Oakland, Maine is said by residents to be the gateway to the Belgrade Lakes Region. The town of Oakland, population 5,959 (Census 2000), is located in northern Kennebec County, four miles (6 km) west of Waterville and approximately eighteen miles (29 km) north of Augusta, the state capital. The town boasts four major waterways: McGrath Pond, Salmon Lake, East Pond, and Messalonskee Lake and Stream. These waterways have played a major role in the history of the town. The roughly 26 square miles (67 km sq.) that comprise Oakland were first settled by colonists of English descent who came from Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the latter half of the 1700s. At that time the area was known as Taconnet, which is derived from one of the four tribes of Native Americans who first occupied this region. The area was incorporated as Winslow in 1771. In 1872, the area west of the Kennebec effected a peaceful secession and incorporated as Waterville. In 1873, the manufacturers in the western section, who had created a separate center of activity and trade and were unhappy about taxation, incorporated as West Waterville. In 1883, the residents voted to rename their town Oakland. Manufacturers long have been drawn to Oakland because of the water power provided by Messalonskee Stream. Oakland once was known as the axe and scythe producing capital of New England. With changing technology, newer industries such as the Cascade Woolen Mill replaced the agricultural equipment industry. In recent times, Oakland has witnessed another change in its industrial base. Older industries have closed, making way for new companies such as Valley Distributors, Industrial Metal Recycling, and Wrabacon, Inc. Oakland lies within easy commuting distance to jobs and services in the Waterville and Augusta region. The completion of I-95 in the 1960s increased Oakland's relationship with the Augusta area, and to some extent the Greater Portland and Bangor areas. The Kennebec Regional Development Authority, a consortium of 24 towns in the Kennebes county area, is currently developing a high technology center next to Interstate 95 in Oakland with the help of state and federal funds. First Park is expected to become Maine's premier technology and business park. (Bulk of text taken from the Oakland, Maine website The New! Hometown USA Photo Sharing Photo Galleries These photo galleries are available for you to share, view and post pictures such as: Pictures depicting what life is like in your hometown> Photos of scenes or scenery in your hometown Pictures that you want to share with your friends and family Commercial photos - real estate, store fronts, etc. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacation photos to share School academic and sporting event photos Deployed military personal photos to share with friends and family back home. Much more... Self Storage Oakland Maine A self storage directory, like Self Storage Finders, can help you locate a storage unit to fit your needs. Oakland Movers Find moving companies and moving services in Oakland, Maine. Get multiple free moving quotes from Oakland, Maine Movers. Conventions.net is the world's leading online resource for Trade Shows, Conventions, Corporate Events and Conferences. Search for Trade Shows, Convention Centers, and Promotional Products worldwide on Conventions.net. Our pages are populated with submissions from residents of the hometowns we serve, so if this is your hometown, please take a moment and answer the question to the right. If this isn't your hometown, please go to our top page, then your state and hometown and answer the question there. The answers to this question and the answers to others will be tallied and posted here periodically. This form is for sending us information about your hometown. If you have a question about this or any other hometown, please post it at HometownForums.com where someone from this community can answer you right online. This week's question: How did Oakland, Maine get its name? Your First Name and Last Initial: Your Email: Oakland, Manitoba, Canada Oakland, Nova Scotia, Canada Oakland, Ontario, Canada Oakland, Arkansas, USA Oakland, California, USA Oakland, Florida, USA Oakland, Illinois, USA Oakland, Iowa, USA Oakland, Kentucky, USA Oakland, Maine, USA Oakland, Maryland, USA Oakland, Michigan, USA Oakland, Minnesota, USA Oakland, Mississippi, USA Oakland, Missouri, USA Oakland, Nebraska, USA Oakland, New Jersey, USA Oakland, Oregon, USA Oakland, Rhode Island, USA Oakland, Tennessee, USA Oakland, Texas, USA Oakland, Maine Storage A self storage directory, like Self Storage Finders, can help you locate a storage unit to fit your needs. If you would like to link to this hometown, please copy the following text and paste it onto your website: <a href="http://www.hometownusa.com/maine/Oakland.html">Oakland, Maine's Hometown USA Community</a><br> Community information including population statistics and demographics, businesses, real estate, travel, maps, events, history, trivia, classified ads, forums and more. Our searchable Oakland, Maine Yellow Pages provide a sublime list of businesses in Oakland, Maine. So if you are looking for a business, non-profit, church, or government agency come and check out our Oakland, Maine Business Directory. Buying a car, truck, mini-van or SUV? Stop by our Auto Buying Guide for information about new car dealerships in Oakland, Maine and used car dealers in Oakland, Maine. From these pages you can get free price quotes and a ton of information about the automobile industry. Are you looking for a deal? Then check out our Coupon and Comparative shopping section powered by NextTag. Here you can find cleaning product comparisons, lowest prices HDTV televisions, comparison of best digital cameras, lowest prices on Walt Disney World packages and more. Coupons that are available may be free online printable coupons, manufacturer's coupons, grocery coupons, and restaurant coupons. You may not find crate and barrel coupons but you will find others. Stop by our Hotel and Travel Guides section to find our airline discount central for travel deals, last minute cruise deals, vacation deals, entertainment deals, restaurant deals and transportation deals. To find cheap air flights get cheap airfares, business clas specials and cheap last minute flights. If you are planning a trip to Oakland, Maine then you've come to the right place for Oakland, Maine tourism information, last minute car rentals, Oakland, Maine vacation home rentals, all your travel needs. Looking for a street map of Oakland, Maine, then look no further. This Maine state map is printable yet interactive. Ideal for use as a highway map of Maine, but also a detailed Maine small roads map. Print out driving directions to Oakland, Maine and to your other destinations. Interested in new homes for sale in Oakland, Maine? Come on in and visit our moving guides that will take you to Oakland house listings, Oakland Real Estate and other Oakland properties and don't forget businesses for sale in Oakland, Maine. Do you need a professional to help you? Then we can help you find the Oakland Realtor or real estate agent in Oakland that is best for you. This section will also help you to find homes for rent in Oakland as well as apartments. Special events such as sales events, school social events, sports events and even marathon running events in Oakland, Maine can be found or posted on our free to use and free to print 2006 calendars. These free online calendars are here for your use to post your events and to see what is happening in your hometown. Stop by our free Classifieds in Oakland, Maine to find the best deals on Oakland homes for sale and real estate, or maybe a damaged wrecked Porsche for sale, dogs and puppies for sale in Oakland, Maine. Maybe you need a personal injury lawyer in Oakland or are you looking for bands advertising for musicians, regardless consider us your 24/7 advertising agents. Post your ads for free and browse what others have posted. Are you looking for a new job? Check out our job listings for Oakland, Maine. Look for job search techniques for Oakland, ME. Search for part-time jobs in Oakland, Maine, public relations internships jobs in Oakland, Maine and more. Our History, Trivia and Facts Pages have fun facts about Maine, American history trivia, and interesting facts on Oakland. So if you know some Maine state facts, share them with us and we'll get it posted online and you'll get the credit for it. Play our trivia game to see how much you know. Our Free Oakland, Maine community forums allows you to talk to other people in your hometown about the community issues that concern you. This free Oakland message board service has proven itself invaluable to several people who have located missing persons, discussed school board topics, town government issues and more. Come on in and ask your question about Oakland, Maine so someone from this community can give you an answer. Our newest section to our site is our Add a Link - Interactive Advertising Link Exchange Program. This local link section allows for websites from Oakland, Maine to link up with the power and visibility of HometownUSA.com. Take advantage of our marketing efforts and join our reciprocal link exchange today! What is the population of Oakland, Maine? Find it here in our Population and Demographics of Oakland, Maine Area. Also gender, racial and census data for Oakland, ME.

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