Lewiston was first settled in 1760 and incorporated as Lewistown in 1795.[10] The presence of theAndroscoggin River and its waterfalls made the area attractive for manufacturing andhydroelectric development. The city's transformation from a farming community to an industrial center began in the mid-19th century when Boston textile magnateBenjamin Bates established manufacturing operations there. This development attracted large numbers ofIrish and laterFrench-Canadian immigrants; the population grew rapidly from 1,801 in 1840 to 21,701 in 1890.[11] In the1850 census, 23% of Lewiston's population was Irish-born.[12]
Prior to European settlement, the region was inhabited by theAndroscoggin people, anAbenaki tribe for whomthe county is named. European contact began in the 17th century, but disease and conflict led to the tribe's displacement by 1680.
Prior toEuropean colonization, the region of Lewiston was inhabited by theAndroscoggin, anAbenaki people. During the 17th century, Androscoggin were among the firstNative American tribes to make contact with European colonists in Maine. Relations soon deteriorated over colonial expansion, and conflicts with colonists and epidemics of infectious diseases devastated the Androscoggin, which responded by migrating toNew France from 1669 onwards. By 1680, the Androscoggin had been completely driven out of Maine. Thegovernor of New France,Louis de Buade, allocated them twoseigneuries on theSaint Francis River.[13]
A grant comprising the area of Lewiston was given to Moses Little and Jonathan Bagley, members of thePejepscot Proprietors, on January 28, 1768, on the condition that fifty families live in the area before June 1, 1774. Bagley and Little named the new town Lewistown. Paul Hildreth was the first man to settle in Lewiston in the fall of 1770. By 1795, Lewiston was officially incorporated as a town.[10] At least four houses that have survived from this period are currently listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
King Avenue and Ralph Avenue were named after Ralph Luthor King, who owned the land near the fairgrounds. Elliott Avenue was named after his wife, Grace O. Elliott, whose son eventually built the family home at 40 Wellman Street.
Lewiston was a slow but steadily growing farm town throughout its early history. By the early-to-mid-19th century, however, aswater power was being honed, Lewiston's location on the Androscoggin River would prove to make it a perfect location for emerging industry.[10] In 1809, Michael Little built a large wooden sawmill next to the falls. Burned in 1814 by anarsonist, it was later rebuilt. In 1836, local entrepreneurs—predominantly the Little family and friends—formed the Androscoggin FallsDam,Lock &Canal Company:
...for the purpose of erecting and constructing dams, locks, canals, mills, works, machines, and buildings on their own lands and also manufacturing cotton, wool, iron, steel, and paper in the towns of Lewiston,Minot, and Danville.[14]
The sales of stock attractedBoston investors—including Thomas J. Hill, Lyman Nichols, George L. Ward andAlexander De Witt. De Witt convinced textile and railtycoonBenjamin Bates, then-President of theUnion Pacific Railroad, to come to Lewiston and fund the emerging Lewiston Water Power Company. Soon after Bates arrived, the company created the firstcanal in the city. In the spring of 1850, some 400 Irish men recruited in and around Boston by construction contractor Patrick O'Donnell arrived in Lewiston and began work on the canal system.[15] Impressed with the labor force and "working spirit" of the Lewistonions, Bates founded theBates Manufacturing Company, leading to the construction of 5mills starting withBates Mill No. 1. In August 1850, Maine GovernorJohn Hubbard signed the incorporation act and the mill was completed 1852. Bates positioned the mill in Lewiston due to the location of the Lewiston Falls which provided the mill with power. Under Bates' supervision, during the Civil War, the mill produced textiles for theUnion Army. His mills generated employment for thousands of Irish, Canadians, and immigrants from Europe. The mill was Maine's largest employer for three decades.[16]
This company began Lewiston's transformation from a smallfarming town into a textile manufacturing center on the model ofLowell, Massachusetts.[10] The creation of the Bates manufacturing trusts saw rapid economic growth, positioning the city as the wealthiest city in Maine,[17][18] and created buddingaffluent districts such as theMain Street–Frye Street Historic District. Although the odd-majority of the population wasworking class, a distinctiveupper class emerged at this time. TheBates Mill remained the largest employer in Lewiston from the 1850s to the mid-late 20th century.
Saints Peter and Paul Basilica, one of only a few basilicas in New England, and the only one in Maine, on Ash Street
Railroad construction was key to the development of both Lewiston and its neighbor, Auburn. In 1849, the Androscoggin & Kennebec railroad, running through Lewiston and Auburn, connected these towns to Waterville and the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railway line between Portland, Maine, and Montreal, Quebec. The Androscoggin & Kennebec Railroad was constructed by Irish laborers, many of whom joined the Lewiston canal construction crews in 1850. The Irish laborers and their families lived in shanty-town neighborhoods called "patches".[19] By 1854, one quarter of Lewiston's population was Irish, the highest concentration in any settlement in Maine.[20] Subsequently, trains connectedQuebec with Lewiston on a daily schedule. During theCivil War, the high demand for textiles helped Lewiston develop a strong industrial base through the Bates enterprise. In 1861, a flood ofFrench-Canadian immigration into Maine began, spawned by industrial work opportunities in Maine cities withwater power from waterfalls.[21] This brought a significant influx ofQuébécois millworkers who worked alongside Irish immigrants and Yankee mill girls. Lewiston's population boomed between 1840 and 1890 from 1,801 to 21,701.Canadiens settled in an area downtown that became known as Little Canada, and Lewiston's character has remained largelyFranco-American ever since. In 1855, a Maine preacher traveled fromParsonsfield to Lewiston to establish an institution ofhigher learning in the city. In 1855, theMaine State Legislature was petitioned by Lewiston locals to found theMaine State Seminary. The school opened in 1855, and educated the working class of Maine while also providing education for blacks and women at a time when other universities barred their entrance. At its founding, it became the first coeducational college in New England and one of the earliest proponents ofabolitionism.[22][23][24]
During this time, in 1863, Lewiston was incorporated as a city. In 1872, St. Peter's church was built in Lewiston. This was the first French-Canadian national church in Maine. In 1864, the Maine State Seminary was renamedBates College in honor ofBenjamin Bates.[25]
In 1880,Le Messager, a French-language newspaper, began printing in Lewiston to serve its predominant ethnic population. The localKora Shrine was organized in 1891 and held its first meetings in aMasonic temple on Lisbon Street. This group would from 1908 to 1910 build theKora Temple on Sabattus Street, the largest home of afraternal organization in the state. ArchitectGeorge M. Coombs designed thisMoorish-style structure.
City leaders decided to build a cathedral to which theRoman Catholic Diocese of Portland could relocate. Construction of theChurch of Saints Peter and Paul began in 1905 and ended in 1938, funded mostly through thousands of small donations from Lewiston residents. It is the largest Roman Catholic Church in Maine, and Lewiston's most prominent landmark. While the Diocese of Portland did not relocate to Lewiston, the church nevertheless became abasilica in 2004. It is one of the few American basilicas outside of a major metropolitan area.
Black and white photo of Lewiston factoriesc. 1910
In 1937, one of the largest labor disputes in Maine history occurred in Lewiston and Auburn. TheLewiston-Auburn Shoe Strike lasted from March to June and at its peak involved 4,000 to 5,000 workers on strike. After workers attempted to march across the Androscoggin River from Lewiston to Auburn, GovernorLewis Barrows sent in theMaine Army National Guard. Some labor leaders, among them CIO SecretaryPowers Hapgood, were imprisoned for months after aMaine Supreme Judicial Court judge issued an injunction seeking to end the strike.
Starting in the late 1950s, many of Lewiston's textile mills began closing. This gradually led to a run-down and abandoned downtown area. Chain stores located downtown—Woolworth's,W. T. Grant,S. S. Kresge,JC Penney andSears Roebuck—shut their doors or moved to malls on the outskirts of Lewiston or Auburn. The city's flagship department store, the four-story B. Peck & Co., closed in 1982 after more than a century in business. As businesses and jobs began to leave the city, people followed. The population stopped increasing at its previous rate and began to slowly decline after 1970, then at a greater rate in the 1990s.[26]
After a difficult economic period in the 1980s that saw high unemployment and downtown stagnation, several key events have led to economic and cultural growth, including the transformation of the historicBates Mill Complex. Because the city took over the complex in 1992 after back taxes went unpaid, years of taxpayer frustration in the city's need to maintain the 1.1-million-square-foot (100,000 m2) behemoth led to two referendums (one non-binding vote, the other binding). Voters soundly supported the need to pursue redevelopment by maintaining the property and selling it to private developers. In 2001, the city sold three mill buildings to local developers. In 2003, Platz Associates sold the Bates Mill Complex, with the exception of Mill 5 and a small support building. For the next four years, a number of business enterprises expanded after Platz redeveloped the mill building.[26] The Bates Mill complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2010.
Statue in Kennedy Park, Lewiston, commemorating fallen soldiers in the Civil War
In May 2004, the city officials announced a plan forurban renewal near the downtown area. The plan was to demolish several blocks of 19th-century millworker housing, lay new streets with updated infrastructure, construct more owner-occupied, lower-density housing, and build a boulevard through one neighborhood using federalCommunity Development Block Grant funds provided over a period of ten years. Some residents of the affected neighborhoods felt that the plan was initially announced with little input from them. They formed a neighborhood group called "The Visible Community", which has since been actively involved in the planning process, and resulted in cooperation between neighbors and city officials to redesignKennedy Park, including input on the location of new basketball courts, and feedback regarding creation of the largest all-concrete skate park in Maine.[27]
Downtown is home to a new headquarters for Oxford Networks, along with a $20-million upgrade in local fiber-optics, a new auto parts store, a campus of the for-profitKaplan University, the headquarters forNortheast Bank, a parking garage, and the newly renovatedMaine Supply Co. building, listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. That facility is now called the Business Service Center atKey Bank Plaza, and is home to the localChamber of Commerce, the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council, and an arrangement with a number of business service providers.
The area's renaissance has gained local, regional, and national recognition. In 2002 and again in 2006, the L-A area led the state in economic development activity, according to the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development's list of business investments and expansions. In a 2006KPMG International study measuring the cost of locating and maintaining a business, Lewiston ranked first among the New England communities analyzed, and finished 24th out of 49 U.S. communities analyzed.
Lewiston earned a 2007All-America City Award designation by theNational Civic League. The national competition "recognizes communities whose residents work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve measurable, uncommon results." 10 cities are selected as All-America Cities each year.[28]
In 1999, the United States government began preparations to resettle an estimated 12,000 refugees fromSomalia to select cities throughout the United States. Most of the early arrivals in the United States settled inClarkston,Georgia, a city adjacent toAtlanta. However, they were mostly assigned to low-rent, poverty-stricken inner-city areas, so many began to look to resettle elsewhere in the U.S.[29]
Empire Theatre in 1907
Word soon spread that Lewiston had free housing.[30] In 1999, ethnicSomalis subsequently began a secondary migration from other states to the former mill town, and after 2005, manySomali Bantus, a separate ethnicity, followed suit.[29]
In October 2002, then-Mayor Laurier T. Raymond wrote anopen letter addressed to leaders of the Somali community, predicting a negative impact on the city's social services and requesting that they discourage further relocation to Lewiston.[30] The letter angered many and prompted some community leaders and residents to speak out against the mayor, drawing national attention. Demonstrations were held in Lewiston, both by those who supported the immigrants' presence and those who opposed it.[31]
In January 2003, about 32 members of awhite nationalist group from Illinois demonstrated in Lewiston to denounce Somali immigrants.[32] This prompted a simultaneous counter-demonstration on the campus ofBates College to demonstrate support of the Somali community.[32] The rally repudiating the white nationalists attracted 4,000 attendees, including governorJohn Baldacci, SenatorsOlympia Snowe andSusan Collins and other officials.[32] Mayor Raymond was reportedly out of town on vacation on the day of the protests.[32]
In August 2010, theLewiston Sun Journal reported that Somali entrepreneurs had helped reinvigorate downtown Lewiston by opening shops in previously closed storefronts. Amicable relations were also reported by the localFranco-American merchants and the Somali storekeepers.[33]
Somali Bantu farmers have had a positive impact on Lewiston agriculture life.[34] Since migrating to Maine farming has become a part of life to some Somali Bantus.
Somali-American players contributed to theLewiston High School boys soccer team's state championship wins in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2023[35][36] under coach Mike McGraw.
On October 25, 2023, aspree shooting occurred at two locations in Lewiston. 18 people were killed, and 13 others were injured. The firstmass shooting occurred at a bowling alley during ayouth league event, while the second occurred minutes later at a pool hall. After a two-day manhunt, the shooter, 40-year-old Robert R. Card, was found dead on October 27 from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at a recycling facility inLisbon after his vehicle was located nearby the night of the shooting.[37][38] It was the deadliestmass shooting in the history of Maine.[39]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.54 square miles (92.05 km2), of which 34.15 square miles (88.45 km2) is land and 1.39 square miles (3.60 km2) is water.[40] Lewiston is drained by theAndroscoggin River, which forms its western border. The city is bordered by Auburn beyond the river, as well as the towns ofGreene,Sabattus, andLisbon. It is betweenPortland, the state's largest city and cultural center, and the state capital ofAugusta.
Downtown Lewiston runs from Oxford Street up to Jefferson Street, and from Adams Avenue to Main Street. This is the city's most densely settled area, home to about half the population. It contains mostly housing, although on Lisbon Street and Main Street, it is entirely businesses. This neighborhood was once the commercial hub of the whole county, but with the city's economic decline, many downtown stores closed and the former mill housing became run-down, resulting in fallen land values. But like many post-industrial centers, there has followed a period of renovation and revitalization that continues today.
Consisting mostly of suburban mid-income housing, this neighborhood runs between Lisbon and Webster Streets, East Avenue, and Alfred Plourde Parkway. Schools that serve this neighborhood are Farwell Elementary, Martel Elementary, Lewiston Middle School, and Lewiston High School.
This neighborhood is bounded by the triangle formed by Pond Road, Randall Road, and Sabattus Street (Route 126). This neighborhood is mostly mid-income suburban residential. McMahon Elementary, Lewiston Middle School, and Lewiston High School serve the area.
Lewiston has ahumid continental climate, with very significant temperature variation throughout the year. Summers are usually short, warm, and humid, while winters tend to be very cold, long, and snowy. Lewiston averages 74 inches (190 cm) of snow annually, although this number varies greatly from winter to winter. Snow tends to be the dominant form of precipitation between late November and late March, althoughfreezing rain,sleet, andrain can also occur in the winter when large low pressure systems track directly over or west of the city. Summer in Lewiston typically consists of pleasant temperatures, although high humidity can make the temperature feel more uncomfortable at times. Severe summertime storms, such astornadoes andtropical cyclones are rare, but not unheard of.
Climate data for Lewiston, Maine (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–2006)
Lewiston city, Maine – racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the 2020census, there were 37,121 people residing in the city. At the 2010census, there were 36,592 people, 15,267 households, and 8,622 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,071.5 inhabitants per square mile (413.7/km2). There were 16,731 housing units at an average density of 489.9 per square mile (189.2/km2). In 2020, the racial makeup of the city including Hispanics in the racial categories was 77.9% White, 13.9% Black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.4% Native American, and 1.0% some other race. 5.5% were of two or more races.[48] In 2010, the racial makeup of the city was 86.6%White, 8.7% Black, 0.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%Asian, 2.0%Hispanic orLatino (of any race), 0.6% fromsome other race, and 2.6% from two or more races.[49]
In 2010, there were 15,267 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% weremarried couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.5% were non-families. Of all households, 34.4% were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90.
The median age in the city was 37.4 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.
Central Maine Medical Center: Founded by Edward H. Hill in the mid-1860s CMMC (Central Maine Medical Center) is downtown at High Street. The campus includes several large parking facilities, aLifeFlight of Maine helipad. In recent years the hospital has created the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute, and the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing. The hospital has approximately 250 beds, and approximately 300 physicians. It is a Level III trauma center. Central Maine Medical Center is the flagship hospital of Central Maine Medical Family. The organization runs two other hospitals, one inBridgton and another inRumford. It also operates CMMC College of Nursing and Health Professions; and many affiliated long-term care facilities, clinics and practices throughout central and western Maine. The current president of the hospital chain is Dr. Steven G. Littleson. The Central Maine Medical Family is a block away from the hospital on Bates Street in the Lowell Square Building, a refurbished textile factory. CMMC recently underwent major renovations to their emergency department.The Lewiston Sun Journal on Park Street
Country Kitchen Bakery: Country Kitchen is downtown between Lisbon and Park streets. Owned by Georgia-basedFlowers Foods, Country Kitchen currently services all of the United States. It operates a second factory a few hundred feet away between Canal and Lincoln streets.
Walmart Distribution Center: Walmart currently operates a 485,000-square-foot (45,100 m2) warehousing facility in Lewiston. It is the state's largest facility, and is one mile (1.6 km) from exit 80 on I-95 on Alfred A. Plourde Parkway. The facility is responsible for food distribution to all New England Walmarts.
Sun Journal: The Sun Journal is a daily newspaper that is headquartered on Park Street. It operates several different offices throughout Central and Western Maine. In Androscoggin County it prints the City Edition, news about the Lewiston-Auburn area. They also print the Oxford County, Franklin County, and State Editions. It is the third largest newspaper in the state.
Modula - System Logistics: An engineering and manufacturing company which designs and builds automated storage equipment used in distribution centers around the country.
Sazerac Company, the owner of Boston Brands of Maine, purchased the White Rock bottling plant in Lewiston on Saratoga Street where they run a 24/7 production of the popularFireball Cinnamon Whiskey.[53]
Downtown Lisbon Street: Lisbon Street is the commercial and government center of Lewiston. In its downtown section, it features many law offices, the city library, the district court, SenatorSusan Collins' office, several stores created by and for the Somali community, and a variety of restaurants and shops. Downtown Lisbon Street is also home to the Emerge Film Festival as well as Art Walks on the last Friday of each month during summer.
Upper Lisbon Street: Past downtown features several malls, including the Lewiston Promenade Mall and the Lewiston Mall. There are also many chain restaurants, some car dealerships, and many other private businesses.
U.S. Route 202 and Maine State Routes11 and100 are co-signed along Main Street.
Downtown Main Street: Main Street starts near the downtown area at the Governor James B. Longley Memorial Bridge, which crosses from Auburn. Crossing into Lewiston, one passes Veterans Memorial Park, a large park on the waterfront that commemorates all veterans. Next is a small hydro-plant that was used to power the textile mills on Canal Street. After the canal bridge there is the downtown section of Main Street. It features theL.L. Bean Call Center in the Peck Building, aTD Bank branch, the former St. Joseph's Church, Central Maine Medical Center, in addition to many other businesses.
Upper Main Street: Past downtown there are several businesses and several chain stores and restaurants, but it is mostly residential. The street is lined with large 19th-centuryVictorian mansions, some of which remain houses and some which have been converted into doctors' offices.
TheLewiston Public Library has played a major role in the emerging culture of Lewiston. It was renovated and expanded in 1996. The library is downtown on the corner of Lisbon Street and Pine Street and has over 150,000 items in its collection. Recently, it opened theMarsden Hartley Cultural Center, holding various community events such as concerts, lectures, and film festivals.
Museum L-A: Museum L-A is a museum in a former textile factory building. It honors the people who worked and lived in this community. AtMuseum L-A visitors can walk through a simulated production line, then view exhibits covering the textile, shoe, and brick industries that once thrived in Lewiston and Auburn. The museum is in Bates Mill Number 4 in the Bates Mill Complex. In June 2009 the museum acquired Camden Mill and plans on moving to those facilities once it is refurbished.
TheBates College Museum of Art features a wide variety of art. The art students at this school create much of this city's art life.
The Atrium Gallery: at theUniversity of Southern Maine campus in Lewiston. This Museum features a wide variety of art.
The Franco Center opened in 2000 in what was formerly St. Mary's Parish. The performing arts center programs events for both Franco-American related performances as well as other cultural displays, such as the center's Piano and Celtic Series. The diverse programming of the venue hosts both local and international performers. The center also hosts events and serves as a museum of the city's Franco-American past with historical artifacts and documentation on display as well as a small library.
Lewiston also features The Public Theatre, which puts on different plays throughout the year with about six to eight productions per season. It is downtown on Maple St. It was on Park street. It features all types of plays, with actors from all over the world. Its offices are in Auburn at the Great Falls Plaza.
The Emerge Film Festival was first held in June 2014 in downtown Lewiston and Auburn. In 2019 the festival was held at Rinck Advertising and the Franco Center.[55]
TheGreat Falls Balloon Festival is an event that is held one weekend in August every year. The Festival includes launching of balloons, games, and carnival rides. The launch sites take place at several open parks on the Lewiston-Auburn Androscoggin Riverfront. People come from all around the country and Canada to see the festivities.
Formerly known as Festival de Joie, Festival FrancoFun is held annually at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée and is a celebration of the city's Franco-American heritage. The festival features performances fromFrench-Canadian musicians as well as nativeFrench-Canadian food.
Held on July 4 of each year, the festival is the name given to the fireworks event over the Great Falls of theAndroscoggin River in between the twin cities. The fireworks are launched in West Pitch Park in Auburn. Major viewpoints of the fireworks are Veterans Park, railroad Park and Great Falls Plaza in Auburn.
Lewiston hosts the annual Dempsey Challenge, which began in 2009. The event, hosted by Lewiston-nativePatrick Dempsey, in a run/walk and cycling fundraiser for cancer research. In its opening year the event raised over one million dollars. The event has attracted famous athletes from all around including participants in theTour de France. All the proceeds go to the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope at the Central Maine Medical Center.
The center of sports in Lewiston is theAndroscoggin Bank Colisée (formerly known as the Central Maine Civic Center). TheLewiston Maineiacs, the only American team to have played in theQuebec Major Junior Hockey League, played their first season in 2003–2004 and dissolved the team after the 2010–2011 season. The Colisée is also the home to the state Class A and Class B high school hockey championships each year. The city as a whole is known for its strong passion for the game of hockey, likely related to itsFrench American heritage. Two Lewiston schools, Lewiston High School andSt. Dominic Regional High School (now in Auburn), combine for over half of the state class A high school hockey championships in the state's history. During the 2013–2014 American Hockey League season, thePortland Pirates played their first 12 home games at the Colisée while theCumberland County Civic Center is being renovated.
In May 1965, Lewiston became the venue for aheavyweight title rematch betweenMuhammad Ali andSonny Liston; Ali had defeated Liston in a controversial fight inMiami Beach, Florida, in February 1964, and theWorld Boxing Council was demanding an immediate rematch, which was againstWorld Boxing Association rules (the WBA eventually stripped Ali of his title). The rematch was originally planned to be held inBoston, but was halted byMassachusetts boxing authorities due to licensing issues. Promoters were eventually able to frame a lucrative deal moving the fight to the Colisée in Lewiston. As the venue held less than 3,700 spectators, only 2,434 fans were present, setting an all-time record for the lowest attendance for aheavyweight championship match. The fight was the scene of the famous photograph of Ali standing over Liston taunting him with his glove.[56] Ali won by first-round knockout.
In May 2025, a statue of Ali would be unveiled in Lewiston 60 years after the fight took place.[57]
Lewiston was home tominor league baseball. Beginning in 1891, Lewiston was home to theLewiston Twins and other teams, who played in various seasons through 1930. Lewiston teams played as members of theNew England League (1891–1896, 1901),Maine State League (1907),Atlantic Association (1908) and New England League (1914–1915, 1919, 1926–1930).Baseball Hall of Fame memberJesse Burkett managed the Lewiston Twins in 1928 and 1929. Between 1901 and 1919, Lewiston teams played home games at A.A.A. Park. Beginning in 1926, the Lewiston Twins played home games at Lewiston Athletic Park.[58][59][60][61]
TheLewiston/Auburn Nordiques were aTier III junior ice hockey team that played in theNorth American 3 Hockey League. During the 2018–2019 season the team recorded a 50–5 record, winning the NA3HL regular season championship and the Coastal Division championship. The team also made it to the Fraser Cup finals this season, losing a close game to theTexas Brahmas 2–1. The team ceased operations after the 2019–2020 season.
Lewiston's public education system consists of five elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school with a regional technical center that serves multiple school districts. The district is home to relatively new buildings constructed for Farwell Elementary School and Pettingill School, now replaced with the 600 student capacity Geiger Elementary School. In 2019, Martel and Longley combined into Robert V. Connors Elementary School and houses around 650 students pre-k to 6.
TheSun Journal prints a daily newspaper in four different editions statewide. The Sun Journal was the recipient of the 2008 New England Daily Newspaper of the Year and the 2009 Maine Press Association Newspaper of the Year.
Lewiston Evening Journal ran from 1866 to 1989.
The Twin City Times is a free weekly newspaper printed in Auburn. It is publicly available in Lewiston as well. It features local news and short articles.
Lewiston is part of thePortland television market, and receives all major channels in that market.WGME-TV andWCSH both have local bureaus in the city, and are across the street from each other on Main Street.[citation needed]
The city of Lewiston uses the Citylink or Purple Bus system. Passengers use Citylink in collaboration with Auburn and Lisbon.
The downtown shuttle runs through the downtown of both Lewiston and Auburn. It maintains only one line that goes into Lisbon. The Citylink services on average approximately 235,000 people a year.
Interstate 95 / Maine Turnpike: FormerlyInterstate 495, runs through Lewiston. Exit 80 serves the city via Alfred Plourde Parkway in the Industrial Park. I-95 provides a connection toPortland being 40 minutes away,Bangor about 90 minutes away, andBoston, about two hours away from the Lewiston Exit.
U.S. Route 202 / Maine State Routes11 and100: These three routes run through Lewiston along Main Street. It runs straight through the center of downtown to the business parks outside town, and the northern Lewiston suburbs. Connects Lewiston toAuburn andGreene. Provides fast transportation toAugusta and Kennebec Valley.
Maine State Route 196: Starts in Lewiston at U.S. Route 202, Main Street. In Lewiston it is Canal Street, which turns into Lisbon Street. This route connects Lewiston to Lisbon, and provides easy access to the towns ofTopsham and Brunswick. This route ends onU.S. Route 1 in the City ofBrunswick. It connects to Interstate 295 in Topsham.
Maine State Route 126: Starts in Lewiston at US Route 202, Main Street. In Lewiston it is Sabattus Street and connects Lewiston to the town ofSabattus.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge: Built in 1973 to commemorate the veterans of theVietnam War. It connects Lewiston to Auburn. It provides fast transportation from Russell Street, and Main Street to Auburn's Mt. Auburn Ave, and shopping centers on Center Street and the Mall Area.
Governor James B. Longley Memorial Bridge: Connects Main Street in downtown Lewiston to Court Street in Downtown Auburn. Named after Lewiston resident and Governor of MaineJames B. Longley.
Bernard Lown Peace Bridge: Connects Little Canada and New Auburn. Starts in Lewiston as Cedar Street and starts in Auburn as Broad Street. Commemorates former Lewiston resident andNobel Peace Prize recipientBernard Lown.
Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport: The official airport of the two cities. It currently provides general aviation facilities. Although the city is serviced by an airport, most people use thePortland International Jetport for commercial flights in and out of the state.
Oak Street Bus Station:Greyhound Lines operates a bus line out of Lewiston. The bus lines go as far as Bangor and Boston. From those two destinations more travel opportunities are available.
Concord Coach Lines – Great Falls Plaza/Bates College: Provides bus direct transportation to Logan International Airport and South Station in Boston, with multiple trips daily.
In outer Lewiston at the end of Switzerland Road there is the Gulf Island hydroelectric dam operated by Brookfield White Pine Hydro and Central Maine Power Company. It generates electricity via the waterflow of the Androscoggin River. Its nameplate capacity is 19.2MW
Further down the river is the Deer Rips hydroelectric dam, also operated by Brookfield White Pine Hydro and Central Maine Power Company. Its nameplate capacity is 10.1MW
Further down the river is the Charles E. Monty hydroelectric dam, also operated by Brookfield White Pine Hydro and Central Maine Power Company. Its nameplate capacity is 28.4MW
Lewiston is the setting for the fictitiousKingdom Hospital, featured in the thirteen-episode miniseries developed by horror writerStephen King and based on aDanish mini-series,The Kingdom. In 1999 when King was struck by a car while walking inLovell, he was flown by helicopter and treated at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. In the mini-series, the hospital is built on the site of a textile mill which made military uniforms during theCivil War, which theBates Mill and other Lewiston textile factories actually did. King attended elementary school in the nearby town ofDurham and high school in the neighboring town ofLisbon Falls.
TwinsFrancis Edgar Stanley andFreelan O. Stanley invented the photographic dry plate process, that they used in their studio on Lisbon Street in the late 19th century. They later sold the patent to a company that becameEastman Kodak. They eventually went on to invent theStanley Steamer.
^Larson, Wayde.Faith By Their Works: The Progressive Tradition at Bates, 1855–1877. Lewiston, ME: Bates College.
^abBarrows, Gridley (July 1, 1974)."Historic Lewiston".The Lewiston Historical Commission.Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. RetrievedApril 21, 2018.
^Skinner, Ralph (December 22, 1963)."History of the City Seal". WLAM.Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. RetrievedMarch 5, 2020 – via City of Lewiston, Maine.
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^"xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. RetrievedJune 14, 2023.
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Finnegan, William,Letter from Maine: New in Town, the Somalis of Lewiston. The New Yorker, December 11, 2006
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Richard, Mark Paul.Loyal but French: The Negotiation of Identity by French-Canadian Descendants in the United States (2008) on acculturation in Lewiston since 1860
Core cities are metropolitan core cities of at least a million people. The other areas are urban areas of cities that have an urban area of 150,000+ or of a metropolitan area of at least 250,000+. Satellite cities are in italics.
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