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Scarborough is a town in Cumberland County on the southern coast of Maine. It is located about 7 miles (10 km) south of Portland. As of the 2000 census, the town had 16,970 people in 7,244 households, and an area of 54 square miles (140 km²). Since 1969, the town has had a Council-manager government.
History
Early in the 17th century, John Stratton opened a trading post on Stratton Island, just offshore. Soon after the Massachusetts Bay Colony began expanding, he attracted settlers both to the island and the nearby mainland. On July 14, 1658, Massachusetts granted them a town charter as Scarboro. By 1676, the town had over a hundred houses. But then a series of Indian attacks killed many settlers and destroyed the town. After several attempts at rebuilding and more attacks, the survivors abandoned the site in 1680 and moved to Portland or back to Boston.
Resettlement started in 1702 and several forts and blockhouses were built. Despite some attacks, the second settlement succeeded. By 1730, the area was economically prosperous. Cattle and timber were important local products for export, and available water power encouraged the opening of several saw mills.
Education
- Eight Corners Elementary School
- Pleasant Hill Elementary School
- Blue Point Elementary School
- Wentworth Intermediate School
- Scarborough Middle School
- Scarborough High School
Sports
- Red Storm (formerly the Redskins)
- Interesting note about the Scarborough sports team name: When it was decided to drop the name "Redskins" in favor of something more politically correct, students enrolled in the Scarborough public school system were allowed to vote on a new team name. After all votes had been tallied, the name "Titans" won by a wide margin. However, a few vocal parents decided that titans, figures from Greek mythology, would not be suitable mascots due to the fact that they "just weren't nice." Not eager to spark new controversy, the school board settled on the next most popular name: Red Storm.
Famous People
- William King, first governor of Maine
- Rufus King, U.S. Senator from New York and U. S. Ambassador to Great Britain
- Winslow Homer, noted artist
- Richard deCosta, composer, oneironaut