Maine Counties

Piscataquis

Piscataquis County, incorporated in 1838, is one of Maine’s largest counties, encompassing 3,780 square miles of Maine and making it one of the largest counties east of the Mississippi River.

The county is land-locked and geographically located in the center of Maine, bordered by Somerset County on the West and Penobscot County on the East. The name Piscataquis is derived from an Abnaki word meaning "rapid waters." Piscataquis County is home to the 204,733 Baxter State Park, named after former Maine Governor Percival P. Baxter, who provided the land as a gift to the people of Maine.

Piscataquis County is known for its forests and lakes, which attract summer and winter visitors.

Baxter State Park is also home to Mount Katahdin, Maine's tallest mountain at 5,267 feet and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail and Moosehead Lake, Maine's largest lake. Slate mining and crafting is and continues to be a strong industry in Piscataquis County, from which John F. Kennedy’s gravestone was mined.

In 2002, the per capita personal income in Piscataquis County was $22,699. This was an increase of 27.2% from 1997. The 2002 figure was 73% of the national per capita income, which was $30,906.

SIZE:
3,770 square miles

INCORPORATED:
1838

COUNTY SEAT:
Dover-Foxcroft

POPULATION:
17,235

TOWNS:
Abbott, Atkinson, Beaver Cove, Bowerbank, Brownville, Dover-Foxcroft, Greenville, Guilford, Medford, Milo, Monson, Parkman, Sangerville, Sebec, Shirley, Wellington and Willimantic

PLANTATIONS:
Kingsbury and Lake View