Kennebec County, Maine

Kennebec County is a located in the  of. In 2000, its population was 117,114. Its is. The of Maine is located in Kennebec County, in the city of.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 2,464 (951 ). 2,247 km² (868 sq mi) of it is land and 217 km² (84 sq mi) of it (8.79%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

 * - north
 * - east
 * - south
 * - south
 * - southwest
 * - northwest

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 117,114 people, 47,683 households, and 31,327 families residing in the county. The was 52/km² (135/sq mi). There were 56,364 housing units at an average density of 25/km² (65/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 97.45%, 0.34% or , 0.40% , 0.59% , 0.02% , 0.18% from , and 1.02% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were or  of any race. 20.6% were of, 17.4% , 13.4% , 10.9% or American and 9.9%  ancestry according to. 92.5% spoke only at home, while 5.48% spoke.

There were 47,683 households out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.60% were living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.30% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.80% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,498, and the median income for a family was $43,814. Males had a median income of $32,279 versus $24,032 for females. The for the county was $18,520. About 8.50% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the, including 13.20% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns


The county also includes the territory of, which has no major towns.

Economy
Kennebec County's economy has traditionally been industrial. A large amount of paper and textiles were produced, and mills sprung up all along the Kennebec river. With the advent of NAFTA, GATT, and PNTR with China, many of these mills have closed. Farmers have also been gradually leaving as well. However, there is some promise in light industry returning. However, the county has a problem in that many new people are coming, but solely for welfare benefits. This means the tax base is not increasing but welfare rolls are. Despite this, employment increased by 1.8% in 2006 (in 2005, that number was 1.5%). The median house hold income is currently $36,498. The unemployment rate is currently at 4.2% (lower than it has been in a year).

Education
There are three colleges: Colby and Thomas (both in Waterville), and the University of Maine at Augusta. There are 19 school districts (however, 4 are consolidated ones). In China Maine, there is no public Highschool, but a private school (Erskine academy) exists, and the town pays for students tuition if they choose to attend. Students from Vassalboro can pick from one of six school districts (Cony in Augusta, Erskine, Winslow, Waterville, Messalonskee in Oakland, or Lawrence which is in Fairfield, Somerset county). However, many towns have local public highschools.

Religion
There are many churches in Kennebec county, the largest being: Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, Congregationalist, Unitarian, Church of the Nazarene, Church of Christ, Adventist, and there is even a community of Mormons. However, the largest single denomination are Roman Catholics.

Politics
Kennebec County tends to support candidates to the left of the political center. While the more rural areas support the, the bigger cities are strongly. Democrats have won carried the county in recent presidential elections.