Kennebunkport, Maine

Archeological evidence exists of activity in the area now known as Cape Porpoise 7000 years ago. In 1602, the time of contact with Europeans, it was occupied by communities of the Almouchiquois people, who referred to the area as Nampscoscock. According to 1640 land records, a sagamore of that community was "Thomas" Chabinock. Indian settlements continued to be present and interspersed with English colonial settlements during that time and later during Maine statehood. When the United States Congress was debating the Indian Removal Act, residents of Kennebunk sent to Congress a statement advocating for the preservation of Indian rights and property. A settlement of Penobscot and Passamaquoddy continued until at least the 1880s. The town was renamed Arundel in 1701, and the town center located inland at Burbank Hill. On August 8, 1782, Arundel was under attack by two loyalist vessels: the 16 gun brig "Miriam" [Richard Pomroy] and the schooner "Hammond" [Doty] captured two unnamed vessels from Newbury Massachusetts (a schooner and a sloop). The sloop was burned after it went aground on Goat Island. A battle took place between the vessels and the militia ashore. The Patriot casualties were Captain James Burnham killed in action; civilian Samuel Wildes was wounded when he demanded the Loyalists return the vessels they had taken. In 1821 the town was renamed again, this time to Kennebunkport in reflection to its economy becoming one of shipbuilding and trade along the Kennebunk River. By the 1870s the town had developed as a popular summer destination, with both hotels and homes constructed along its coastline. Cape Arundel, Cape Porpoise, and Beachwood (now called Goose Rocks) were some of the early summer colonies; although Cape Porpoise was, and still is, a working fishing harbor. Since 1939, Kennebunkport has been home to the Seashore Trolley Museum. The Great Fires of 1947, which devastated much of York County, affected Kennebunkport and especially the area near Goose Rocks Beach. Much of the housing near Goose Rocks Beach was destroyed by the fire, but the area has since recovered and been rebuilt. ==Geology==

Like much of the northeast coast, the geography of the southern Maine coast was largely directed by the retreat of the Laurentide ice cap about 23,000 years ago. The coast is framed by bedrock, left during the formation of the Appalachian mountains, and the irregular shape of the coast (characteristic of much of the New England coast, with the exception of Cape Cod and the islands) is attributed to differential erosion of the underlying rock layer. The coast along Kennebunkport differs sharply from the Maine coast north and east of Portland due to differences in the composition of this rock layer. Beyond Portland, the layer is a largely metamorphic rock, but here the coast is a mixture of igneous rock, and embayments of more deeply eroded sedimentary and metamorphic rock. These embayments result in the sandy beaches that can be found in southern Maine (such as Goose Rocks Beach, Colony Beach, and nearby Kennebunk Beach) but are uncommon north of Portland. Likewise, the geology here differs from that of the outer lands (Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Block Island in Rhode Island, and Long Island in New York), which were formed as terminal and recessional moraines, and do not contain much in the way of a bedrock skeleton. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The town has several distinct areas, each developed during a phase of the town's history. The original town center was at Cape Porpoise, which today has a small village center, is both a summer colony and year-round community, and hosts a working fishing harbor. Inland from Cape Porpoise is a mix of forest and agricultural land, punctuated by a historic town center at Burbank Hill (there are a few historic buildings of interest here, including a schoolhouse and jail). Heading west, towards the mouth of the Kennebunk River is Dock Square, the current town center. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Kennebunkport, and especially Cape Arundel (also known as Point Arundel), developed as a summer colony for the wealthy. Traveling from Dock Square along Ocean Avenue is the Cape Arundel Summer Colony Historic District. This district of many well-preserved examples of early-20th-century shingle-style cottages begins at Chick's Creek and ends at Walker's Point. Climate This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Kennebunkport has a humid continental climate, abbreviated Dfb on climate maps. Adjacent municipalities • Biddeford (north) • Kennebunk (southwest) • Arundel (west) Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge has a significant portion of lands in Kennebunkport, northeast of Cape Porpoise and through Goose Rocks. Within Kennebunkport, much of this protected land is salt-water marsh. ==Summer home of the Bush family==

Kennebunkport was also the summer home of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, father of former U.S. President George W. Bush. First built by Bush's maternal grandfather George Herbert Walker, it has been a family home ever since, and has been owned by the Bush family since sometime in the early 1980s. The Bushes' ancestry is distinct from the Walker family that settled York County, Maine. Some of this family's Walker relatives are buried in the Kennebunkport area ancient cemeteries. During his presidency, George H.W. Bush often invited world leaders, from Margaret Thatcher to Mikhail Gorbachev, to Kennebunkport. In 2007, his son George W. Bush invited Vladimir Putin and Nicolas Sarkozy. The Bush compound is on Walkers Point, called Point Vesuvius prior to the Walker family's acquisition. ==Demographics==

As of 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $54,219, and the median income for a family was $66,505. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $34,028 for females. The per capita income for the town was $36,707. About 1.7% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over. 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 3,474 people, 1,578 households, and 1,039 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,897 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.0% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 1,578 households, of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.68. The median age in the town was 51.8 years. 17.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.2% were from 25 to 44; 36.5% were from 45 to 64, and 24.7% were 65 years of age or older. The sex makeup of the town was 47.5% male and 52.5% female. ==Education==

It is in the Regional School Unit 21. ==Gallery==

File:Kennebunkport South Congregational Church 2004-12-03.jpg|South Congregational Church File:Kennebunkport ME harbor.jpg|The harbor File:Boats on the Kennebunk River at Kennebunkport, Maine.jpg|Boats on the Kennebunk River File:Ocean Ave, K'port 1.jpg|Businesses on Ocean Avenue File:Dock-square-1.jpg|View of Dock Square File:Kennebunkport Public Library.jpg|Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library File:Kennebunkport Lithuanian monument.jpg|Monument dedicated to Lithuanians who died fighting for Lithuania's freedom File:Walkers-point.aug2008.jpg|Protestors on Ocean Ave. near the Bush Compound, in 2008 File:Kennebunkport Welcome Sign.jpg|Kennebunkport welcome sign and town line, in 2008 == Notable people ==

• Margaret Deland, novelist • Dan Goodwin, building, rock, and sports climber • Frank Handlen, painter • Garnet Hathaway, professional ice hockey player • Joshua Herrick, US congressman • Dick McCabe, racing driver and champion • Shiloh Pepin, Sirenomelia patient with legs fused • George Clement Perkins, 14th governor of California • Kenneth Roberts, author • Booth Tarkington, novelist and dramatist • George Herbert Walker, banker and grandfather of US President George H. W. Bush • Neil Clark Warren, online dating service chairman == In popular culture ==

Kennebunkport was featured in the 2003 filming of the film Empire Falls by Maine author Richard Russo, with a downtown book shop making a notable appearance. Robin Wright appeared on set in Kennebunkport. Other films with scenes shot in Kennebunkport include Lost Boundaries (1949), The Man Who Knew Bush (2004 documentary), The Living Wake (2007), 41 (2012 documentary) and US Route 1-ME (2012). ''My Husband's Double Life'' was partially set in the town, but filmed in Toronto. ==References==