Cousins Island

Cousins Island is an island in Casco Bay within the town of Yarmouth in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. It is listed as a census-designated place, with a population of 490 as of the 2010 census.[1] The CDP is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Cousins Island, Maine
Census-designated place
Location in Cumberland County and the state of Maine.
Coordinates: 43°45′45″N 70°8′25″W
CountryUnited States
StateMaine
CountyCumberland
TownYarmouth
Area
 • Total2.0 sq mi (5.1 km2)
 • Land1.0 sq mi (2.7 km2)
 • Water0.9 sq mi (2.4 km2)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total490
 • Density250/sq mi (96/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code(s)207
FIPS code23-08500

The island is connected to mainland Maine by a bridge, built in 1955. It is also connected to Chebeague Island by a 15-minute ferry ride on the Chebeague Transportation Company's ferry, the Islander. The island's southwestern peninsula is the site of the Wyman Energy Center, an oil-fired electric power plant capable of producing up to 823 megawatts of electricity.[2] Wyman is a peaking power plant, which means it is fired up to operate only during times of high electricity demand in the region, such as hot summer days. The Wyman Energy Center also includes a lithium-ion battery grid energy storage system which was the largest and the first of its kind in New England at the time of commissioning.[3] The battery is designed to provide ISO-New England an option for handling the continual changes in electricity supply and demand.[3]

The island, Cousins River and Littlejohn Island are named after Englishman John Cousins (b. circa 1596, d. 1682), who emigrated from Marlborough, Wiltshire.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.1 km2), of which 1.0 square mile (2.7 km2) is land and 0.93 square miles (2.4 km2), or 46.51%, is water.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Cousins Island CDP, Maine". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  2. http://www.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=ME
  3. Turkel, Tux (2016-12-17). "Yarmouth power plant installs giant battery in first project of its kind in New England". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  4. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Brunswick Station CDP, Maine". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.