Augusta, Maine
| Augusta | |||
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| City | |||
Kennebec River flowing past downtown Augusta in September 2006
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| Motto: "A Capital Opportunity" | |||
 Location in Kennebec County and the state of Maine |
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 Augusta
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| Coordinates: 44°18′38″N 69°46′48″W / 44.31056°N 69.78000°W | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Maine | ||
| County | Kennebec | ||
| Settled | 1754 | ||
| Incorporated (town) | February 20, 1797 | ||
| Incorporated (city) | August 20, 1849 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | David Rollins | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 58.03 sq mi (150.30 km2) | ||
| • Land | 55.13 sq mi (142.79 km2) | ||
| • Water | 2.90 sq mi (7.51 km2) 5.00% | ||
| Elevation | 68 ft (20 m) | ||
| Population (2012) | |||
| • Estimate (2012) | 18,946 
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| • Density | 347.1/sq mi (134.0/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC−5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC−4) | ||
| Area code(s) | 207 | ||
| FIPS code | 23-02100 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0581636 | ||
| Website | City of Augusta, Maine | ||
Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Kennebec County.
The city's population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital (after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota) and the ninth-largest city in Maine. Located on the Kennebec River at the head of tide, Augusta is home to the University of Maine at Augusta. Augusta is also the principal city in the Augusta-Waterville, ME Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The area was first explored by the ill-fated Popham Colony in September 1607. It was first inhabited by English settlers from the Plymouth Colony in 1629 as a trading post on the Kennebec River. The settlement was known by its Indian name—Cushnoc (or Coussinoc or Koussinoc), meaning "head of tide." Fur trading was at first profitable, but with Indian uprisings and declining revenues, the Plymouth Colony sold the Kennebec Patent in 1661. Cushnoc would remain unoccupied for the next 75 years. This area was inhabited by the Canibas Indians. During the 17th century they were on friendly terms with the English settlers in the region.
A hotbed of Abenaki hostility toward British settlements was located further up the Kennebec at Norridgewock. In 1722, the tribe and its allies attacked Fort Richmond (now Richmond) and destroyed Brunswick. In response, Norridgewock was sacked in 1724 during Dummer's War, when English forces gained tentative control of the Kennebec. In 1754, a blockhouse named Fort Western (now the oldest wooden fort in America), was built at Cushnoc on the eastern bank. It was intended as a supply depot for Fort Halifax upriver, as well as to protect its own region. In 1775, Benedict Arnold and his 1,100 troops would use Fort Western as a staging area before continuing their journey up the Kennebec to the Battle of Quebec.
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