List of counties in Maine
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Map of Maine's counties
List
| County |
FIPS code[1] | Seat[2] | Established[2] | Origin | Meaning of name | Population (2020)[3] | Area[2][4] | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Androscoggin County | 001 | Auburn | 1854 | From parts of Cumberland County, Kennebec County, and Lincoln County | The Androscoggin Native American tribe. | 111,139 | 497 sq mi (1,287 km2) |
State map highlighting Androscoggin County |
| Aroostook County | 003 | Houlton | 1839 | From parts of Penobscot County, and Washington County | A Mi'kmaq word meaning beautiful river. | 67,105 | 6,829 sq mi (17,687 km2) |
State map highlighting Aroostook County |
| Cumberland County | 005 | Portland | 1761 | As Cumberland County, Massachusetts from part of York County | Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, son of George II of Great Britain. | 303,069 | 1,217 sq mi (3,152 km2) |
State map highlighting Cumberland County |
| Franklin County | 007 | Farmington | 1838 | From parts of Kennebec County, Oxford County, and Somerset County | Benjamin Franklin, the Founding Father, scientist, printer, and diplomat. | 29,456 | 1,744 sq mi (4,517 km2) |
State map highlighting Franklin County |
| Hancock County | 009 | Ellsworth | 1790 | As Hancock County, Massachusetts, from part of Lincoln County | John Hancock (1737–1793), the Founding Father and president of the convention that produced the United States Declaration of Independence. | 55,478 | 2,351 sq mi (6,089 km2) |
State map highlighting Hancock County |
| Kennebec County | 011 | Augusta | 1799 | As Kennebec County, Massachusetts from part of Lincoln County | The Kennebec River in Maine. | 123,642 | 951 sq mi (2,463 km2) |
State map highlighting Kennebec County |
| Knox County | 013 | Rockland | 1860 | From parts of Lincoln County and Waldo County | Henry Knox (1750–1806), the first United States Secretary of War (1789 - 1794), who lived in Thomaston, Maine. | 40,607 | 1,142 sq mi (2,958 km2) |
|
| Lincoln County | 015 | Wiscasset | 1760 | As Lincoln County, Massachusetts from part of York County | The city of Lincoln, England. | 35,237 | 700 sq mi (1,813 km2) |
State map highlighting Lincoln County |
| Oxford County | 017 | Paris | 1805 | As Oxford County, Massachusetts from parts of Cumberland County and York County | Probably named for Oxford, Massachusetts. | 57,777 | 2,175 sq mi (5,633 km2) |
State map highlighting Oxford County |
| Penobscot County | 019 | Bangor | 1816 | As Penobscot County, Massachusetts from part of Hancock County | The Penobscot Native American tribe. | 152,199 | 3,556 sq mi (9,210 km2) |
State map highlighting Penobscot County |
| Piscataquis County | 021 | Dover-Foxcroft | 1838 | From parts of Penobscot County and Somerset County | An Abenaki word meaning rapid waters. | 16,800 | 4,377 sq mi (11,336 km2) |
State map highlighting Piscataquis County |
| Sagadahoc County | 023 | Bath | 1854 | From part of Lincoln County | A Abenaki word meaning mouth of big river. | 36,699 | 370 sq mi (958 km2) |
State map highlighting Sagadahoc County |
| Somerset County | 025 | Skowhegan | 1809 | As Somerset County, Massachusetts from parts of Kennebec County | The county of Somerset in England. | 50,477 | 4,095 sq mi (10,606 km2) |
State map highlighting Somerset County |
| Waldo County | 027 | Belfast | 1827 | From parts of Hancock County, Kennebec County and Lincoln County | Samuel Waldo, Maine landowner and a colonial soldier in the 1745 siege of Louisbourg. | 39,607 | 853 sq mi (2,209 km2) |
State map highlighting Waldo County |
| Washington County | 029 | Machias | 1790 | As Washington County, Massachusetts from part of Lincoln County | George Washington, the first President of the United States. | 31,095 | 3,255 sq mi (8,430 km2) |
State map highlighting Washington County |
| York County | 031 | Alfred | 1652 | As Yorkshire County, Massachusetts from the southern part of the District of Maine. Renamed York County by Massachusetts in 1668 | York, England, the birthplace of Christopher Levett who first attempted to settle the area. | 211,972 | 1,271 sq mi (3,292 km2) |
State map highlighting York County |
Song
A song is taught to many elementary school children across the state, entitled the Maine County Song, to aid in memorizing the names of the state's 16 counties. It is sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle.
- Sixteen counties has our state
- Cumberland and Franklin
- Piscataquis and Kennebec
- Oxford, Androscoggin
- Waldo, Washington, and York
- Lincoln, Knox, and Hancock
- Sagadahoc and Somerset
- Aroostook and Penobscot[5]
An alternate version as put forth by the Maine Secretary of State's Kids' Page:
- The sixteen counties in our state
- Are Cumberland and Franklin
- Piscataquis and Somerset
- Aroostook, Androscoggin
- Sagadahoc and Kennebec
- Lincoln, Knox and Hancock
- Waldo, Washington and York
- Oxford and Penobscot[6]
However the traditional version is:
- Sixteen counties in our state
- are Cumberland and Franklin
- Waldo York Piscataquis
- Oxford and Androscoggin
- Washington and Somerset
- Lincoln Knox and Hancock
- Kennebec Sagadahoc
- Aroostook and Penobscot
References
- ↑ "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA.gov. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 National Association of Counties. "NACo County Explorer". Retrieved 2015-10-25.
- ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Maine".
- ↑ "Maine QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". State & County QuickFacts. Archived from the original on 2007-04-10. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
- ↑ "16 counties fit nicely in 'Yankee Doodle'". Archived from the original on 2012-07-27. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- ↑ "Secretary of State Kid's Page (Home)". Archived from the original on 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2012-03-25.