Sanford, Maine Sanford is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Maine, United States. Sanford includes the village of Springvale. The town is situated on the Mousam River. History Sanford is in the western portion of a tract of land purchased in 1661 from Abenaki Chief Fluellin by Major William Phillips, an owner of mills in Saco. In 1696, Mrs. Phillips willed it to her former husband's son, Peleg Sanford, from whom the name is derived, although it was first called "Phillipstown." Sanford would be incorporated in 1768. Alfred was once the "North Parish" of Sanford. The Mousam River provided water power for mills. Following the Civil War, Sanford developed into a textile manufacturing center, connected to markets by the Portland & Rochester Railroad. Factories were built at both Springvale and Sanford villages. Products included cotton and woolen goods, carpets, shoes and lumber. In 1867, British-born Thomas Goodall arrived, after selling a mill in 1865 at Troy, New Hampshire which made blankets contoured to fit horses. He established Goodall Mills, manufacturing saddle blankets, carriage robes and mohair plush for upholstering railroad seats. It would also make "Palm Beach fabric," for summer suits and draperies. The company's textiles were known for brilliant and fast colors, and found buyers worldwide. From 1880 to 1910, the mill town's population would swell from 2,700 to over 9,000. In 1914, the Goodall family built Goodall Park, a 784 seat roofed stadium, now a treasured historic site. A statue of Thomas Goodall was erected in Central Park, and has recently been restored. In 1954, Burlington Mills, then the largest textile firm, bought Sanford Mills. The latter closed, leaving 3,500 unemployed. Local business owners began traveling the northeast, convincing new employers to move to the area. Life Magazine would call Sanford "the town that refused to die." It now has diversified industries, including the manufacture of aircraft parts. In the 1960s, the Federal Government offered money for urban renewal, to rehabilitate aging or blighted districts. More than thirty Sanford structures were razed. In Springvale, three of four corners were leveled. Fortunately, fine architectural examples from the flush mill era survived. In 2003, a proposal to build a $650 million casino in South Sanford was rejected by Maine voters. The 362-acre development, ostensibly owned by the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy nations, would have encompassed 4,000 slot machines, 180 gaming tables, a hotel, a 60,000 square foot convention center and an 18 hole golf course. Proponents argued that it would add 4,700 permanent jobs and 25% of revenue would be directed to the state. Detractors predicted higher crime, traffic and an erosion of Maine's quality of life. Geography Sanford is located at 43°26'23?N, 70°46'23?W (43.439925, -70.773304)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 126.2 sq km (48.7 sq mi). 123.8 sq km (47.8 sq mi) of it is land and 2.4 sq km (0.9 sq mi) of it (1.89%) is water. Sanford is drained by the Mousam River. The above article in gray is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License It is from Wikipedia article Sanford, Maine   New! Hometown USA Photo Sharing Photo Galleries These photo galleries are available for you to share, view and post pictures such as: Pictures depicting what life is like in your hometown> Photos of scenes or scenery in your hometown Pictures that you want to share with your friends and family Commercial photos - real estate, store fronts, etc. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacation photos to share School academic and sporting event photos Deployed military personal photos to share with friends and family back home. Much more...

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