History

Founding

The County of Knox was incorporated on April 1, 1860. It was formed from portions of Lincoln and Waldo Counties, and its creation was primarily done to allow the public quicker access to county services. Knox County is the youngest of the counties in the State of Maine. Its namesake, General Henry Knox, a Revolutionary War General, is famed as the father of American army artillery and the first U.S. Secretary of War. General Knox was a resident of the Town of Thomaston from 1796 until he died in 1806.

Demographics

Knox County is on the western side of the Penobscot Bay region of Mid-coast Maine, nestled between Lincoln and Waldo Counties. It covers approximately 1,144 square miles, 365 square miles of land, and 779 square miles of water. There are approximately 700 linear miles of public roads and approximately 3,500 miles of coastline.

Knox County comprises 17 organized communities, 1 plantation, and 4 unorganized territories, with a combined population of approximately 40,600 residents. These communities are Appleton, Camden, Cushing, Friendship, Hope, Isle Au Haut, Matinicus Isle, North Haven, Owls Head, Ragged Island (Criehaven), Robinson's Rock Island, Rockland (county seat), Rockport, Saddle Island, Saint George, South Thomaston, Thomaston, Two Bush Island, Union, Vinalhaven, Warren, and Washington.