| Official Name: | Newcastle, Maine |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Mapsize: | 260px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Maine |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Lincoln |
| Established Title: | Incorporated (district) |
| Established Date: | June 19, 1753 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Km2: | 84.36 |
| Area Land Km2: | 75.24 |
| Area Water Km2: | 9.12 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 32.57 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 29.05 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 3.52 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 1848 |
| Population Density Km2: | 24.6 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation Ft: | 30 |
| Coordinates: | 44.0347°N -69.5369°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 04553 |
| Area Code: | 207 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 23-48645 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0582617 |
| Established Title1: | Incorporated (town) |
| Established Date1: | August 23, 1775 |
Newcastle is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,848 at the 2020 census.[1] The village of Newcastle is located in the eastern part of the town,[2] on the Damariscotta River. Together with the village of Damariscotta linked by the Main Street bridge, they form the Twin Villages (see Damariscotta-Newcastle CDP).
Originally called Sheepscot Plantation, Newcastle was first settled in the 1630s by fishermen and around 50 families. Around 1649–1650, John Mason purchased a tract of land from the sachems Chief Robinhood and Chief Jack Pudding. The territory was claimed in 1665 by the Duke of York. Renamed New Dartmouth, the plantation was attacked and destroyed in 1676 during King Philip's War.[3] When the war was over, some of the inhabitants returned. But it was destroyed again in 1689 during King William's War, and the village was not reoccupied for about 40 years. In 1730, Colonel David Dunbar, the superintendent and governor of the Province of Sagadahoc, resettled it as Newcastle, named in honor of the Duke of Newcastle.
In 1978, the village of Sheepscot on the Sheepscot River in western Newcastle was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Sheepscot Historic District. It includes 51 buildings in the Italianate, Greek Revival, and Federal styles, on 12000acres. (The USGS recognizes Sheepscott, Shepscooke, Shippscutt, and Shipscot as variants of the name Sheepscot.)
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.57sqmi, of which 29.05sqmi is land and 3.52sqmi is water.[4] Newcastle is situated beside the Damariscotta River.
The town is crossed by U. S. Route 1 and state routes 194 and 215. It borders the towns of Jefferson to the north, Edgecomb to the south, and Alna to the northwest. Separated by water, it is near the towns of Wiscasset to the southwest, and Nobleboro, Damariscotta, Bristol and South Bristol to the east.
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 1,748 people, 724 households, and 493 families living in the town. The population density was 60.3sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 880 housing units at an average density of 30.4sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 98.74% White, 0.11% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
There were 724 households, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,000, and the median income for a family was $51,250. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $28,466 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,289. About 4.2% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
As of the census[6] of 2010, there were 1,752 people, 787 households, and 505 families living in the town. The population density was 60.3PD/sqmi. There were 992 housing units at an average density of 34.1/sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.8% White, 0.1% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.
There were 787 households, of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.8% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.70.
The median age in the town was 49.6 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.8% were from 25 to 44; 33.4% were from 45 to 64; and 23.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.