York

York: Cape Neddick lighthouse

York, town, York county, southwestern Maine, U.S., situated at the mouth of the York River on the Atlantic Ocean, 43 miles (69 km) southwest of Portland. York includes the communities of York Village, Cape Neddick, York Beach, and York Harbor. Settled in 1624 on a site called Agamenticus by Captain John Smith, who had explored the area in 1614, it became the first English city on the American continent when Sir Ferdinando Gorges endowed it with a city charter under the name of Gorgeana in 1641. The Massachusetts Bay Company took over the Gorges property in 1652, revoked the charter, reduced Gorgeana to the status of a town, and changed its name to York (for the town in Yorkshire, England). It was almost destroyed on February 2, 1692, in a raid by Abenaki Indians.

With its snug harbours, sandy beaches, and restored colonial buildings, including Old Gaol Museum (1719, one of the oldest English public buildings in the United States), the modern town of York is an attraction for photographers, artists, and vacationers. Area 55 square miles (142 square km). Pop. (2000) 12,854; (2010) 12,529.