Augusta, Maine
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Augusta is the capital of the state of Maine in the United States. It is located on the Kennebec River at the head of navigation or "head of the tide". As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 18,560. It is the county seat of Kennebec County.
History
The area was first explored by members of the ill-fated Popham Colony in September 1607. It was first inhabited by English settlers from the Plymouth Colony in 1625 as a trading post. The settlement was located on the Kennebec River at highest tidal eddy. Around that time, it was given the name "Cushnoc" (or "Coussinoc" or "Koussinoc"). The oldest wooden fort in America is located on the Kennebec River in Augusta. The fort was built in 1754 and is called Fort Western.The area was incorporated as part of the town called Hallowell in 1771. In February 1797, the upstream area of Hallowell know as "the Fort" was incorporated as a separate town called Harrington. However, the name was changed to "Augusta" in August of that year.
Augusta was officially designated the state capital in 1827. However, the Maine State Legislature continued to meet in Portland until completion of the new capitol building in 1832. Augusta was chartered as a city in 1849.
Geography
Augusta is located at ()[Geographic references#1GR1]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 150.9 km² (58.3 mi²). 143.4 km² (55.4 mi²) of it is land and 7.5 km² (2.9 mi²) of it (4.98%) is water.Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 18,560 people, 8,565 households, and 4,607 families residing in the city. The population density was 129.4/km² (335.1/mi²). There were 9,480 housing units at an average density of 66.1/km² (171.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.21% White, 0.50% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 1.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino 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.
Sites of interest
The Pine Tree State Arboretum is a 224-acre (90.6 hectares) arboretum with botanical gardens.
The Maine State Museum and Maine State Library are housed next to the state capital building. The capital grounds include Capitol Park and several monuments.
Bates College, Bowdoin College, and Colby College are all located within an hour of Augusta.
External links
| The State of Maine | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Capital | Augusta | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regions |
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| Largest cities
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Augusta ·
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