Auburn, Maine

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Coordinates: 44°5′21″N 70°14′29″W / 44.08917, -70.24139
Auburn, Maine

Location in Androscoggin County, Maine
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Androscoggin
Area
- Total	65.8 sq mi (170.4 km²)
- Land	59.8 sq mi (154.8 km²)
- Water	6.0 sq mi (15.6 km²)
Elevation	190 ft (58 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	23,690 (city proper)
- Density	1,046.9/sq mi (404.2/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	04210-04212
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-02060
GNIS feature ID	0561347
Website: www.auburnmaine.org

Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Androscoggin County^[1], Maine, United States. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England City and Town Area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area (which is part of the Portland-Lewiston-South Portland, Maine Combined Statistical Area). Auburn is across the Androscoggin River from Lewiston. Lake Auburn is a summer resort.

1 History
2 Notable residents
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 Education
6 Government
7 Sites of interest
8 National Historic Places in Auburn
9 References
10 External links

[edit] History

Main Street in c. 1912

The area was originally part of the Pejepscot Purchase, land bought in 1714 by a consortium from Boston and Portsmouth following the Treaty of Portsmouth, which brought peace between the Abenaki Indians and English settlements. But in 1736, the Massachusetts General Court granted a large section of the land to veterans of the 1690 Battle of Quebec. Conflicting claims led to prolonged litigation. Consequently, settlement was delayed until after the French and Indian Wars.

It was first settled in 1786 as part of Minot, which was incorporated in 1802. Auburn would be set off and incorporated on February 24, 1842. The name was apparently inspired by Auburn, a place featured in the 1770 poem The Deserted Village by Oliver Goldsmith. Originally part of Cumberland County, the town became county seat of Androscoggin County at its creation in 1854. By annexing land from towns around it, including part of Poland in 1852, Minot in 1873 and all of Danville (first called Pejepscot) in 1867, Auburn grew geographically into one of Maine's largest municipalities. Incorporated a city in 1868, Auburn in 1917 would be the first city in the state to adopt a council-manager form of government.

Farms supplied grain and produce. But with construction of the bridge to Lewiston in 1823, and especially after arrival of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad from Portland in January 1848, the community developed into a mill town. Mills were built to operate by water power from falls on the Androscoggin and Little Androscoggin rivers. In 1835, the factory system of shoe manufacture originated at Auburn. Other firms manufactured cotton and woolen textiles, carriages, iron goods, bricks and furniture. The city's population in 1860 was only about 4,000 but by 1890 it was about 12,000, when its shoe factories attracted many French Canadian immigrants, many of whom arrived by train from Quebec. Steady population growth continued to about 1960 when the population was about 24,500. Auburn and Lewiston are known as the Twin Cities.

Court Street in c. 1912

Old Mill in c. 1910

High Street in 1907

Public Library in c. 1910

[edit] Notable residents

Androscoggin County Buildings in c. 1912

Tony Atlas, professional wrestler
John Bower, skier
Aaron S. Daggett, last surviving Civil War general
T. A. D. Fessenden, congressman
Robert Luce, congressman
Elmer Drew Merrill, botanist
George Perkins Merrill, geologist
Julie M. J. Parisien, skier
Tommy Avalon, pugilist
Billy Silverman, referee
Charles Small, baseball player
The Mainer, heiress of Jamaican rum dynasty

[edit] Geography

Auburn is located at 44°5′21″N, 70°14′29″W (44.089173, -70.241437)^[2]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 65.8 square miles (170.4 km²), of which, 59.8 square miles (154.8 km²) of it is land and 6.0 square miles (15.6 km²) of it (9.13%) is water. Auburn is drained by the Little Androscoggin River and Androscoggin River.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	2,840	—
1860	4,022	41.6%
1870	6,169	53.4%
1880	9,555	54.9%
1890	11,250	17.7%
1900	12,951	15.1%
1910	15,064	16.3%
1920	16,985	12.8%
1930	18,571	9.3%
1940	19,817	6.7%
1950	23,134	16.7%
1960	24,449	5.7%
1970	24,151	-1.2%
1980	23,128	-4.2%
1990	24,039	3.9%
2000	23,203	-3.5%
Est. 2006	23,156	-0.2%
sources:^[3]^[4]

Lake Grove from Lake Auburn in 1911

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 23,203 people, 9,764 households, and 5,907 families residing in the city. The population density was 388.1 people per square mile (149.9/km²). There were 10,608 housing units at an average density of 177.4/sq mi (68.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.04% White, 0.59% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population.

There were 9,764 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,652, and the median income for a family was $44,012. Males had a median income of $32,088 versus $22,349 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,942. About 9.0% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

[edit] Government

Corner of Court and Main streets in c. 1908

Auburn is in the Maine's 2nd US Congressional District, Maine Senate District 15, and Maine House of Representatives Districts 68, 69, and 70.

Auburn is divided up into five wards. The city's governing body is a City Council, consisting of a Mayor and 7 councilmembers (one from each of the five wards, and two elected at large).

Auburn's current Mayor is John Jenkins.[2]

[edit] Sites of interest

Androscoggin Historical Society & Museum -- artifacts of local history, Civil War memorabilia, farming tools and a bird collection
Auburn Fire Department Museum -- a collection of antique fire equipment from the city
Knight House Museum (1796) -- the oldest frame house downtown, with a pre-1835 handwork shoe-shop