.2) | 37.0 (2.8) | 47.5 (8.6) | 52.7 (11.5) | 50.8 (10.4) | 43.7 (6.5) | 33.2 (0.7) | 23.3 (−4.8) | 10.7 (−11.8) | 27.7 (−2.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −24.1 (−31.2) | −22.4 (−30.2) | −15.9 (−26.6) | 9.0 (−12.8) | 25.7 (−3.5) | 35.1 (1.7) | 42.9 (6.1) | 40.4 (4.7) | 30.5 (−0.8) | 21.5 (−5.8) | 6.8 (−14.0) | −11.6 (−24.2) | −27.0 (−32.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −45 (−43) | −38 (−39) | −36 (−38) | −9 (−23) | 18 (−8) | 28 (−2) | 32 (0) | 30 (−1) | 19 (−7) | 11 (−12) | −15 (−26) | −33 (−36) | −45 (−43) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.82 (72) | 2.40 (61) | 2.99 (76) | 3.27 (83) | 3.65 (93) | 4.36 (111) | 4.04 (103) | 4.07 (103) | 3.45 (88) | 4.61 (117) | 3.36 (85) | 3.62 (92) | 42.64 (1,084) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 24.3 (62) | 25.7 (65) | 24.4 (62) | 8.6 (22) | 0.5 (1.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.3 (5.8) | 8.8 (22) | 28.7 (73) | 123.3 (313.1) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 20.1 (51) | 26.4 (67) | 27.4 (70) | 14.8 (38) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.1 (5.3) | 5.4 (14) | 15.5 (39) | 30.0 (76) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 15.2 | 12.3 | 13.1 | 12.6 | 14.3 | 15.1 | 14.5 | 13.1 | 11.2 | 14.3 | 14.2 | 16.6 | 166.5 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 14.7 | 12.3 | 11.0 | 4.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 7.1 | 14.1 | 65.6 |
| Source:NOAA[8][9] | |||||||||||||
Rangeley has another weather station near theStephen A. Bean Municipal Airport.
| Climate data for Rangeley 2 NW, Maine, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1997–present: 1780ft (543m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 55 (13) | 65 (18) | 74 (23) | 83 (28) | 90 (32) | 90 (32) | 90 (32) | 89 (32) | 91 (33) | 77 (25) | 70 (21) | 59 (15) | 91 (33) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 45.2 (7.3) | 45.8 (7.7) | 52.9 (11.6) | 70.5 (21.4) | 81.5 (27.5) | 83.8 (28.8) | 85.7 (29.8) | 83.5 (28.6) | 80.3 (26.8) | 70.6 (21.4) | 60.9 (16.1) | 48.6 (9.2) | 87.1 (30.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 21.9 (−5.6) | 24.6 (−4.1) | 33.4 (0.8) | 46.4 (8.0) | 60.7 (15.9) | 69.8 (21.0) | 74.6 (23.7) | 73.2 (22.9) | 65.6 (18.7) | 52.2 (11.2) | 39.2 (4.0) | 27.9 (−2.3) | 49.1 (9.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 12.0 (−11.1) | 14.1 (−9.9) | 22.5 (−5.3) | 36.0 (2.2) | 49.2 (9.6) | 58.6 (14.8) | 63.6 (17.6) | 61.9 (16.6) | 54.5 (12.5) | 42.7 (5.9) | 31.0 (−0.6) | 19.5 (−6.9) | 38.8 (3.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 2.2 (−16.6) | 3.5 (−15.8) | 11.6 (−11.3) | 25.6 (−3.6) | 37.6 (3.1) | 47.5 (8.6) | 52.7 (11.5) | 50.6 (10.3) | 43.3 (6.3) | 33.2 (0.7) | 22.8 (−5.1) | 11.0 (−11.7) | 28.5 (−2.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −16.4 (−26.9) | −14.1 (−25.6) | −10.5 (−23.6) | 12.2 (−11.0) | 26.5 (−3.1) | 35.0 (1.7) | 42.5 (5.8) | 39.9 (4.4) | 29.4 (−1.4) | 21.9 (−5.6) | 5.8 (−14.6) | −9.2 (−22.9) | −19.2 (−28.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −28 (−33) | −24 (−31) | −21 (−29) | 4 (−16) | 21 (−6) | 27 (−3) | 35 (2) | 31 (−1) | 21 (−6) | 13 (−11) | −8 (−22) | −21 (−29) | −28 (−33) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.58 (66) | 2.06 (52) | 2.67 (68) | 3.04 (77) | 3.64 (92) | 4.50 (114) | 4.30 (109) | 3.83 (97) | 3.58 (91) | 4.40 (112) | 3.07 (78) | 3.12 (79) | 40.79 (1,035) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 24.5 (62) | 26.1 (66) | 21.8 (55) | 7.9 (20) | 0.6 (1.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.8 (7.1) | 9.1 (23) | 24.8 (63) | 117.6 (297.6) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 18.6 (47) | 24.5 (62) | 24.1 (61) | 14.0 (36) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.2 (3.0) | 5.5 (14) | 15.8 (40) | 26.7 (68) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 15.5 | 13.4 | 13.2 | 12.7 | 14.5 | 16.1 | 15.3 | 13.5 | 12.1 | 15.0 | 14.0 | 18.0 | 173.3 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 15.6 | 13.1 | 11.6 | 5.4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 7.5 | 15.7 | 70.9 |
| Source 1: NOAA[10] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS (mean maxima/minima 2006–2020)[11] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 238 | — | |
| 1870 | 313 | 31.5% | |
| 1880 | 563 | 79.9% | |
| 1890 | 616 | 9.4% | |
| 1900 | 961 | 56.0% | |
| 1910 | 1,154 | 20.1% | |
| 1920 | 1,028 | −10.9% | |
| 1930 | 1,472 | 43.2% | |
| 1940 | 1,464 | −0.5% | |
| 1950 | 1,228 | −16.1% | |
| 1960 | 1,087 | −11.5% | |
| 1970 | 941 | −13.4% | |
| 1980 | 1,023 | 8.7% | |
| 1990 | 1,063 | 3.9% | |
| 2000 | 1,052 | −1.0% | |
| 2010 | 1,168 | 11.0% | |
| 2020 | 1,222 | 4.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] | |||
As of the census[13] of 2010, there were 1,168 people, 575 households, and 338 families residing in the town. The population density was 28.2 inhabitants per square mile (10.9/km2). There were 1,829 housing units at an average density of 44.1 per square mile (17.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.4%White, 0.5%Asian, 0.6% fromother races, and 0.5% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.0% of the population.
There were 575 households, of which 19.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.2% were non-families. Of all households, 34.1% were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.56.
The median age in the town was 51.4 years. 16.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.1% were from 25 to 44; 35.6% were from 45 to 64; and 25.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.8% male and 49.2% female.
As of the 2000 census,[14] there were 1,052 people, 468 households, and 292 families residing in the town. The population density was 25.3 people per square mile (9.8 people/km2). There were 1,561 housing units at an average density of 37.5 per square mile (14.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 99.24%White, 0.10%Black orAfrican American, 0.10%Native American, 0.10% fromother races, and 0.48% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.19% of the population.
There were 468 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. Of all households, 30.3% were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 individuals and the average family size was 2.79 people.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18; 4.4% from 18 to 24; 25.3% from 25 to 44; 28.3% from 45 to 64; and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,382, and the median income for a family was $43,250. Males had a median income of $32,426 versus $19,519 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,052. About 9.3% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
Municipalities and communities ofFranklin County, Maine,United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| Plantations | ||
| Unorganized territories | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other villages | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county | |
| International | |
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| National | |
