Bangor, Maine

This article is about the Maine, USA city of Bangor. For other places named Bangor, see Bangor.

Bangor is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 31,473 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Penobscot County. It is the major commercial center for eastern, central and northern Maine. As of 2006, Bangor is the third-largest city in Maine, as it has been for more than a century.

In the 19th century, Bangor was a center of the timber and logging business and at one point late in the century was said to be the richest city per capita in the world. Many of the timber barons of the time lived in elaborate Victorian houses that still stand on West Broadway. The city is home to author Stephen King, who lives in one of those ornate houses. It is noteworthy for its large number of substantial old churches, as well as its imposing canopy of shade trees. It was once known as "The Queen City of the East." The shorter Queen City appellation is still used by some local clubs, organizations, events and businesses. The University of Maine is located nearby in the town of Orono.

Like many cities across the world, Bangor has had its share of disasters. On April 30, 1911, embers from a hayshed near the Kenduskeag Stream ignited nearby buildings, sparking the Great Fire of 1911. The fire would destroy most of the downtown, forever changing the face of the city, but like in the case of the more famous Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the city would rise again and prosper.

Apocryphal name origin

In 1791, settlers from the area decided to incorporate into a town. The Reverend Seth Noble promoted the name Sunbury, and went to Boston with the settlers' petition (at the time, Maine was part of Massachusetts). It is said that Noble was whistling a hymn written by William Tans'ur called Bangor when the Boston official asked him what he wanted the town's name to be. Noble, thinking that the official was asking him the name of the hymn, replied "Bangor". To many people, this story seems extremely unlikely.

Geography

Bangor is located at (44.810870, -68.783012). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 90.0 km² (34.7 mi²). 89.2 km² (34.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (0.86%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 31,473 people, 13,713 households, and 7,185 families residing in the city. The population density was 352.7/km² (913.7/mi²). There were 14,587 housing units at an average density of 163.5/km² (423.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.96% White, 1.02% African American, 0.98% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.

There were 13,713 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.6% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,740, and the median income for a family was $42,047. Males had a median income of $32,314 versus $23,759 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,295. About 11.9% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

The Bangor Public Library, founded in 1883 with its very beginnings tracing back to 1830 and seven books in a simple footlocker, now has a collection of over 500,000 volumes. The Maine Discovery Museum is a major children's museum founded in 2001 and located in the downtown area. Next to the library is the Luther H. Peirce Memorial, a large statue commemorating River Drivers created by the noted sculptor Charles Eugene Tefft in 1925.

There are several performing arts venues and groups in the Bangor area. The Bangor Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1896, is the oldest continually operating symphony orchestra in the United States. The Bangor Band, founded in 1859 and performing continually since then, gives free weekly concerts in the city's parks during the summer, and counts among its past conductors noted march composer Robert B. Hall. The Penobscot Theatre Company is a professional theater company based in the historic Bangor Opera House. The Maine Center for the Arts, located at the nearby University of Maine, hosts a wide variety of touring performing artists and events.

Bangor also boasts the country's second oldest garden cemetery, the Mt. Hope Cemetery.

Events

The Bangor State Fair, held starting the last Friday of each July, for more than 150 years, is one of the country's oldest fairs, featuring agricultural exhibits, carnival attractions, and live performances.

In 2002, 2003, and 2004, Bangor was the host of the National Folk Festival. In August, 2005, the newly created American Folk Festival began as an annual event on the city's waterfront.

Media

The Bangor Daily News is published in the city. The BDN is one of the few remaining family-owned newspapers left in the United States.

Bangor has more than a dozen radio stations and seven television stations, including WLBZ 2 (NBC), WABI 5 (CBS), WVII 7 (ABC), and WFVX 22 (Fox). WMEB 12, licensed to Orono, is the area's PBS member station.

Sports and recreation

The Eastern Maine High School Basketball Tournament is held each February at the Bangor Auditorium drawing fans from central, eastern and northern Maine. The nearby University of Maine fields major college sports teams in football, ice hockey, baseball, and men's and women's basketball. Bangor has also been home to two minor league baseball teams in the past decade: the Bangor Blue Ox (1996-1997) and the Bangor Lumberjacks (2003-2004). Both were affiliated with the Northeast League that existed under that name from 1995-1998.

Bangor Raceway offers live harness racing and features an Off-Track betting center. Also, nearby Hollywood Slots offers Maine's first slot machine gambling center.

Nearby parks, forests and waterways support a wide variety of outdoor activities including hiking, sailing, canoeing, hunting, fishing, skiing, and snowmobiling.

Transportation

Bangor is located along I-95, US 1, and US 2. I-395 branches from I-95 and runs to the east.

Five major airlines combine to offer over 60 flights a day to and from Bangor International Airport.

Public transportation throughout Bangor is offered by the Bangor Area Transit system.

Famous Bangorians

Bangor is the hometown of Hannibal Hamlin, who served as Abraham Lincoln's vice president, and of William Cohen, U.S. Senator and Secretary of Defense under Bill Clinton. Chuck Peddle, who developed the MOS 6502 microprocessor in 1975, was born in Bangor in 1937. The well-known painter and Bohemian character Waldo Peirce was born in Bangor and lived there for a number of years.

Also residing there is Stephen King, the prolific and internationally popular author best known for his horror-themed stories, novels, and movies. His wife, Tabitha Spruce-King, is also a well-known writer and lives with him. They donate a substantial amount of money to local libraries and hospitals and have funded a baseball stadium, Mansfield Stadium, and the Beth Pancoe Pool, both on the grounds of Hayford Park, for the citizens, especially the children, of the city to use.

King's fictional town, Derry, Maine, shares many points of correspondence with Bangor — the rivers, the Standpipe, the hospital — but is always referred to as separate from Bangor.

External links

Cities in Maine | Penobscot County, Maine

Bangor (Maine) | Bangor (Maine) | Bangor (Maine) | Bangor, Maine | Bangor, Maine

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