Levant, Maine
Levant, Maine Location within the state of Maine
Coordinates: 44°52′35″N 68°59′14″W / 44.87639, -68.98722
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Penobscot
Area
- Total	30.0 sq mi (77.6 km²)
- Land	30.0 sq mi (77.6 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	295 ft (90 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	2,171
- Density	72.5/sq mi (28.0/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	04456
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-38705
GNIS feature ID	0582553

Levant is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,171 at the 2000 census.

History

Originally called "Kenduskeag Plantation", the town was founded in 1802 by Maj. Moses Hodsden, who built 3 houses, a sawmill, a grist-mill, a store, and a blacksmith shop in what is not the village of Kenduskeag. At the time, these were likely the only framed buildings between Bangor and the Kennebec River. In 1813 the plantation became a town, and was given the name Levant, which is that part of The Middle East which borders the Mediterranean.

In 1852, the village of Kenduskeag broke away from the rest of Levant, and took part of the neighboring town of Glenburn, Maine, to form the present town of Kenduskeag, Maine. Prior to the break the town had 1,841 inhabitants.

In early 1824, Levant Congregational minister John Bovee Dods claimed that he was visited by a spirit, and his house subsequently became the site of poltergeist activity. Perhaps a hundred curious people were said to have visited and witnessed these events. Dods became a Universalist in 1826, and moved to nearby Union, Maine, though he continued to preach in Levant. He later moved to Massachusetts and became an early psychologist, publishing The Philosophy of Electrical Psychology in 1850, and lecturing widely. In 1856 he converted to spiritualism, and became a leading figure in that religion in New York City.^[1]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 30.0 square miles (77.6 km²), of which, 30.0 square miles (77.6 km²) of it is land and 0.03% is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 2,171 people, 784 households, and 609 families residing in the town. The population density was 72.5 people per square mile (28.0/km²). There were 829 housing units at an average density of 27.7/sq mi (10.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.51% White, 0.14% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.

There were 784 households out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,290, and the median income for a family was $45,368. Males had a median income of $32,214 versus $22,431 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,671. About 9.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

Coordinates: 44°52′09″N, 68°56′05″W

References

1. ^ John B. Buescher, The Other Side of Salvation: Spiritualism and the 19th Century Religious Experience (Boston: Skinner House, 2004)
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.