Lewiston, Maine

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Lewiston, Maine
Official seal of Lewiston, Maine
Seal
Main Street, also U.S. Route 202 in downtown Lewiston
Main Street, also U.S. Route 202 in downtown Lewiston
Coordinates: 44°5′51″N, 70°11′33″W
Counties Androscoggin County
Area
 - City 91.1 km²  (35.2 sq mi)
 - Land 88.3 km² (34.1 sq mi)
Population (2000)
 - City 35,690 (city proper)
 - Density 404.2/km² (1,047.0/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
Website: ci.lewiston.me.us

Lewiston, in Androscoggin County, is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2000 census, the city's population was 35,690. 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 is part of the Portland-Lewiston-South Portland, Maine Combined Statistical Area).

A former industrial center, it is located in southwest Maine, at the falls of the Androscoggin River, across from Auburn. Lewiston and Auburn are often thought of as 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 roughly 59,000 people. 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.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Industrial Development

Lewiston was settled in 1770 and officially incorporated in 1795. At least four houses that existed in 1795 in Lewiston have survived to the present and are currently designated "Historic Buildings" by the National Register of Historic Places.

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 and 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".[1]

Later reorganized as the Lewiston Water Power Company the new sales of stock attracted Boston investors — including Thomas J. Hill, Lyman Nichols, George L. Ward, Alexander De Witt, and Benjamin E. Bates (Namesake of Bates College) – who financed a canal system and several textile mills on the Androscoggin river, beginning Lewiston's transformation from a small community into a hub of textile production.

Lewiston's population boomed during these years. During the Civil War, high demand for textiles provided Lewiston with a strong industrial base. Starting in the 1870s, railroad connections to Canada brought an influx of French-Canadian millworkers, and the city's population has been largely Franco-American since.

Canal & mills in 1907
Canal & mills in 1907

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 would design its Moorish style structure.

City leaders decided to build a church to which the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland would 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.

City Park in c. 1920
City Park in c. 1920

While the Diocese of Portland did not relocate to Lewiston, the church is a prominent landmark and source of pride, and became a basilica in 2004. It is one of the few American basilicas located outside of a major metropolitan area.

[edit] Industrial Decline

Starting in the late 1950s, lower production costs elsewhere led to the closure of many of Lewiston's textile mills, which were the city's economic base and once produced a quarter of American textiles. Today, health care is Lewiston's largest industry. Other industries include paper manufacturing, shoe manufacturing, and tourism. Central Maine Medical Center is the city's largest employer.

[edit] Somali Influx

In 2001, approximately 1,100 Somalis began immigrating to Lewiston from Somalia and the greater Atlanta area.

In October 2002, then-Mayor Laurier T. Raymond, the son of immigrants himself, wrote an open letter addressed to leaders of the Somali community, predicting a negative impact on the city's social services and requesting that Somali leaders discourage further Somali relocation to Lewiston. The letter was full of factual errors (for example, it claimed that 50% of the City's welfare budget was being directed to the Somali newcomers which was untrue and ignored the fact that welfare is a Federal rather than a city program). Even the City Manager disagreed with the "facts" listed in the letter. The letter angered many, prompted many community leaders and residents to speak out against the mayor, drawing national attention. Demonstrations were held in Lewiston, both by those who supported the Somalis' presence and those who opposed it.

In January 2003, a small group from the white supremacist Creativity Movement demonstrated in Lewiston against the Somali population, prompting a simultaneous counter-demonstration of about 4,000 people [1] at Bates College and the organization of the "Many and One Coalition." Widespread publicity was given to the fact that the mayor chose to be out of state "on vacation" on the day of the rallies, while the governor and other dignitaries attended.

[edit] Heritage initiative

Panoramic view from City Hall, 1906
Panoramic view from City Hall, 1906

In May 2004, the City of Lewiston announced an ambitious plan for urban renewal near its downtown area. The plan, still in its formative stages, is to demolish several blocks of nineteenth-century millworker housing, lay new streets with updated infrastructure, construct more owner-occupied, lower-density housing, and build a boulevard through the 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 been actively involved in the planning process.

[edit] Geography

Lewiston is located at 44°5′51″N, 70°11′33″W (44.097473, -70.192416)GR1.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 91.1 km² (35.2 mi²). 88.3 km² (34.1 mi²) of it is land and 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²) of it (3.13%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

Post Office in 1908
Post Office in 1908

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 35,690 people, 15,290 households, and 8,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 404.2/km² (1,047.0/mi²). There were 16,470 housing units at an average density of 186.5/km² (483.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city 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. 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.

Park Street in c. 1910
Park Street in c. 1910

In the city the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males. 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 10.0% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.9% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable people

[edit] Facts and Figures

[edit] Places of Interest

  • Railroad Park--Large park in downtown Lewiston. Also the launching point of the largest balloon festival in New England, the Great Falls Balloon Festival.
  • Grand Trunk Rail Station--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.
  • Kennedy Park--park in historical downtown Lewiston across from the City Hall building and the Lewiston Police Department.
  • Lewiston Public Library--Library built over 85 years ago, with thousands of books, audio materials, and video materials.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Elder, Janus G. A History of Lewiston, Maine with a Genealogical Register of Early Families page 52.

[edit] References

  • 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

[edit] External links

Somali immigration related

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