The area was explored in 1607 byEnglish settlers from thePopham Colony at the mouth of theKennebec River.[6] Before European settlement,Algonquian-speaking Indians lived in the area.[6] In 1625, representatives ofPlymouth Colony chose the east shore of the Kennebec for a trading post, which was likely built in 1628 and became known as "Cushnoc".[6] The Kennebec Proprietors, successors to thePlymouth Company, builtFort Western near the site of the abandoned trading post in 1754 and began settlement efforts.[6][7] The new village was incorporated asHallowell in 1771, and the upriver part of town separated in 1797 to form the town ofHarrington. On June 9, 1797, Harrington changed its name to Augusta and, in 1827, it was designated capital of Maine.[6]
Augusta is the easternmost state capital in the United States.[8] Located on the Kennebec River at thehead of tide, it is the principal city in theAugusta-Watervillemicropolitan statistical area and home to theUniversity of Maine at Augusta.[9] Because of the city's position on the Kennebec, downtown Augusta is vulnerable to floods in spring.[10] TheMaine flood of 1987, known as the "Great Flood", affected the city.[10] Bond Brook runs from northwest to southeast through the city center, and has been called the "Home of wild Atlantic Salmon".[10]
The city has five different residential areas, including the "west side", a historic neighborhood north of the state capitol complex, and the "east side", which is situated on the opposite side of the Kennebec.[11] The city's northwest quadrant includes both a retail center and neighborhoods.[11]
Augusta State Airport serves the city, offering both commercial service and general aviation.[10] Although the airport is owned by the State of Maine, it is managed and operated by the city.[10]Interstate 95 passes by the western outskirts of Augusta, and bothU.S. 202 andU.S. 201 run through the city.
The area was first explored by the English of the short-livedPopham Colony in September 1607. Twenty-one years later, English settlers from thePlymouth Colony settled in the area in 1628 as part of a trading post on theKennebec River. The settlement was known by itsNative American nameCushnoc (or Coussinoc or Koussinoc), meaning "head of the tide".Fur trading was at first profitable, but because of Native uprisings and declining revenues,Plymouth Colony sold the Kennebec Patent[discuss] in 1661.Cushnoc would remain unoccupied for the next 75 years.[12]
The area around Cushnoc was inhabited by theKennebec, a band of the largerAbenaki nation. During the 17th century, they were on friendly terms with the English settlers in the region.[13]
A hotbed ofAbenaki hostility toward British settlements was located further up the Kennebec atNorridgewock. In 1722, the tribe and its allies attacked Fort Richmond (nowRichmond) and destroyedBrunswick. In response, English forces sacked Norridgewock in 1724 duringDummer's War, when the English gained tentative control of the Kennebec.
Cushnoc was incorporated as part ofHallowell in 1771. Known as "the Fort", it was set off and incorporated by theMassachusetts General Court in February 1797 as Harrington. In August, however, the name was changed to Augusta after Pamela Augusta Dearborn, daughter ofHenry Dearborn. In 1799, it was designated as the county seat for the newly created Kennebec County.[14]
Maine became a state in 1820 as a result of theMissouri Compromise. Augusta was designated as its capital in 1827, overPortland, and rival communities Brunswick and Hallowell. TheMaine State Legislature continued meeting inPortland, however, until the completion of theMaine State House in 1832, designed byCharles Bulfinch. Augusta was incorporated as a city in 1849.[15] After being named the state capital and the introduction of new industry, the city flourished. In 1840 and 1850, the city ranked among the 100 largest urban populations in the country. During the next decade, however, the city was quickly bypassed by rapidly growing metropolises in the Midwest.[16]
Excellent soil provided for agriculture, andwater power from streams provided for the industry. In 1837, a dam was built across the Kennebec where thefalls drop 15 feet at the head of a tide. By 1838, 10sawmills were contracted. With the arrival of theKennebec & Portland Railroad in 1851, Augusta became an even more productivemill town. In 1883, the property of A. & W. Sprague Company was purchased by the Edwards Manufacturing Company, which erected extensive brick mills for manufacturing cotton textiles. They imported cotton from the South for processing and export to Europe. In the late 19th century, a paper and pulp plant was constructed.[17]
Other Augusta firms produced lumber,sash, doors, window shutters, broom handles, stone cutters' tools, shoes, headstones, ice and furniture. The city developed as a publishing and shipping center. Today, government and post-secondary education are important businesses.[18]
Since the mid-eighteenth century, there has been a military presence in Augusta. Fort Western has not had troops garrisoned there since the 1790s, but in 1828, the U.S. Government built an arsenal to protect their interests from Britain. During theCivil War, Augusta was a rendezvous point for Union soldiers traveling to the front. Many of the soldiers camped on the green in front of the capitol building. In 1862, Camp E.D. Keyes was established in the northwestern portion of the city.
DuringWorld War I, Camp Keyes was used as a mobilization and training camp for soldiers. The camp eventually became a headquarters for theMaine National Guard. In 1929, the state legislature approved the placement of theAugusta State Airport next to the camp. As the airport grew, the use of the camp as a training facility was no longer possible. Today, it is still used for administrative and logistical purposes by the National Guard.
In the 19th century, Augusta got a regularsteamboat service and the railroad. The city installed gas lights in 1859. A telephone service was available in 1880 and a local hospital in 1898. In the early 20th century, Augusta built two movie houses and a film production studio.
For much of Augusta's history, the central business district was on and near Water Street on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The street, laid out in the late 1700s, was the location of the area's commercial and industrial life. Many fires damaged this concentrated area, including one in 1865 that destroyed nearly 100 buildings. In 1890, the first trolley line began operation down Water Street, connecting Augusta with Gardiner and Hallowell to the south.
In 1932, buses replaced the trolley line. With the completion of theMaine Turnpike andInterstate 95 in 1955, local commercial developments began to move away from Water Street and closer to the highway. Among the results was a storefront vacancy rate downtown of about 60 percent.[19]
Since the late 2000s, there has been a renewed and ongoing focus by city officials, the Augusta Downtown Alliance, and private developers to revitalize the downtown area.
Augusta is the easternmost state capital in the United States. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 58.03 sq mi (150.30 km2), of which 55.13 sq mi (142.79 km2) is land and 2.90 sq mi (7.51 km2) is water.[20] Augusta is drained by Bond's Brook, Woromontogus Stream and theKennebec River.
Augusta's climate is classified as ahumid continental climate (Köppen:Dfb). Summers are typically warm, rainy, and humid, while winters are cold, windy, and snowy. Spring and fall are usually mild, but conditions are widely varied, depending on wind direction and jet stream positioning.
The hottest month is July, with an average high temperature of 80 °F (26.7 °C). The coldest month is January, with an average low of 10 °F (−12.2 °C). Most snowfall occurs from December through March. There is usually little or no snow in April and November, and snow is rare in May and October.[21]
Climate data for Augusta, Maine (Augusta State Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found onPhabricator and onMediaWiki.org.
As of thecensus[25] of 2010, there were 19,136 people, 8,802 households, and 4,490 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 347.1/sq mi (134.0/km2). There were 9,756 housing units at an average density of 177.0/sq mi (68.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.1%White, 1.1%African American, 0.7%Native American, 1.5%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 0.4% fromother races, and 2.3% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.8% of the population.
There were 8,802 households, of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% weremarried couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 49.0% were non-families. 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.76.
The median age in the city was 43.2 years. 18.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 29.4% were from 45 to 64; and 18% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.
As of the census[26] of 2000, there were 18,560 people, 8,565 households, and 4,607 families residing in the city. The population density was 335.1 inhabitants per square mile (129.4/km2). There were 9,480 housing units at an average density of 171.2 per square mile (66.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.21%White, 0.50%Black orAfrican American, 0.48%Native American, 1.35%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.16% fromother races, and 1.3% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 8,565 households, out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.2% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.5% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,921, and the median income for a family was $42,230. Males had a median income of $31,209 versus $22,548 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,145. About 11.4% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
Augusta is governed by amayor and council-manager system. The City Council oversees all City government activities and establishes the legislative policies of the city, adopts and amends ordinances and local laws, appropriates municipal resources, and sets the tax rate. TheCity Manager serves as the chief executive officer and purchasing agent of the city. Themayor presides at all meetings of the council, and is recognized ceremonially as the official head of the city.
The city maintains apolice department; it is remarkable for not having had an officer killed in the line of duty for over a century.[27]
The city has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate sinceGeorge H. W. Bush in theRepublican landslide of 1988. Democrats are the majority political affiliation in all four voting wards. There are more voters who are not enrolled than there are registered Republicans in the city.
Voter registration
Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of November 2012[30]
^Vickery, Don (July 17, 1997)."The Forgotten Inhabitants of Cushnoc".Augusta, Maine Genealogy Project. MEGenWeb Project.Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. RetrievedSeptember 25, 2007.
^abMaine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). Doris A. Isaacson (ed.).Maine: A Guide 'Down East'. Rockland, Maine: Courier-Gazette, Inc. pp. 148–152.
^Coolidge, Austin J.; Mansfield, John B. (1859).A History and Description of New England. Boston: A.J. Coolidge. pp. 38–42. RetrievedNovember 21, 2015.coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
