Knox County, Maine

Knox County is a county in Maine, United States, on the Midcoast, fronting Penobscot Bay and the Gulf of Maine. It had a population of 40,607 at the 2020 census and covers 365 square miles (945 km2) of land, centred near 44°07′N 69°08′W.

Rockland is the county seat, and its postal code is 04841. The county contains one city, 16 towns, one plantation and two unorganized territories, and it sits in the Eastern time zone.

Towns & Villages in Knox County

Knox County has one city and 16 incorporated towns, plus Matinicus Isle Plantation, a small self-governing island community 20 miles offshore. Several of the towns also contain named village centres — Tenants Harbor and Port Clyde in St. George, Spruce Head and West Rockport, Glen Cove in Rockport — that are not separate municipalities but are common addresses and post-office names.

Two names on old lists of Knox County places are easy to confuse: Isle au Haut, a town on its own island, is distinct from Criehaven, an unorganized settlement on Ragged Island administered as part of Matinicus Isle Plantation. Rockport and West Rockport are the same town; West Rockport is simply its inland village.

ZIP Codes

• 04841 — Rockland
• 04843 — Camden
• 04856 — Rockport
• 04865 — West Rockport (also serves Rockport)
• 04861 — Thomaston
• 04862 — Union (also serves Appleton)
• 04864 — Warren
• 04574 — Washington
• 04863 — Vinalhaven
• 04853 — North Haven
• 04854 — Owls Head
• 04858 — South Thomaston
• 04860 — Tenants Harbor (also serves St. George)
• 04855 — Port Clyde (also serves St. George)
• 04859 — Spruce Head (also serves South Thomaston)
• 04547 — Friendship
• 04563 — Cushing
• 04847 — Hope
• 04645 — Isle au Haut
• 04851 — Matinicus

Every incorporated town in Knox County has its own post office and ZIP code except Appleton, which is served through Union.

Geography

Knox County lies on Maine’s Midcoast, where the mainland breaks into a scatter of peninsulas and islands facing Penobscot Bay. Water makes up roughly two-thirds of the county’s total area, and its outer islands — Vinalhaven, North Haven, Matinicus, Isle au Haut and Criehaven — are reachable only by boat or small plane. The Camden Hills rise along the county’s northern shore; Mount Megunticook, in Camden Hills State Park, is the county’s high point at 1,381 feet. The St. George River drains the county’s western towns into the bay.

Knox County borders Waldo County to the north and Lincoln County to the west, with the Atlantic Ocean and Penobscot Bay forming its entire eastern and southern boundary.

Demographics

Knox County’s population was 40,607 at the 2020 census. Rockland and Camden are its two largest communities. Median household income in the county runs below the Maine median of $73,733, reflecting a mixed economy of fishing, tourism and year-round trades rather than higher-wage industries. At roughly 111 people per square mile of land, the county is more densely settled than most of rural Maine, concentrated along the Route 1 corridor between Thomaston, Rockland and Camden.

Economy & Local Life

Lobstering and other commercial fishing remain central to Knox County’s coastal towns, landed through harbors in Rockland, Vinalhaven, Owls Head, St. George and Friendship. Rockland is also a hub for boatbuilding and marine trades, home to the Apprenticeshop wooden-boat school and windjammer sailing fleets that host the annual Camden Windjammer Festival. Tourism and second-home ownership drive summer activity throughout the county, and Rockland’s Maine Lobster Festival each August is the region’s best-known event. Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport is the county’s main hospital.

History

Knox County was organized on April 1, 1860, formed from parts of Waldo and Lincoln counties — the most recently created of Maine’s sixteen counties. It was named for Henry Knox, the Revolutionary War major general and first U.S. Secretary of War, who lived in Thomaston from 1795 until his death in 1806. Rockland grew into the county’s commercial center on the strength of its lime-burning industry in the 19th century, later shifting to fishing, canning and boatbuilding as the lime kilns closed. Union’s North Knox Agricultural and Horticultural Society held its first Union Fair in 1868, an event that continues today.

Getting There

U.S. Route 1 runs the length of Knox County along the coast, linking Thomaston, Rockland and Camden; Route 90 and Route 17 connect the inland towns. Ferries from Rockland and Port Clyde serve the offshore islands.

• Camden — 8 miles north of Rockland
• Thomaston — 8 miles southwest of Rockland
• Union — 16 miles west of Rockland
• Waldoboro — 15 miles southwest of Thomaston, in neighboring Lincoln County

Knox County Regional Airport in Owls Head offers commercial service to Boston; Portland International Jetport, about 75 miles southwest, is the nearest larger airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Knox County, Maine?
It is on Maine’s Midcoast, fronting Penobscot Bay, between Waldo County to the north and Lincoln County to the west.

What is the population of Knox County?
40,607 at the 2020 census.

How big is Knox County?
365 square miles (945 km2) of land, plus about 779 square miles of bay and ocean water — roughly two-thirds of its total area.

What is the Knox County seat?
Rockland is the county seat.

How many towns are in Knox County?
One city, 16 towns, one plantation (Matinicus Isle) and two unorganized territories.

What ZIP codes are in Knox County?
Codes include 04841 (Rockland), 04843 (Camden), 04861 (Thomaston), 04863 (Vinalhaven) and 04851 (Matinicus), among others listed above.

Which Knox County towns are only reachable by boat?
Vinalhaven, North Haven, Matinicus Isle, Isle au Haut and Criehaven are all island communities without a bridge to the mainland.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Maine.