Concept

Peru, Maine

Summary
Peru is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,488 at the 2020 census. It was granted by the Massachusetts General Court to several residents from Falmouth, Maine. The first grantee to settle would be Merrill Knight in 1793. Organized in 1812 as Plantation Number 1 (also Thompsontown), it was incorporated on February 5, 1821, as the 240th town in Maine. Peru was named in the spirit of liberty and solidarity for Peru, the South American country which declared independence from Spain on July 28, 1821. With dark soil free from stones, farming was an early industry. The chief crop was hay, and raising sheep became a common occupation. In addition, there were five sawmills which manufactured long and short lumber, as well as specialty products like wooden bowls. In 1870, the population was 931. Formerly possessing an independent public school department, Peru joined Maine School Administrative District 21 in 2006. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Peru is drained by the Androscoggin River. Worthley Pond, two miles long by one-half mile wide, is in the southern part of the town. As of the census of 2010, there were 1,541 people, 629 households, and 446 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 909 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.6% White, 0.6% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.3% of the population. There were 629 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.1% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.82.
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