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AUGUSTA, MAINE - USA
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 of 1607. It was first inhabited by English settlers from the
Plymouth Colony in 1625 as a trading post. 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 of 1797, the upstream area of Hallowell know as "the Fort" was
incorporated as a separate town called Harrington, but 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 44°19'25" North, 69°45'55" West (44.323535,
-69.765261).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
150.9 km˛ (58.3 mi˛). 143.4 km˛ (55.4 mi˛) of it is land and 7.5 km˛ (2.9
mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 4.98% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 18,560 people, 8,565 households, and
4,607 families residing in the city. The population density is 129.4/km˛
(335.1/mi˛). There are 9,480 housing units at an average density of 66.1/km˛
(171.2/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 96.21% White, 0.50% 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
are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 8,565 households out of which 24.3% have children under the age of
18 living with them, 39.1% are married couples living together, 10.9% have a
female householder with no husband present, and 46.2% are non-families.
38.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.2% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.10 and the average family size is 2.77.
In the city the population is 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
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100
females there are 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $29,921, and the median
income for a family is $42,230. Males have a median income of $31,209 versus
$22,548 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,145. 15.0% of
the population and 11.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 19.2% are under the age of 18 and 9.8% are
65 or older.
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