Lewiston, Maine

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 sometimes abbreviated as L-A. Lewiston is home to Bates College, the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the Lewiston campus of the University of Southern Maine, and several medical centers.

History
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".

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.

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 cathedral 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.

While the Diocese of Portland did not relocate to Lewiston, the cathedral 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.

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.

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 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 relocation to Lewiston (for example, 50% of the City's welfare budget was being directed to the Somali newcomers). 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 at Bates College and the organization of the "Many and One Coalition."

Heritage initiative
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.

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 km sq (35.2 mi sq). 88.3 km sq (34.1 mi sq) of it is land and 2.8 km sq (1.1 mi sq) of it (3.13%) is water.

Notable people
Bill Carrigan (1883-1969), manager of the 1915 and 1916 world champion Boston Red Sox.
Ernest "Ernie" Coombs (November 26, 1927 - September 18, 2001) was a television children's entertainer, known by generations of Canadian's as 'Mr. Dressup'. He began is career in Canada in 1963 as an understudy for Fred Rogers. Later he created his own television series which is still aired by CBC. He would later receive the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian citation.
Patrick Dempsey, star of movies such as Sweet Home Alabama and the TV show Grey's Anatomy, was born in Lewiston.
Rick DiPietro, ice hockey goaltender for New York Islanders and Team USA in 2006 Olympics in Turin, was born in Lewiston.
Joey Gamache, world champion lightweight boxer.
Alonzo Garcelon, Governor of Maine 1879-1880
Marsden Hartley (1877-1943), modernist painter
Edward C. Hayes (1868-1928), President of the American Sociological Association
James B. Longley (1924-1980), Governor of Maine
Ryan B. Coffin, writer

Trivia
Muhammad Ali's famous 'Liston Knockout' took place at the Colisee (then St. Dominic's Arena) in Lewiston on May 25, 1965. Photographer Neil Leifer made a trip back to the venue in May 2005 to commemorate his famous color photograph for a feature to be published in a future edition of Sports Illustrated.
The Farmer's Almanac is printed in Lewiston.

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