Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of and most populous city in Kennebec County. Augusta is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. [5] The city's population was 18,899 at the 2020 census,[6] making it the 12th most populous city in Maine, and 3rd least populous state capital in the United States after Montpelier, Vermont, and Pierre, South Dakota.
The area was explored in 1607 by English settlers from the Popham Colony at the mouth of the Kennebec River.[7] Before European settlement, Algonquian-speaking Indians lived in the area.[7] In 1625, representatives of Plymouth Colony chose the east shore of the Kennebec for a trading post, which was likely built in 1628 and became known as "Cushnoc".[7] The Kennebec Proprietors, successors to the Plymouth Company, built Fort Western near the site of the abandoned trading post in 1754 and began settlement efforts.[7][8] The new village was incorporated as Hallowell in 1771, and the upriver part of town separated in 1797 to form the town of Harrington. On June 9, 1797, Harrington changed its name to Augusta and, in 1827, it was designated capital of Maine.[7]
Augusta is the easternmost state capital in the United States.[9] Located on the Kennebec River at the head of tide, it is the principal city in the Augusta-Waterville micropolitan statistical area and home to the University of Maine at Augusta.[10] Because of the city's position on the Kennebec, downtown Augusta is vulnerable to floods in spring.[11] The Maine flood of 1987, known as the "Great Flood", affected the city.[11] Bond Brook runs from northwest to southeast through the city center, and has been called the "Home of wild Atlantic Salmon".[11]
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.[12] The city's northwest quadrant includes both a retail center and neighborhoods.[12]
Augusta State Airport serves the city, offering both commercial service and general aviation.[11] Although the airport is owned by the State of Maine, it is managed and operated by the city.[11] Interstate 95 passes by the western outskirts of Augusta, and both U.S. 202 and U.S. 201 run through the city.
Downtown revitalization[edit]
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 the Maine Turnpike and Interstate 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.[20]
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.
Government[edit]
Local government[edit]
Augusta is governed by a mayor 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. The City Manager serves as the chief executive officer and purchasing agent of the city. The mayor presides at all meetings of the council, and is recognized ceremonially as the official head of the city.
The city maintains a police department; it is remarkable for not having had an officer killed in the line of duty for over a century.[29]
Political makeup[edit]
Augusta has historically been Democratic. In the 2012 presidential election, Barack Obama received 5,192 of the votes to Mitt Romney's 3,339.[30]
In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden won 5,248 votes to Donald Trump's 4,155.[31]
The city has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since George H. W. Bush in the Republican 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.
Education[edit]
There are five public schools, one private school, and one college (the University of Maine at Augusta).[10] There are two public libraries in Augusta, the city-operated Lithgow Public Library and the Maine State Library.
Farrington, Gilbert, Hussey, and Lincoln are the four public elementary schools that are located in the city.[33]
Cony serves students in grades 7–12 from Augusta and the surrounding towns; Cony comprises Cony Middle School and Cony High School.[34]
St. Michaels is a private Catholic school; it charges tuition to its students.[35]
The University of Maine at Augusta is third-largest university in the University of Maine System.[36]
Transportation[edit]
Interstate 95 passes by the western outskirts of Augusta. U.S. 202 runs east–west through the city. U.S. 201 runs north–south through the city.
Augusta State Airport (AUG), in the western part of the city, has commercial flights.