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Lewiston, Maine

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Lewiston, Maine
City
Skyline of Lewiston
Skyline of Lewiston
Official seal of Lewiston, Maine
Seal
Motto: 
Industria
Location of Lewiston, Maine
Location of Lewiston, Maine
CountryUnited States
StateMaine
CountyAndroscoggin
Incorporated1795 (town), 1863 (city)
Government
 • MayorLaurent F. Gilbert, Sr.
Area
 • City35.2 sq mi (91.1 km2)
 • Land34.1 sq mi (88.3 km2)
 • Water1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
Elevation
217 ft (66 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • City41,592
 • Density1,071.6/sq mi (404.2/km2)
 • Metro
107,552
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP codes
04240, 04241, 04243
Area code207
FIPS code23-38740
GNIS feature ID0569502
Websiteci.lewiston.me.us

Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan statistical area, which as of 2006 census estimates has a combined population of 107,552. It is also part of the extended Portland-Lewiston-South Portland, Maine combined statistical area, which has a combined population 621,219 as of 2006 estimates.

A former industrial center, it is located in south-central Maine, at the falls of the Androscoggin River, across from Auburn. Lewiston and Auburn are often considered a single entity and referred to as Lewiston-Auburn, which is colloquially abbreviated as L-A or L/A, and have a combined population of 59,647 people.[1] Together, Lewiston-Auburn is somewhat smaller than Maine's largest city, Portland (excluding its own suburbs). Lewiston is home to Bates College, the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the University of Southern Maine's Lewiston-Auburn College, and two significant regional general hospitals: Central Maine Medical Center and Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center.

History

Early period

The Lewiston area was formerly inhabited by peoples of the Androscoggin (or Arosaguntacook) tribe. The Androscoggins were a sub-tribe of the Abenaki nation. They were driven out of the area in 1690 during King William's War, relocated to St. Francis (now Odanak), Canada, destroyed by Rogers' Rangers in 1759.

A grant comprising the area of Lewiston was given to Moses Little and Jonathan Bagley, members of the Pejepscot Proprieters, on January 28, 1768 on the condition that fifty families lived 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.[2] At least four houses that have survived from this period are currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

King Avenue and Ralph Avenue were named after Ralph Luthor King, who owned the land located near the fairgrounds. Elliott Avenue was named after his wife, Grace O. Elliott, whose son eventually built the family home at 40 Wellman Street.

Industrial development period

Lewiston was a slow but steadily growing farm town throughout its early history. By the early-to-mid-19th century, however, as water power was being honed, Lewiston's location on the Androscoggin River would prove to make it a perfect location for emerging industry.[2]

In 1809, Michael Little built a large wooden sawmill next to the falls. Burned in 1814 by an arsonist, it was later rebuilt. In 1836, local entrepreneurs — predominantly the Little family and friends — formed the Androscoggin Falls Dam, 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." [3]

Benjamin E. Bates from 1877-78 The Bates Student
Bates Mill and canal c. 1915

Later reorganized as the Lewiston Water Power Company, the sales of stock attracted Boston investors — including Thomas J. Hill, Lyman Nichols, George L. Ward, Alexander De Witt, and Benjamin E. Bates (namesake of the Bates Mill and Bates College) – who financed a canal system and several textile mills on the Androscoggin River. This began the transformation from a small farming town into a textile manufacturing center on the model of Lowell, Massachusetts.[2] The Bates Mill remained the largest employer in Lewiston from the 1850s to the mid-late 20th century.

In 1853, the Grand Trunk Railway was built, connecting Maine to the St. Lawrence River, Montreal, and the Canadian Maritimes, and making Portland the winter port for Canadian trade. Subsequently, trains connected Quebec with Lewiston on a daily schedule. During the Civil War, the high demand for textiles helped Lewiston develop a strong industrial base. In 1860, a flood of French-Canadian immigration into Maine began, spawned by industrial work opportunities in Maine cities with water power from waterfalls.[4] This brought a significant influx of Québécois millworkers that replaced the former Yankee millgirls. Lewiston's population boomed between 1840 to 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 largely Franco-American ever since.

In 1855, The Maine State Seminary in Lewiston, now Bates College, was incorporated. 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 national church in Maine. In 1880, Le Messager, a French language newspaper, began printing in Lewiston to serve its predominant ethnic population.

The local Kora Shrine was organized in 1891 and held its first meetings in a Masonic temple on Lisbon Street. This group would from 1908 to 1910 build the Kora Temple on Sabattus Street, the largest home of a fraternal organization in the state. Architect George M. Coombs designed this Moorish style structure.

City leaders decided to build a cathedral in which the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland could relocate. Construction of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul began in 1905 and ended in 1938, mostly funded 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 a basilica in 2004. It is one of the few American basilicas located outside of a major metropolitan area.

Lewiston factories c. 1910

Industrial decline period

After World War I, profits from the textile industry in New England mill towns such as Lewiston, Biddeford, Manchester, New Hampshire, Waterbury, Connecticut, and Fall River, Haverhill, Lawrence and Lowell, Massachusetts began to decline. Businesses began moving to the South due to lower costs of power from more modern technologies (Lewiston's water wheel technology gave way to hydroelectricity, cheaper transportation (as most cotton and materials came from the South), and cheaper labor.

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 previously located downtown—Woolworth's, W. T. Grant, S. S. Kresge, JC Penney and Sears 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 after more than a century in business in 1982. 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.[5]

Economic diversification and renaissance

Following a difficult economic period in the 1980s that saw high unemployment and downtown stagnation, several key events have led to a period of economic and cultural renaissance, including the transformation of the historic Bates 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 1,100,000-square-foot (100,000 m2) behemoth led to two referenda (one nEon-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. Platz Associates, then in 2003, 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 flourished after Platz redeveloped the mill building.[5] The Bates Mill complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December, 2010.

Oxford Networks headquarters

In May 2004, the city of Lewiston announced a plan for urban renewal near its downtown area. The plan is 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 federal Community Development Block Grant funds provided over a period of ten years. Many residents of the affected neighborhoods felt that the plan was initially announced with very little input from them. They formed a neighborhood group called "The Visible Community", which has since been actively involved in the planning process, which has resulted has been cooperation between neighbors and city officials to redesign Kennedy Park, including input on the location of new basketball courts, and feedback regarding creation of the largest all-concrete skate park in Maine.

Downtown is now 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 for Andover College, the headquarters for Northeast Bank, a parking garage, and the newly renovated Maine Supply Co. building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That facility is now called the Business Service Center at Key Bank Plaza, and is home to the local Chamber of Commerce, the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council, and an innovative 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 2006 KPMG 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 also earned a 2007 All-America City Award designation by the National Civic League. The national competition "recognizes communities whose residents work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve measurable, uncommon results." Only 10 cities are selected as All-America Cities each year. Lewiston was the first Maine city to earn the distinction since Auburn in 1967.[citation needed]

Somali and Bantu migration

Main article: Somali and Bantu migration to Maine

In 1999, at the urging of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the United States government began preparations to resettle an estimated 12,000 refugees from the Bantu minority ethnic group in Somalia to select cities throughout the United States. Most of the early arrivals in the United States settled in Clarkston, Georgia, a city adjacent to Atlanta. 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.[6]

Word soon spread that Lewiston had a low crime rate, good schools and cheap housing.[7] Somalis subsequently began a secondary migration from other states to the former mill town, and after 2005, many Bantus followed suit.[6]

In October 2002, then-Mayor Laurier T. Raymond wrote an open 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.[7] The letter angered some persons 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.[8]

In January 2003, a small white supremacist group demonstrated in Lewiston in support of what they believed the mayor meant, prompting a simultaneous counter-demonstration at Bates College and the organization of the "Many and One Coalition". The mayor was out of state on the day of the rallies, while governor John Baldacci and other officials attended.

In August 2010, the Lewiston Sun Journal reported that Somali entrepreneurs had helped reinvigorate downtown Lewiston by opening dozens of shops in previously closed storefronts. Amicable relations were also reported by the local merchants of French-Canadian descent and the Somali storekeepers.[9]

Geography

Lewiston is located at 44°5′51″N 70°11′33″W / 44.09750°N 70.19250°W / 44.09750; -70.19250Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (44.097473, -70.192416)Template:GR.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.2 square miles (91.1 km²), of which, 34.1 square miles (88.3 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (3.13%) is water. Lewiston is drained by the Androscoggin River, which is located on its western border. Lewiston is bordered by the city of Auburn beyond the river, and the towns of Greene, Sabattus, and Lisbon. It is located between Portland, the state's biggest city and cultural center, and the state capital of Augusta.

Neighborhoods

  • Downtown: It runs from Oxford Street up to Jefferson Street, and from Adams Avenue to Main Street. This is the most densely settled area of the city, 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 followed a period of renovation. Knox Street was very run-down. The building on these streets including Pine, Howard and many others that form this densely populated areas continue the urban blight of a city crowded with tenement-like housing. This neighborhood includes:
Saints' Peter and Paul Basilica, one of only a few basilicas in New England, and the only in Maine, located on Ash Street
  • Lisbon Street Business District
  • Country Kitchen Bread Factory
  • Lewiston City Hall
  • Bates Mill Complex
  • Lewiston Police Department
  • Kennedy Park
  • The Public Theatre
  • S.S. Peter and Paul Basilica
  • St. Patrick's Church
  • St. Joseph's Church
  • Central Maine Medical Family/Center
  • Railroad Park
  • Androscoggin Bank Coliseé
  • Bourque's Central Market
  • Farmers Market

Webster Street neighborhood Consisting mostly of suburban mid-income housing, this neighborhood runs in between Lisbon Street and Webster street, and East Ave, and Alfred Plourde Parkway. Schools that serve this neighborhood are Farwell Elementary, Martel Elementary, Lewiston Middle School, and Lewiston High School.

Pond Road neighborhood 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. The schools that serve this area is McMahon Elementary, Lewiston Middle School, and Lewiston high School.

Climate

Template:Lewiston, Maine weatherbox

Economy

Large businesses

Central Maine Medical Center, seen from High Street
  • Central Maine Medical Center: Founded by Edward H. Hill in the mid-1860s CMMC (Central Maine Medical Center) is located downtown at High Street. The campus includes several large parking facilities, a LifeFlight 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. The hospital has approximately 250 beds, and approximately 300 physicians. It is a Level II trauma center. Central Maine Medical Center is the flagship hospital of Central Maine Medical Family. The organization runs two other hospitals, one in Bridgton and another in Rumford. 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 Peter E. Chalk. The Central Maine Medical Family is located a block away from the hospital on Bates Street in the Lovell Square Building, a refurbished textile factory. CMMC is currently undergoing major renovations to their emergency entrance.
  • Country Kitchen Bakery: Country Kitchen is located in downtown between Lisbon and Park streets. Country Kitchen currently services all of the United States. It operates a second factory a few hundred feet away between Canal and Lincoln streets.
The Lewiston Sun Journal on Park Street
  • Walmart Distribution Center: Walmart currently operates a 485,000-square-foot (45,100 m2) warehousing facility in Lewiston. It is currently the states largest facility. It is one mile (1.6 km) from exit 80 on I-95 on Alfred M. Plourde Parkway. This facility currently services 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.
  • Diamond Phoenix: A large engineering company with headquarters at 90 Alfred A. Plourde Parkway. Diamond Phoenix (also known as System Logistics) is an engineering company specializing in the setup of technology for the warehouse and storing systems.
File:Lewiston-Maine.jpg
Ariel view of the city

Lisbon Street

  • 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, two high-end restaurants (FUEL and Mother India), several pawn shops, Senator Susan Collins' office, Representative Mike Michaud's office, a large strip of stores aimed at the large Somalian community, and many more stores. Downtown Lisbon Street faced hard economic times in the 1980s and 90s, leaving many formerly high-end stores vacant. In recent years, the economy has recovered and the stores have been either refurbished or torn down to make room for parking.
  • 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.

Main Street

Main St. in Lewiston is US-Route 202, ME-Route 11, and ME-Route 100.

  • 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 veterans from Lewiston and Auburn. Next is a small hydro-plant that was used to power the textile mills located on Canal Street. After the canal bridge there is the downtown section of Main street which has the L.L. Bean Call Center located in the Peck Building, a TD Bank branch, St. Joseph's Church, a vacant church owned by the Diocese of Portland, Central Maine Medical Center, and 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 century Victorian mansions, some of which remain houses and some which have been converted into doctors' offices.

Transportation

Public transportation

  • City Bus: The city of Lewiston uses the Citylink or Purple Bus system. They use Citylink in collaboration with Auburn and Lisbon. The buses run from 6am to 5:30 PM Monday through Saturday. They operate on nine different bus lines.
City Link Bus near Walmart
  • Bus Number 1 - Main Street
  • Bus Number 2 - Sabattus Street
  • Bus Number 3 - Lisbon Street
  • Bus Number 4 - New Auburn
  • Bus Number 5 - Minot Avenue
  • Bus Number 6 - College Street
  • Bus Number 7 - Auburn Malls
  • Bus Number 8 - Downtown Shuttle
  • Bus Number 9 - Central Maine Community College

The downtown shuttle is the only line that requires no fare at all. It runs through the downtown of both Lewiston and Auburn. The Citylink's station is located in Auburn. Its maintains only one line that goes into Lisbon. The Citylink services on average approximately 235,000 people a year.

Roadways and major routes

  • Interstate 95: Formerly Interstate 495, runs through Lewiston. It is Exit 80 in Lewiston. Exit 80 exits out onto Alfred Plourde Parkway in the Industrial Park. Provides fast connection to Portland being 45 minutes away, Bangor which is two hours away, and Boston which is two hours away.
  • U.S. Route 202: Main Street in Lewiston is 202 as well as ME-Route 11, and ME-Route 100. It runs straight through the center of downtown to the business parks outwards of town, and the northern Lewiston suburbs. Connects Lewiston to Auburn and Greene. Provides fast transportation to Augusta 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 makes easy access to the towns of Topsam, and Brunswick. This route ends on U.S. Route 1 in the City of Brunswick, Maine. It connects to Interstate 295 in Topsam.
  • Maine State Route 126: Starts in Lewiston at US Route 202, Maine Street. In Lewiston it is Sabbatus Street. It connects Lewiston to the town of Sabbatus.

Bridges

  • Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge: Built in 1973 to commemorate the veterans of the Vietnam 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 former Lewiston Mayor, and Governor of Maine James 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 and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Bernard Lown.

Airports and bus station

  • Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport: The official airport of the two cities. It currently provides private flights in and out of the city. There are plans to get airlines that would fly to cities such as Newark in the airport by 2012.

Although the city is serviced by an airport, most people use the Portland 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.

Culture

Library

  • The Lewiston Public Library has played a major role in the emerging culture of Lewiston. It was renovated and expanded in 1996. The library is located downtown on the corner of Lisbon Street and Pine Street and has over 100,000 books in its collection. Recently, it has opened the Marsden Hartley Cultural Center, holding various events such as concerts and film festivals.

Museums

  • 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. At Museum L-A visitors can walk through a simulated production line, then view exhibits covering the textile, show, and brick industries that once thrived in Lewiston and Auburn. The museum is currently located 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.
  • Bates College Museum of Art: Located on the Bates College Campus, the Bates College Museum of Art features a wide variety of art. The art students at this school create much of this cities art life.

Franco-American Heritage Center

The Franco-American Heritage 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.

The Public Theatre

Lewiston also features The Public Theatre, which puts on different plays throughout the year with about six to eight productions per season. It is located downtown on Maple St. It was formerly located on Park street. It features all types of plays, with actors from all over the world. Its offices are located in Auburn at the Great Falls Plaza.

Events

The Great Falls Balloon Festival

The Great 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. It is said to be the city's biggest annual event.[citation needed]

Festival FrancoFun

Formerly known as Festival de Joie, Festival FrancoFun is held annually at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee and is a celebration of the city's Franco-American heritage. The festival features performances from French-Canadian musicians as well as native French-Canadian food.

Liberty Festival

Held on July 4 of each year, the festival is the name given to the fireworks event over the Great Falls of the Androscoggin 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, Mardens parking lot in Lewiston, and Great Falls Plaza in Auburn.

Patrick Dempsey Challenge

Lewiston hosts the annual Dempsey Challenge, which began in 2009. The event, hosted by Lewiston-native Patrick 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 the Tour de France. All the proceeds go to the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope at the Central Maine Medical Center.

Media

Newspapers

  • Lewiston Sun 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 1979.
  • The Twin City Times is a weekly paper printed in Auburn. It is found in almost every establishment in Lewiston for free. It features local news, and short articles from people in the Twin-Cities.

Magazines

  • Lewiston Auburn Magazine, launched in April 2010, features current events and history of Lewiston/Auburn, with an emphasis on the people who are helping to rebuild the area.

Television

Lewiston is part of the Portland television market, and receives all major channels in that market; WGME-TV and WCSH both have local bureaux in Lewiston, located across the street from each other on Main Street.

Radio

Lewiston is part of the Portland radio market, and receives most major stations in that market.

  • WFNK 107.5 FM (Frank FM) is licensed to the City of Lewiston; however they broadcast from the Time and Temperature Building in Portland.
  • WRBC 91.5 FM is Bates College's radio station.

Sports and recreation

Androscoggin Bank Colisee

The Androscoggin Bank Colisée

The center of sports in Lewiston is the Androscoggin Bank Colisée (formerly known as the Central Maine Civic Center). The Lewiston Maineiacs, the only American team in the Quebec 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 its French American heritage. Two Lewiston schools, Lewiston High School and St. Dominic Regional High School (now located in Auburn), combine for over half of the state class A high school hockey championships in the state's history.

In 1965, Lewiston was the site of a Muhammad Ali--Sonny Liston heavyweight title fight. Only 2,434 fans were present at The Lewiston Colisee, which set the all-time record for the lowest attendance for a boxing heavyweight championship fight. The fight was the scene of the famous photograph of Ali standing over Liston taunting him with his glove.[10]

Lewiston Maineiacs

The Lewiston Maineiacs are a major junior hockey team that plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)/la Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec (LHJMQ). The Maineiacs moved to Lewiston in 2003 from Sherbrooke, Quebec and are the only team in the QMJHL located in the United States. They play their home games at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston. In 2006-2007, the Maineiacs won the Jean Rougeau Trophy for having the best record in the QMJHL, won the President's Cup as QMJHL playoff champion, and represented the league at the 2007 Memorial Cup. Several Maineiacs alumni have played in the National Hockey League, including Jaroslav Halák, Jonathan Bernier, David Perron, and Alexandre Picard.

Education

Lewiston's public education system has recently seen a number of new buildings constructed for Farwell Elementary School and Pettingill School, now replaced with the 600 Student capacity Geiger Elementary School. Plans to redo the cities Thomas J. McMahon School are under way.

The city is also home to Bates College, one of the most prestigious small colleges in the country.

Colleges and universities

Public schools

Jordan School in 1908

Private schools

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1790532—
180094878.2%
18101,0389.5%
18201,31226.4%
18301,54918.1%
18401,80116.3%
18503,58499.0%
18607,424107.1%
187013,60083.2%
188019,08340.3%
189021,70113.7%
190023,7619.5%
191026,24710.5%
192031,79121.1%
193034,9489.9%
194038,59810.4%
195040,9746.2%
196040,804−0.4%
197041,7792.4%
198040,481−3.1%
199039,757−1.8%
200035,690−10.2%
201041,59216.5%
sources:[11][12]

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 35,690 people, 15,290 households, and 8,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,047.0 people per square mile (404.2/km²). There were 16,470 housing units at an average density of 483.2 per square mile (186.5/km²). The racial makeup was 95.75% White, 1.07% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.26% of the population.

People of French descent are by far the most represented ethnic group in Lewiston, with 29.4% being of French-American descent and 18.3% French (the two are listed as separate categories in the census). Following French are Irish at 10.2% and English at 9.9%.

There were 15,290 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.81.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,191, and the median income for a family was $40,061. Males had a median income of $30,095 versus $21,810 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,905. About 10% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Language
From Modern Language Association Data Center

Language Population Percentage (%)
English 24,250 72.51%
French 8,620 25.77%
Spanish 280 0.83%
Other languages 293 0.88%

Voter registration

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of August 2011[13]
Party Total Voters Percentage

Template:American politics/party colors/Republican/row

Republican 4,012 17.82%

Template:American politics/party colors/Democratic/row

Democratic 10,242 45.49%

Template:American politics/party colors/Independent/row

Unaffiliated 7,258 32.24%

Template:American politics/party colors/Green/row

Green Party 999 4.43%
Total 22,511 100%
Old Post Office, in use from 1895 until 1934, as it appeared in 1915
  • The Farmers' Almanac is printed in Lewiston.
  • Lewiston is the setting for the fictitious Kingdom Hospital, featured in the thirteen-episode miniseries developed by horror writer Stephen King. In 1999 when King was struck by a car while walking in Lovell, Maine, 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 the civil War, which the Bates Mill and other Lewiston textile factories actually did. King attended elementary school in the nearby town of Durham, Maine and high school in the neighboring town of Lisbon Falls, Maine
  • Twins Francis Edgar Stanley and Freelan 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 became Eastman Kodak. They eventually went on to invent the Stanley Steamer.

Places of interest

  • Railroad Park, a large park in downtown Lewiston. Also one of the launching points of the largest balloon festival in New England, the Great Falls Balloon Festival.
  • Grand Trunk Rail Station, a historical look at the railroad running through downtown Lewiston.
  • Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary, just off of Highland Spring Road, it is the largest bird sanctuary in New England.
  • The Public Theatre, a nationally recognized theatre for their artistic excellence, The Public Theatre is a professional Equity theatre located in the heart of downtown Lewiston.
  • The Lewiston Skate Park, on Park Street. It includes a nine foot pool coaping-bowl, snake-run, pole-jam, stair-set, hand-rail, and ledges. The entire park is surfaced with concrete. It is one of the largest skate parks north of Boston.
  • Mount David, often referred to as "Mount Davis" or "Davis Mountain" due to its being named after a man named David Davis. A small, 389-foot (119 m) mountain with several trails, located on the campus of Bates College.
  • Lewiston Falls on the Androscoggin River separates downtown Lewiston and Auburn. The falls, also known as the "Great Falls", were once a fishing destination for Native Americans. The river has since become polluted and is no longer a popular fishing place.
  • Museum L-A: The Story of Work and Community in Lewiston-Auburn. Documents and celebrates the economic, social and technological legacy of Lewiston-Auburn and its people. It is located in the Bates Mill Complex at the corner of Canal and Chestnut streets.
  • St. Peter's Cemetery

National Register of Historic Places listings

Empire Theatre in 1907
Hospital Square in c. 1910
Kennedy Park in c. 1915
Kora Temple Shrine in c. 1915

See also

References

  1. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table
  2. ^ a b c Coolidge, Austin J. (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. pp. 188–191. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ Elder, Janus G. A History of Lewiston, Maine with a Genealogical Register of Early Families page 52.
  4. ^ Varney, George J. (1886), Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Lewiston, Boston: Russell
  5. ^ a b History of Lewiston, Maine (municipal site)
  6. ^ a b Perceived Barriers to Somali Immigrant Employment in Lewiston - A Supplement to Maine’s Department of Labor Report
  7. ^ a b The New Yankees, Mother Jones, March/April 2004
  8. ^ The Great Somali Welfare Hunt
  9. ^ Somali stores bring people back to Lisbon Street Lewiston Sun-Journal, August 30, 2010
  10. ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1152502/1/index.htm
  11. ^ [1], accessed December, 2007.
  12. ^ Lewiston city, Maine - Population Finder - American FactFinder
  13. ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of August, 2011" (PDF). Maine Bureau of Corporations.

Further reading

  • Elder, Janus G., A History of Lewiston, Maine with a Genealogical Register of Early Families. Heritage Books, Inc., 1989
  • Hodgkin, Douglas I., Lewiston Memories: A Bicentennial Pictorial. Jostens Printing & Publishing, 1994
  • Finnegan, William, Letter from Maine: New in Town, the Somalis of Lewiston. The New Yorker, December 11, 2006
  • Hodgkin, Douglas I., Frontier to Industrial City:Lewiston Town Politics 1768–1863. Just Write Books, Topsham, ME, 2008
  • 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
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