Orono, Maine | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Mill Street business in downtown Orono | |
 Seal | |
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  Orono  Orono | |
| Coordinates:44°53′00″N68°40′20″W / 44.88333°N 68.67222°W /44.88333; -68.67222 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maine |
| County | Penobscot |
| Settled | 1774 |
| Incorporated | March 12, 1806 |
| Chartered | 1969 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council/Manager |
| • Town Manager | Sophia L. Wilson |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.60 sq mi (50.76 km2) |
| • Land | 18.19 sq mi (47.11 km2) |
| • Water | 1.41 sq mi (3.65 km2) 7.19% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,183 |
| • Density | 615/sq mi (237.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 04473-Town, 04469-UMaine |
| Area code | 207 |
| Website | www |
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Orono (/ˈɒrənoʊ/ORR-ə-noh) is atown inPenobscot County, Maine, United States. Located on thePenobscot andStillwater rivers, it was first settled byAmerican colonists in 1774. They named it in honor of ChiefJoseph Orono, a sachem of the indigenousPenobscot nation who long occupied this territory.
In the 19th century, the town became a center of the lumber industry. Sawmills on the rivers were powered by the water, and logs were floated downriver on the Penobscot for shipping and export from coastal ports.
Since 1865, it has been the location of theUniversity of Maine, established as a land-grant institution and the state's flagship educational institution. In the fall of 2018, the university enrolled 11,404 students at Orono. Not including university residents, the town's population was 11,183 at the2020 census.[2]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 19.60 square miles (50.76 km2), of which 18.19 square miles (47.11 km2) is land and 1.41 square miles (3.65 km2) is water.[1] The town is divided by theStillwater River, a branch of thePenobscot River. It occupies part ofMarsh Island, as well as some smaller islands such as Ayers Island, which is surrounded by the Penobscot and the Stillwater rivers, and the remainder of the town is on the mainland. TheOrono Dam impounds the Stillwater River at its confluence with the Penobscot River near downtown Orono.[3]
Thisclimatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Orono has a warm-summerhumid continental climate, according to theKöppen Climate Classification system is "Dfb", thus abbreviated ed in on climate maps.[4]
| Climate data for Orono (University of Maine), elevation: 47 m or 154 ft, 1981–2010 normals, extremes and average extremes 1893–2005[a] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) | 63 (17) | 83 (28) | 89 (32) | 99 (37) | 100 (38) | 102 (39) | 104 (40) | 97 (36) | 90 (32) | 78 (26) | 64 (18) | 104 (40) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 46.2 (7.9) | 46.7 (8.2) | 58.2 (14.6) | 72.2 (22.3) | 83.8 (28.8) | 89.5 (31.9) | 92.0 (33.3) | 90.1 (32.3) | 84.3 (29.1) | 73.7 (23.2) | 60.8 (16.0) | 49.5 (9.7) | 92.0 (33.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 28.7 (−1.8) | 33.6 (0.9) | 41.5 (5.3) | 54.5 (12.5) | 67.3 (19.6) | 76.0 (24.4) | 81.0 (27.2) | 79.6 (26.4) | 70.3 (21.3) | 56.9 (13.8) | 44.8 (7.1) | 33.5 (0.8) | 55.6 (13.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 19.9 (−6.7) | 24.2 (−4.3) | 32.4 (0.2) | 44.5 (6.9) | 55.9 (13.3) | 64.5 (18.1) | 70.0 (21.1) | 68.8 (20.4) | 59.8 (15.4) | 48.0 (8.9) | 38.1 (3.4) | 26.4 (−3.1) | 46.0 (7.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 11.1 (−11.6) | 14.8 (−9.6) | 23.3 (−4.8) | 34.5 (1.4) | 44.4 (6.9) | 53.0 (11.7) | 59.0 (15.0) | 57.9 (14.4) | 49.3 (9.6) | 39.2 (4.0) | 31.4 (−0.3) | 19.4 (−7.0) | 36.4 (2.5) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −14.8 (−26.0) | −12.9 (−24.9) | −1.18 (−18.43) | 19.1 (−7.2) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 37.7 (3.2) | 45.4 (7.4) | 41.3 (5.2) | 31.0 (−0.6) | 23.0 (−5.0) | 10.9 (−11.7) | −8 (−22) | −14.8 (−26.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −40 (−40) | −32 (−36) | −25 (−32) | 3 (−16) | 19 (−7) | 29 (−2) | 34 (1) | 30 (−1) | 22 (−6) | 13 (−11) | −8 (−22) | −31 (−35) | −40 (−40) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.98 (76) | 2.48 (63) | 3.15 (80) | 3.13 (80) | 3.41 (87) | 3.52 (89) | 3.01 (76) | 3.27 (83) | 3.56 (90) | 3.64 (92) | 4.03 (102) | 4.21 (107) | 40.39 (1,025) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 18.7 (47.5) | 17.8 (45.2) | 11.3 (28.7) | 3.9 (9.9) | 0.2 (0.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | trace | 0.4 (1) | 4.6 (11.7) | 56.9 (144.5) |
| Average precipitation days | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 111 |
| Average snowy days | 6.3 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 1.2 | trace | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 4.6 | 22.4 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 70 | 68 | 65 | 61 | 65 | 70 | 71 | 71 | 74 | 72 | 72 | 75 | 70 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 6.2 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 5.9 | 7.5 | 9.4 | 9.8 | 9.0 | 6.5 | 6.9 | 6.9 |
| Source:WRCC,[5] Weatherbase (snowfall, precipitation and snow days),[6] Meteoblue (sun days)[7] and timeanddate.com (humidity)[8] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Orono (University of Maine), elevation: 47 m or 154 ft, 1961–1990 normals and average extremes | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 34.8 (1.6) | 42.2 (5.7) | 47.2 (8.4) | 56.4 (13.6) | 72.3 (22.4) | 79.3 (26.3) | 85.7 (29.8) | 81.2 (27.3) | 75.1 (23.9) | 61.8 (16.6) | 48.5 (9.2) | 40.3 (4.6) | 85.7 (29.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.0 (−2.8) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 38.8 (3.8) | 50.7 (10.4) | 64.2 (17.9) | 73.6 (23.1) | 79.2 (26.2) | 76.3 (24.6) | 66.4 (19.1) | 54.9 (12.7) | 41.9 (5.5) | 30.4 (−0.9) | 52.7 (11.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 17.2 (−8.2) | 19.2 (−7.1) | 29.8 (−1.2) | 40.8 (4.9) | 52.3 (11.3) | 61.7 (16.5) | 67.5 (19.7) | 64.9 (18.3) | 55.8 (13.2) | 45.3 (7.4) | 34.7 (1.5) | 21.9 (−5.6) | 42.6 (5.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 7.5 (−13.6) | 9.3 (−12.6) | 20.8 (−6.2) | 30.9 (−0.6) | 40.6 (4.8) | 49.6 (9.8) | 55.6 (13.1) | 53.8 (12.1) | 45.0 (7.2) | 36.0 (2.2) | 27.5 (−2.5) | 13.6 (−10.2) | 32.5 (0.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −1.5 (−18.6) | −0.4 (−18.0) | 12.9 (−10.6) | 27.2 (−2.7) | 34.6 (1.4) | 46.6 (8.1) | 49.2 (9.6) | 46.3 (7.9) | 37.9 (3.3) | 32.3 (0.2) | 21.9 (−5.6) | −2.1 (−18.9) | −2.1 (−18.9) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.87 (72.9) | 2.63 (66.8) | 2.74 (69.6) | 3.00 (76.2) | 3.43 (87.1) | 3.41 (86.6) | 3.52 (89.4) | 3.48 (88.4) | 3.56 (90.4) | 3.28 (83.3) | 4.05 (102.9) | 3.82 (97.0) | 39.79 (1,010.6) |
| Source:NOAA[9] andWRCC (average extremes)[10] | |||||||||||||
The Orono Land Trust operates a number of protected areas in Orono.Piney Knoll Conservation Area, situated alongside the Penobscot River, is known for its walking trails and bird-watching. TheUniversity of Maine also owns a considerable amount of protected land in the town. Prominent parcels includeDwight B. Demeritt Forest.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 351 | — | |
| 1820 | 415 | 18.2% | |
| 1830 | 1,472 | 254.7% | |
| 1840 | 1,521 | 3.3% | |
| 1850 | 2,785 | 83.1% | |
| 1860 | 2,533 | −9.0% | |
| 1870 | 2,888 | 14.0% | |
| 1880 | 2,245 | −22.3% | |
| 1890 | 2,790 | 24.3% | |
| 1900 | 3,257 | 16.7% | |
| 1910 | 3,555 | 9.1% | |
| 1920 | 3,133 | −11.9% | |
| 1930 | 3,338 | 6.5% | |
| 1940 | 3,702 | 10.9% | |
| 1950 | 7,504 | 102.7% | |
| 1960 | 8,341 | 11.2% | |
| 1970 | 9,989 | 19.8% | |
| 1980 | 10,578 | 5.9% | |
| 1990 | 10,573 | 0.0% | |
| 2000 | 9,112 | −13.8% | |
| 2010 | 10,362 | 13.7% | |
| 2020 | 11,183 | 7.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] | |||
As of thecensus[12] of 2010, there were 10,363 people, 2,831 households, and 1,229 families living in the town. Thepopulation density was 569.7 inhabitants per square mile (220.0/km2). There were 3,089 housing units at an average density of 169.8 units per square mile (65.6 units/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.7%White, 1.2%African American, 1.1%Native American, 1.9%Asian, 0.4% fromother races, and 1.7% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.5% of the population.
There were 2,831 households, of which 17.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.9% weremarried couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 56.6% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.77.
The median age in the town was 21.8 years. 8.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 55.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 12.2% were from 25 to 44; 13.1% were from 45 to 64; and 10.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.8% male and 48.2% female.
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