York is actually the fourth name that the town has known. The
earliest records refer to the general area as Agamenticus, after the
original inhabitants. The first English settlers, having come from the region
of Bristol, England, lent that name to the town until it became a
chartered city under Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who renamed it Gorgeana in
1642. The name York was appointed after the fall of the Loyalists under
Cromwell in 1652, commemorating the town (York, England) in which Cromwell
defeated the King's forces.
The center of York Village was along Lindsay Road as York River was the
most important mode of transportation. After the Abenaki Candlemas Day Raid of
1692, the town reorganized itself on higher ground that evolved into the present
day center of religious, civic and governmental functions.
As tourism developed in the late nineteenth century, more and more of the town's
tax dollars came from the businesses and homes of the wealthy summer residents.
Although they sought the colonial quaintness of the town, they also wanted the
amenities of the cities: public water, streetlights, sidewalks, paved roads,
electricity and libraries. The locals, however, had the advantage of the vote,
and farmers would not vote for improvements at York Harbor or York
Beach.
In 1901 York Harbor and York Beach presented bills to the Maine
legislature requesting the creation of York Harbor Village Corporation
and York Beach Corporation. The incorporation process allowed these
sub-towns a certain degree of self-government and a "refund" of 65 percent of
the taxes they paid to York, permitting such independent services as fire,
police, and highway departments.
York Harbor Village Corporation developed the first zoning ordinances in
the state of Maine and was among the first in the nation. Zoning held the rapid
growth in check as well as defined the types of businesses that were considered
appropriate. York Harbor Village Corporation did not give up its
autonomy until 1975.
York Beach Village Corporation was premier in bringing the amenities of
the city to York. The village boasted the first sidewalks, streetlight, fire
department, and public sewage and water. York Beach Village Corporation
folded in 1977.
Cape Neddick, the residential suburb of York, was the last section of
York to be developed due to its geographic remoteness from the town center.
Lumbering operations and its associated mills along Cape Neddick Josias Rivers
furnished employment. The name Cape Neddick is one native place name that
has survived and remained a prominent landmark since contact, known first as a
navigational marker and today as the site of an oft-photographed lighthouse.The
English added the word "Cape", but Neddick is believed to be an Algonkian word
meaning "solitary" and refers to the nubble of land isolated from the peninsula.