Deer Island. Deer Isle is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,194 at the 2020 census. Notable landmarks in Deer Isle are the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Stonington Opera House, and the town's many art galleries. The town was incorporated in 1789, at which time it included the islands of Little Deer Isle, Deer Isle, and Isle au Haut. Deer were abundant on these islands, hence the name. In 1868 Isle au Haut became a separate town. In 1897, the southern third of Deer Isle incorporated as the town of Stonington. In the 19th century, the granite industry flourished on Deer Isle where its quarries supplied granite for structures such as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, the US Naval Academy, the Manhattan Bridge and at President John F. Kennedy's tomb at Arlington National Cemetery. In John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, Deer Isle was a stopping point for the author after the insistence of his literary agent that he visit the cottage of Eleanor Brace, at Dunham's Point. Steinbeck wrote, One doesn't have to be sensitive to feel the strangeness of Deer Isle. It was Deer Isle that musician Dan Fogelberg and his wife Jean chose for their final home, and where he died in 2007. This isle was the home town of the dock that was the inspiration for the painter Fairfield Porter. Many small private islands can be found in the waters surrounding Deer Isle. Cabot Lyford, a Maine sculptor, used seven tons of Deer Isle granite to carve one of his best known pieces, Life Force. Life Force, which depicts dolphins jumping from the water, stands outside the Regency Hotel in Portland, Maine. The town of Deer Isle is one of two communities on the island of Deer Isle, the other being Stonington. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 123.67 square miles, of which 29.72 square miles is land and 93.95 square miles is water. Deer Isle is separated from the mainland by Eggemoggin Reach and may be reached by car via a narrow 1939 suspension bridge bearing the island's name.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop{border-spacing:1px;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;background-color:#f8f9fa;padding:0.3em;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop caption{background-color:lavender;padding-right:0.2em;padding-left:0.2em;font-size:110%;font-weight:bold;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-bottom:none}.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop th {border-bottom:1px solid black}.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop td:nth-child{text-align:right;padding-left:0.5em;padding-right:0}.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop td.us-census-pop-estimate{padding-left:0}.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop td:nth-child{padding-left:0}.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop td:nth-child{padding-left:0.5em;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop-footnote{border-top:1px solid black;font-size:85%;text-align:center}@media{.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop-right{float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 1em 1em}.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop-left{float:left;clear:left;margin:0 1em 1em 0}.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop-center{float:none;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto}.mw-parser-output.us-census-pop-none{float:none;margin:0 1em 1em 0}} Historical population Census Pop.mw-parser-output.sr-only{border:0;clip:rect;clip-path:polygon;height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;white-space:nowrap} %± 1790 682, 1800 1,094 60.4% 1810 1,507 37.8% 1820 1,842 22.2% 1830 2,228 21.0% 1840 2,841 27.5% 1850 3,037 6.9% 1860 3,590 18.2% 1870 3,414 −4.9% 1880 3,266 −4.3% 1890 3,422 4.8% 1900 2,047 −40.2% 1910 1,946 −4.9% 1920 1,718 −11.7% 1930 1,266 −26.3% 1940 1,303 2.9% 1950 1,234 −5.3% 1960 1,129 −8.5% 1970 1,211 7.3% 1980 1,492 23.2% 1990 1,829 22.6% 2000 1,876 2.6% 2010 1,975 5.3% 2020 2,194 11.1% U.S. Decennial Census As of the census of 2010, there were 1,975 people, 929 households, and 533 families living in the town. The population density was 66.5 inhabitants per square mile. There were 1,936 housing units at an average density of 65.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 98.1% White, 0.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.5% of the population. There were 929 households, of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.6% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age o