Piscataquis County | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Maine | |
 Maine's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 45°33′55″N 69°20′01″W / 45.565186°N 69.333687°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Maine |
| Founded | March 23, 1838 |
| Named for | Piscataquis River |
| Seat | Dover-Foxcroft |
| Largest town | Dover-Foxcroft |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,378 sq mi (11,340 km2) |
| • Land | 3,961 sq mi (10,260 km2) |
| • Water | 417 sq mi (1,080 km2) 9.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 16,800 |
| • Density | 3.8/sq mi (1.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Piscataquis County (/pɪˈskætəkwɪs/ pih-SKAT-ə-kwiss) is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,800, making it Maine's least-populous county.[1] Its county seat is Dover-Foxcroft.[2] The county was incorporated on March 23, 1838, taken from the western part of Penobscot County and the eastern part of Somerset County. It is named for an Abenaki word meaning "branch of the river" or "at the river branch."
Originally, the county extended north to the Canada–US border, but in 1844 its northern portion was annexed by Aroostook County. In terms of land area, Piscataquis is one of the largest U.S. counties east of the Mississippi River. It is also one of two counties in the Northeast (and seven counties east of the Mississippi River)[3][a] that meet Frederick Jackson Turner's requirements for "frontier" country – that is, having fewer than six inhabitants per square mile, the other being Hamilton County, New York.
Baxter State Park, a large wilderness preserve, is located in Piscataquis County.
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Piscataquis County, Maine". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ source: US Census Bureau. "Frontier Counties of the United States 2010 (archived)". Rural Health Information Hub. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
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