The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-08-10
Names Population Statistics.
Urban and Rural Details Given in the
Census Bureaus Preliminary Statement.

Urban and Rural DETAILS 1lVeh III Tic
Census Bureaus Preliminary Statement.
WASHINGTON, D. c., August 8, 1911.- !
Census Director Durand issued today a |
statement giving additional details in re-
gard to the population figures of Maine,
especially as regards the urban and rural
population of the State. The informa-
ton was taken from the first State bulle
tin for Maine, now in press. prepared I'M
der the supervision of Mr.. William G.
Hunt, chief statistician for population.
"URBAN" AND "RURAL" DEFINED.
Director Durand explains that the
Bureau of the Census experiences con-
siderable difficulty in making the dis
tinction between urban and rural popu-
lation. Any line. of division that is
adopted must of necessity be in some
degree arbitrary. The bureau has de-
fined urban population generally as that
of $500 inhabitants or more. In the
New England States, however, many
large and thriving villages are not in
corporated.
The New England town is commonly
a subdivision of the county of consider
able area, containing within its boundar-
les one or more unincorporated villages
and larger or smaller element of rural
scattered population. AS these villages
are not political units with defined boun-
diaries, their population is not segregated
from that of the town in which they are
located. For this reason the bureau
modifies the definition of urban in the
case of New England States so as to in
clude not only all the cities having $500
inhabitants or more, but also all towns
with that population. 1t is evident, and
is admitted, that the urban population
as thus defined includes some population
that is essentially rural in character;
nevertheless the greater part of it is
distinctly urban, comprising, as it does,
the population of all cities and large vii
lagos.
As applied to New England, there
fore, the comparison between urban and
rural population is in fact comparison
between population that is mostly urban
and a population that is almost entirely
rural Neither class is pure urban or
pure rural.
In the State of Maine the urban popu-
lation as thus made up includes 20 cities
and IS towns having over $500 inhabi-
tants. The aggregate population of
these cities and towns is 3S1, 443, which
is rather more than half, or 51.4 per
cent. of the total population of the
State. Ten years ago, in 1900, the pro-
portion of the population of the State of
Maine living in cities or towns of over
$500 inhabitants was 1876 per cent.
There has, therefore, been a slight in
crease in the percentage of urban popu
laton as here defined.
A comparison of the total population
in 1910 of places having population of
not less than $500 each, with the total
population of the same places in 1900.
shows population increase Of 1913 per
cent This represents the rate of growth
during the decade of communities class
ed as urban in 1910 In the same period
the rural population, comprising the re-
mainder of the State, increased IL per
cent. The population of urban areas IL
creased nearly twice as rapidly as the
State as whole, while the population of
rural territory increased only one-fourth
as fast, the percentage of increase for
the State being SO per cent.
TWENTY CITIES IN MAINE.
Maine has 20 cities. of which the
largest, Portland, has So, ST. inhabitants.
and the next largest. Lewiston, 26, 247
inhabitants. There are cities having
from 10, 600 to 25, 1000 inhabitants, 8 from
5000 to 10000, and from 2, 500 to 5000,
respectively. The aggregate population
of the 20 cities of the State is 245, TAI,
or 81 per cent, of the total population:
The aggregate population of the 7
cities in Maine having over 10, 600 inhab-
itants each was 1866, 433, or %. 4 per cent.
of the total population of the State. In
1900 these cities had an aggregate popu-
lation of 1902. The increase from
1900 to 1910 was, therefore, 20, 421, or IA
per cent, while the aggregate popula-
ton of the State in the same period in
creased only SO per cent. Considering
these cities individually the percentages
of increase in the last decade range from
SIS per cert. in case of Biddeford to 20. 8
per cent for Waterville. Portland in
creased 1853 per cent; in the preceding
decade, 1890 to 1900, it increased 81. Z
per cent.
In addition to the 20 cities already
mentioned Maine contains 81 communi-
ties incorporated as villages The ag-
gregate population of these q villages
in 1910 was IS, 436, or 4.S per cent. of the
total population of the State.
MAINE HAS 16 COUNTIES.
Maine has l6 counties, the populations
of which range from 1925 for Lincoln
county to 112, Ola for Cumberland coun-
ty. Six counties, namely, Washington,
Hancock, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, and
Sagadahoc, declined in population be-
tween 1900 and 1910, the percentages of
decrease ranging from 3.3 per cent in
Waldo county to Sc per cent. in Sagada-
hoe 1t is rather noteworthy that these
declining counties form an unbroken tier
of seacoast counties extending eastward
from Cumberland to the eastern bound
airy of TIE State.
All the other counties of Maine have
increased in population, the percentages
of increase ranging from 81 per cent.
for Franklin county to 22.9 per cent. for
Aroostook, the absolute increases ranging
from 675 for Franklin county to Is, 92O
for Aroostook. Especially noteworthy
is the large increase that has taken place
in the population of Aroostook county, as
this county contains no important cities
but is mainly rural. If to the increase
of 1920 in the population of Aroostook
county is added the increase of 20, 42l
in the population of the seven leading
cities of Maine, all located in other coun-
ties, the total accounts for about 70 per
cent of the total increase in the popula-
ton of the State.
The census bulletin includes table
chourin,r the nonllat ion of tho State of