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Mars Hill is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States, nestled at the foot of Mars Hill Mountain. The town borders Wicklow Parish, New Brunswick, Canada. The region is mainly agricultural. The population was 1,360 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Timeline of events

The town of Mars Hill is named for Hezekiah Mars, who camped for three years at the base of Mars Hill Mountain. In 1834, the first industry was cutting timber, particularly trees for masts. Farming later became important. Following the end of the Aroostook War in 1839, a boundary line between Maine and New Brunswick was cleared and iron markers were put in place three years later. The first mill opened at Rocky Brook in 1856. In 1860, the first school was established for the community of Mars Hill. Further development of the community was delayed until after the American Civil War. The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad arrived in 1892, allowing shipment of local produce to distant markets.

In 1906, the White Mountain Telephone Company, later known as the Aroostook Telephone & Telegraph Company, opened a new office in Mars Hill. A six-bed community hospital was established in 1912. In 1922, an intense fire devastated the business district in town. Businesses were promptly rebuilt. In 1937, the Walter T.A. Hansen Memorial Library opened. In the 1960s, Big Rock Ski Area was founded on Mars Hill Mountain.

In 2006, Maine's first wind farm was installed along the top and northern side of Mars Hill Mountain.

Military presence

During and after World War II, Mars Hill and the economies of surrounding towns were dominated by military spending. In 1947, the Limestone Army Air Field was built in Limestone. It opened in 1953 and was renamed the Loring Air Force Base. Aroostook County was chosen due to its strategic location as the closest point in the continental United States to Europe. The 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended the closure of the Loring Air Force Base, and it closed in 1994.

Big Rock Ski Area

During the late 1950s, two hundred acres were purchased to develop a local recreation area, and by 1960 the Big Rock Ski Area was opened. Big Rock Ski Center was purchased in 2000 by the Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC), through grants by the Libra Foundation.

Wind power development

On March 27, 2007, a wind farm project was commissioned to be constructed on Mars Hill Mountain by First Wind, a Massachusetts-based renewable energy company. The Mars Hill Wind Farm was projected to have cost $85 million. A total of 28  General Electric 1.5  megawatt turbines were installed along the ridge and in the northern section of the mountain. The wind

farm generates about 130  million kilowatt hours (kW·h) per year (15  MW·yr/yr), with a capacity factor of 35%. Mars Hill Wind Farm was the first utility-scale facility in Maine, with projected capacity to produce enough electricity to power 20,000 homes. Mars Hill Wind Farm exports electricity to New Brunswick Power and has become an important component in the local economy.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,493 people, 614 households, and 413 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 687 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.3% White, 0.2% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 614 households, of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.7% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the town was 44 years. 21% of residents were under the age of 18 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24 21.6% were from 25 to 44 26.8% were from 45 to 64 and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,480 people, 614 households, and 413 families