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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.
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