Biddeford is a city in York County in the US state of Maine. In 2020, 22,552 people lived there in 10,686 households on an area of 89.5 km².
According to the United States Census Bureau, Biddeford has a total
area of 89.5 km², of which 77.7 km² is land and 11.8 km² is water.
Geographical location
Biddeford is about four kilometers west of
the mouth of the Saco River in the Atlantic Ocean on the river's south
bank. In the center of the city are the Saco Falls, which were important
to the city's industrialization through the use of its hydroelectric
power. Across the river is the sister city of Saco. Biddeford is a major
industrial and commercial center of York County.
All distances are given as the crow flies between the official
coordinates of the 2010 census locations.
North and East: Saco, 10.2
km
South: Kennebunkport, 8.6 km
Southwest: Arundel, 6.8 miles
West: Dayton, 12 miles
There are several settlement areas in Biddeford: Biddeford, Biddeford Pool, Five Points, Fort Hill, Fortunes Rock, Granite Point, Guinea Corner, Hills Beach, Hoyt Neck, Newtown, Oak Ridge, Tattle Corner, Tea Kettle Corner and Timber Point.
The mean average temperature in Biddeford ranges from −6.1 °C (21 °F) in January to 20.6 °C (69 °F) in July. This means that the place is about 9 degrees cooler than the long-term mean of the USA. Snowfall between October and May is up to eight feet, more than twice the mean snow depth in the United States; the daily sunshine duration is at the lower end of the value spectrum for the USA.
Biddeford was organized as a Town on 17 November 1718 and as a City
in 18555. Initially, Biddeford was part of what is now known as the
"twin towns" of Saco.
The lower Saco River area was first
explored by Martin Pring in 1603, by Samuel de Champlain in 1604, and by
the adventurer John Smith in 1614. The physician Richard Vines founded
what is believed to be the earliest settlement in Maine in 1616 in what
is now Biddeford Pool, then called Winter Harbor. Vines spent the
following winter there, returning with John Oldham in 1630. They settled
on the side of the river where Biddeford is today. A year later, in
1631, more settlers arrived and settled on the other side of the river,
today's Saco. The name is believed to derive from Bideford in
Devonshire, where early settlers came from and gave the area its old
home name. The area was destroyed in Queen Anne's War, after which the
Massachusetts General Court approved resettlement. The area was settled
again from 1714.
In 1717 a shop was opened near Biddeford Pool by
Samuel Jordan. He protected his house from Indian attacks with a strong
stone wall. The area in the valley of the Saco River was settled by the
Pigwacket. Under their chief Squanto, the settlement was attacked during
King Philip's War. Squanto turned against the settlers after they
capsized a canoe in which his wife and their child was on the Saco
River. The child died shortly thereafter. The fighters destroyed two of
the settlers' mills to drive them out, but they remain. The fighters
also failed to bring a truck with combustible material into the
settlement, as it lost its wheel in a pothole. In the ensuing firefight,
six natives died and 15 were wounded.
The area west and east of
the Saco River with Winter Harbor was organized in 1718 as Town
Biddeford. Most of the settlers in the area lived along the river, near
the Fort Mary garrison, or in Winter Harbor. They engaged in
agriculture, fishing and trade.
The population grew to more than
1000 inhabitants in 1762. Lumbering was the main industry until the
early nineteenth century, after which textile manufacture dominated for
100 years from the mid-nineteenth century. First Irish, then French
Canadians, came to work in the factories. The French came after 1870 and
in 1910 elected the first mayor from the French community.
Biddeford is York County's largest city and a major center of industry
and commerce. While many communities have lost population, Biddeford,
the state's sixth-largest city, has maintained and expanded its
population. The city is home to the University of New England.
In
1881, Biddeford already had seven cotton mills with 165,000 spindles.
The Boston and Maine and the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroads
each had a station here. The 1903 list of active unions reflects the
local economy at the time: bricklayers, stonemasons and plasterers;
carpenters and joiners; cigar maker; iron caster; loom fasteners
[textile]; painters, decorators and upholsterers; Plumber; Slashers
[textile]; typographers.
Museums
The Biddford Mills Museum commemorates the historic and
cultural milling heritage of Biddeford and the surrounding area. It
wants to document and preserve this and offer educational and community
programs and events to a broad public. It is located at 2 Main Street,
Biddeford.
buildings
A number of structures, historic sites
and districts in Biddeford have been designated National Monuments and
are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Biddeford Main
Street Historic District, 2009 under registration no. 09001146.
Biddeford-Saco Mills Historic District, 2008 under registration no.
08001258.
Berwick High School, 2012 under register no. 11001059.
Memorial Chapel, 2018 under registration no. 100002594.
Biddeford
City Hall, 1973 under register no. 73000156.
Dudley Block, 1982 under
register no. 82000428.
Emery School, 2011 under register no.
11000819.
First Parish Meetinghouse, 1972 under register no.
72000080.
James Montgomery Flagg House, 1980 under register no.
80000260.
St. Andre's Parish, 2015 under register no. 15000771
St.
Joseph's School, 1983 under register no. 83003708.
Stage Island
Monument, 2019 under the register no. 100004341.
John Tarr House,
1980 under register no. 80000263.
Timber Point, 2016 under
registration no. 16000786.
US Post Office, 1973 under the register
no. 73000161.
At Biddeford Pool they are:
Fletcher's Neck
Lifesaving Station, 1974 under registration no. 74000195.
Wood Island
Light Statione, 1988 under registration no. 87002274.
Traffic
Interstate 95 runs near Biddeford, connecting the town
with major Maine cities. In addition, the Cummings–Portland railway,
which is also used for passenger services, runs through the town. A
Downeaster train stops five times a day (as of 2015) in each direction
at Biddeford-Saco station, which, however, is in the neighboring town of
Saco. The Portland–Portsmouth railway line, which also passes through
the town, has been closed except for a short industrial connection north
of Biddeford. Also gone are the tram routes of the Biddeford and Saco
Railroad and the York Utilities Corporation that served the Biddeford
township until the 1930s. The air connection is guaranteed by the
Biddeford Municipal Airport on the southern outskirts of the city, the
nearest airport with scheduled flights is in Portland.
Media
Two weekly newspapers are published in the Biddeford/Saco area: the
Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier and The Journal Tribune.
Public
facilities
With more than 220 beds, the Southern Maine Medical Center
ensures the medical care of Biddeford and the surrounding area. At the
same time, with over 1,100 employees, it is the largest employer in
town.
Education
Biddeford offers all pre-, elementary, middle
and high school classes. In addition, Biddeford is the seat of a branch
of the University of New England.
In neighboring Saco there is
also a private high school, Thornton Academy.
Culture
A
refurbished 1896 opera house, Biddeford's City Theater seats just under
500 and hosts a variety of theatre, dance and music performances
throughout the year.