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59-793: Lindsey Foundations Inc The Maine Savings Amphitheater (previously known as the Bangor Waterfront Pavilion, and Darling's Waterfront Pavilion ) is an open-air amphitheater located within the Waterfront Park in Bangor, Maine . The venue is a temporary structure built alongside the Penobscot River . The venue typically operates from July until October. It is home to the Waterfront Concert Series. The amphitheater opened July 27, 2010, with

118-526: A storm surge went up the Penobscot, flooding Bangor for three hours. At 11:15 am, waters began rising on the river and within 15 minutes had risen a total of 12 feet (3.7 m), flooding downtown. About 200 cars were submerged and office workers were stranded until waters receded. There were no reported deaths during this unusual flash flood . Bangor has a humid continental climate ( Köppen : Dfb ), with cold, snowy winters, and warm summers, and

177-453: A building or structure in Maine is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bangor, Maine Bangor ( / ˈ b æ ŋ ɡ ɔːr / BANG-gor ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine , United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's third-most populous city , behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Bangor

236-466: A concert by Celtic Woman . Owned by the city of Bangor, the venue can house up to 15,000 spectators depending on configuration. In 2012, a proposal was submitted to the City Council to make the amphitheater a permanent venue. The council voted to keep the venue but declined its transition to a permanent stage. Renovation were made in 2013 to maintain the grounds, adhere to noise ordinances and expand

295-507: A male householder with no wife present, and 50.4% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 17.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 16% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of

354-461: A mission on Penobscot Bay in 1609, which was then part of the French colony of Acadia , and the valley remained contested between France and Britain into the 1750s, making it one of the last regions to become part of New England . In 1769, Jacob Buswell founded a settlement at the site. By 1772, there were 12 families, along with a sawmill , store, and school. By 1787, the population was 567. It

413-546: A resolution opposing the sale of sweat-shop -produced clothing in local stores. Outdoor activities in the Bangor City Forest and other nearby parks, forests, and waterways include hiking, sailing, canoeing, hunting, fishing, skiing, and snowmobiling. Bangor Raceway at the Bass Park Civic Center and Auditorium offers live, pari-mutuel harness racing from May through July and then briefly in

472-453: A route to the Orient. When the mistake was cleared up, Charles was upset that the injunction against enslaving American natives had been ignored and ordered them to be freed. As a result of Gomes' expedition, cartographer Diogo Ribeiro 's 1525 Castiglione map was the first to accurately portray North America with a continuous coastline stretching from Florida to Nova Scotia. Ribeiro labeled

531-469: A time the largest lumber port in the world, and the site of furious land speculation that extended up the Penobscot River valley and beyond. The Penobscot River drainage basin above Bangor was unattractive to settlement for farming, but well suited to lumbering . Winter snow allowed logs to be dragged from the woods by horse-teams. Carried to the Penobscot or its tributaries, log driving in

590-592: A total of 55 acres (23 ha.) The area was rebuilt, and in the process became a showplace for a diverse range of architectural styles, including the Mansard style , Beaux Arts , Greek Revival and Colonial Revival , and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Great Fire of 1911 Historic District . The destruction of downtown landmarks such as the old city hall and train station in

649-609: Is a United States Air National Guard base. Created in 1927 as a commercial field, it was taken over by the U.S. Army just before World War II. In 1968, the base was sold to the city of Bangor, Maine, to become Bangor International Airport but has since continued to host the 101st Air Refueling Wing , Maine Air National Guard , part of the Northeast Tanker Task Force . In 1990, the USAF East Coast Radar System (ECRS) Operation Center

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708-454: Is approximately 74.6 inches (189 cm), while snowfall has ranged from 22.2 inches (56 cm) in 1979–80 to 181.9 inches (4.62 m) in 1962−63; the record snowiest month was February 1969 with 58.0 inches (147 cm), while the most snow in one calendar day was 30.0 inches (76 cm) on December 14, 1927. A snow depth of at least 3 in (7.6 cm) is on average seen 66 days per winter, including 54 days from January to March, when

767-614: Is in USDA hardiness zone 5a. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 18.5 °F (−7.5 °C) in January to 69.5 °F (20.8 °C) in July. On average, there are 20 nights annually that drop to 0 °F (−18 °C) or below, and 55 days where the temperature stays below freezing, including 49 days from December through February. There is an average of 6.1 days annually with highs at or above 90 °F (32 °C), with

826-553: Is known as the "Queen City." Modern Bangor was established in the mid-19th century with the lumber and shipbuilding industries. Lying on the Penobscot River , logs could be floated downstream from the Maine North Woods and processed at the city's water-powered sawmills, then shipped from Bangor's port to the Atlantic Ocean 30 miles (48 km) downstream, and from there to any port in the world. Evidence of this

885-626: Is named for Joshua Chamberlain , the regiment's leader and one of eight Civil War soldiers from Penobscot County towns to receive the Medal of Honor . Bangor's Charles A. Boutelle accepted the surrender of the Confederate fleet after the Battle of Mobile Bay . A Bangor residential street is named for him. The Confederate States Navy captured several Bangor ships during the Civil War. Bangor

944-590: Is still visible in the lumber barons ' elaborate Greek Revival and Victorian mansions and the 31-foot-high (9.4 m) statue of Paul Bunyan . Today, Bangor's economy is based on services and retail, healthcare, and education. Bangor has a port of entry at Bangor International Airport , also home to the Bangor Air National Guard Base . Historically Bangor was an important stopover on the Great Circle Air Route between

1003-689: The Caribbean and to California during the Gold Rush , via Cape Horn , before sawmills could be established in the west. Bangorians later helped transplant the Maine culture of lumbering to the Pacific Northwest , and participated directly in the Gold Rush. Bangor, Washington ; Bangor, California ; and Little Bangor, Nevada, are legacies of this contact. By 1860, Bangor was the world's largest lumber port, with 150 sawmills operating along

1062-628: The SSPARS system installation—the successor to the PAVE PAWS installation—in Massachusetts' Cape Cod Air Force Station reservation fully took over. Many buildings and monuments are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The city has also had a municipal Historic Preservation Commission since the early 1980s. Bangor has many Greek Revival . Victorian , and Colonial Revival houses. Some notable architecture: The bow-plate of

1121-483: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 34.59 square miles (89.59 km ), of which 34.26 square miles (88.73 km ) is land and 0.33 square miles (0.85 km ) is water. A potential advantage that has always eluded exploitation is the city's location between the port city of Halifax , Nova Scotia, and the rest of Canada (as well as New York). As early as the 1870s,

1180-428: The pulp and paper industry replaced lumbering, and railroads replaced shipping. Local capitalists also invested in a train route to Aroostook County in northern Maine (the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad ), opening that area to settlement. Bangor's Hinkley & Egery Ironworks (later Union Ironworks) was a local center for invention in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A new type of steam engine built there, named

1239-472: The snowmelt brought them to waterfall-powered sawmills upriver from Bangor. The sawed lumber was then shipped from the city's docks, Bangor being at the head-of-tide (between the rapids and the ocean) to points anywhere in the world. Shipbuilding was also developed. Bangor capitalists also owned most of the forests. The main markets for Bangor lumber were the East Coast cities. Much was also shipped to

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1298-652: The "Endeavor", won a gold medal at the New York Crystal Palace Exhibition of the American Institute in 1856. The firm won a diploma for a shingle-making machine the following year. In the 1920s, Union Iron Works engineer Don A. Sargent invented the first automotive snow plow . Sargent patented the device and the firm manufactured it for a national market. Bangor is located at 44°48′N 68°48′W  /  44.8°N 68.8°W  / 44.8; -68.8 . According to

1357-729: The Luther H. Peirce Memorial, commemorating the Penobscot River Log-Drivers; a statue of Hannibal Hamlin at Kenduskeag Mall; and an image of "Lady Victory" at Norumbega Parkway. The abstract aluminum sculpture "Continuity of Community" (1969) on the Bangor Waterfront, formerly in West Market Square, is by the Castine sculptor Clark Battle Fitz-Gerald. Est%C3%AAv%C3%A3o Gomes Gomes

1416-745: The Spanish Crown to search along the North American coast for an alternate passage to Asia that would be quicker and easier than the Strait of Magellan. A 50-ton caravel , La Annunciada , was built for the purpose and set sail from Corunna on 24 September 1524 with a crew of 29 men. No eyewitness accounts of this expedition have survived. Knowledge of the voyage comes from brief second-hand summaries by contemporary historians Oviedo , Peter Martyr , and Alonzo de Santa Cruz , as well as cartographic information captured by Diogo Ribeiro . Even

1475-506: The U.S. East Coast and Europe. Founded as Kenduskeag Plantation in 1791, Bangor was incorporated as a town in 1834. The name Bangor is said to have been taken from a Welsh hymn tune. it is also the name of Bangor, Gwynedd , the oldest city in Wales. The final syllable is pronounced gor . In 2015, local celebrities and business owners recorded the YouTube video "How to Say Bangor", which

1534-565: The U.S. was named The Bangor . She was built by the Harlan and Hollingsworth firm of Wilmington, Delaware in 1844, and was intended to take passengers between Bangor and Boston. On her second voyage, however, in 1845, she burned to the waterline off Castine . She was rebuilt at Bath , returned briefly to her earlier route, but was soon purchased by the U.S. government for use in the Mexican–American War . Bangor continued to prosper as

1593-490: The West Indies and South America). Bangor had certain disadvantages compared to other East Coast ports, including its rival Portland, Maine . Being on a northern river, its port froze during the winter, and it could not take the largest ocean-going ships. The comparative lack of settlement in the forested hinterland also gave it a comparatively small home market. In 1844 the first ocean-going iron-hulled steamship in

1652-477: The area of Penobscot, Gomes abducted at least 58 natives and took them back to Spain as evidence of a potentially lucrative slave trade. When he reached Spain in August 1525, Gomes sent word to the king of his return. Peter Martyr claimed that when the message reached court, the word for slaves ( esclavos ) had been misunderstood to mean cloves ( clavos ), creating for a moment the false impression that Gomes had found

1711-594: The battleship USS Maine , whose destruction in Havana, Cuba , presaged the start of the Spanish–American War , survives on a granite memorial by Charles Eugene Tefft in Davenport Park. Bangor has a large fiberglass-over-metal statue of mythical lumberman Paul Bunyan by Normand Martin (1959). There are three large bronze statues in downtown Bangor by sculptor Charles Eugene Tefft of Brewer, including

1770-545: The city promoted a Halifax-to-New York railroad, via Bangor, as the quickest connection between North America and Europe (when combined with steamship service between Britain and Halifax). A European and North American Railway opened through Bangor, with President Ulysses S. Grant officiating at the inauguration, but commerce never lived up to the potential. More recent attempts to capture traffic between Halifax and Montreal by constructing an East–West Highway through Maine have also come to naught. Most overland traffic between

1829-523: The city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female. As of the census of 2020, there were 31,753 people and 13,887 households residing in the city. The population density was 926.9 inhabitants per square mile (357.9/km ). There were 15,900 housing units at an average density of 464.1 per square mile (179.2/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 88.0% White , 2.3% African American , 1.0% Native American , 2.2% Asian , 0.9% from other races , and 5.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of

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1888-419: The city was 93.1% White , 1.7% African American , 1.2% Native American , 1.7% Asian , 0.3% from other races , and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population. There were 14,475 households, of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.8% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had

1947-532: The city's waterfront has also helped re-focus cultural life in the historic center. Bangor is on the banks of the Penobscot River, close enough to the Atlantic Ocean to be influenced by tides. Upstream, the Penobscot River drainage basin occupies 8,570 square miles (22,200 km ) in northeastern Maine. Flooding is most often caused by a combination of precipitation and snowmelt . Ice jams can exacerbate high flow conditions and cause acute localized flooding. Conditions favorable for flooding typically occur during

2006-464: The coast from Florida to Labrador, making their most careful survey along the shores of what would become New England. Gomes sailed up the Penobscot River to the future site of Bangor, Maine, naming the waterway "El Rio de Las Gamas". He named other significant landmarks such as "Rio de San Antonio" (now the Merrimack River ) and "Cabo de las Arenas" (present-day Cape Cod ). While exploring

2065-514: The community, along with many migrants from Atlantic Canada. Of the 205 Black citizens who lived in Bangor in 1910, over a third were originally from Canada. As of the census of 2010, there were 33,039 people, 14,475 households, and 7,182 families residing in the city. The population density was 964.4 inhabitants per square mile (372.4/km ). There were 15,674 housing units at an average density of 457.5 per square mile (176.6/km ). The racial makeup of

2124-439: The fall. Hollywood Casino , operated by Penn National Gaming , originally opened as a slot machine only facility. In 2007, construction began on a $ 131-million casino complex in Bangor that houses, among other things, a gaming floor with about 1,000 slot machines, an off-track betting center, a seven-story hotel, and a four-level parking garage. In 2011, it was authorized to add table games . Bangor Air National Guard Base

2183-543: The general direction they sailed has been disputed. For a long time, it was assumed that Gomes explored the American coast from north to south. More recently, a good case has been made that he started from the Spanish Caribbean and sailed north. If Gomes proceeded from south to north along the coast, it is likely that he stopped first at Santiago de Cuba to load fresh supplies. From there, the explorers followed

2242-483: The last year to have not seen such temperatures being 2014. Extreme temperatures range from −32 °F (−36 °C) on February 10, 1948, up to 104 °F (40 °C) on August 19, 1935. The average first freeze of the season occurs on October 7, and the last May 7, resulting in a freeze-free season of 152 days; the corresponding dates for measurable snowfall, i.e. at least 0.1 in (0.25 cm), are November 23 and April 4. The average annual snowfall for Bangor

2301-475: The late 1960s urban renewal program is now considered to have been a mistake. It ushered in a decline of the city center that was accelerated by the construction of the Bangor Mall in 1978 and subsequent big-box stores on the city's outskirts. Downtown Bangor began to recover in the 1990s, with bookstores, café/restaurants, galleries, and museums filling once-vacant storefronts. The recent re-development of

2360-462: The lower river. The United States Coast Guard began icebreaker operations on the Penobscot in the 1940s, preventing the formation of frozen ice jams during the winter and providing an unobstructed path for ice-out in the spring. Long-term temperature records show a gradual warming since 1894, which may have reduced the ice jam flood potential at Bangor. In the Groundhog Day gale of 1976 ,

2419-427: The population. The median age in the city was 39.0 years. 18.0% of residents were under the age of 18. Major employers in the region include: Bangor is the largest market town, distribution center, transportation hub, and media center in a five-county area whose population tops 330,000 and which includes Penobscot, Piscataquis , Hancock , Aroostook , and Washington counties. Bangor's city council has approved

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2478-507: The region (one was thrown back into the river by area residents angered that the archeological site was destroyed for the bridge's construction). During the War of 1812 , Bangor was briefly occupied in 1814 by British forces under Robert Barrie after the Battle of Hampden . Maine was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1820 when it voted to secede from Massachusetts and

2537-509: The region of present-day New England as the "Land of Estêvão Gomes" ( Tierra de Esteban Gómez ). After his return from North America, Gomes supervised shipbuilding in Corunna until 1528. In 1533, he received a commission to build a proposed Guadalquivir canal, an effort that soon collapsed. In 1535, Gomes joined Pedro de Mendoza 's expedition to the Río de la Plata . He was killed by natives of

2596-557: The river. The city shipped over 150 million boardfeet of lumber a year, much of it in Bangor-built and Bangor-owned ships. In the year 1860, 3,300 lumbering ships passed by the docks. Many of the lumber barons built elaborate Greek Revival and Victorian houses that still stand in the Broadway Historic District . Bangor has many substantial old churches, and shade trees. The city was so beautiful it

2655-578: The snow pack is typically most reliable. As of 2008, Bangor is the third most populous city in Maine, as it has been for more than a century. As of 2012, the estimated population of the Bangor Metropolitan Area (which includes Penobscot County) is 153,746, indicating a slight growth rate since 2000, almost all of it accounted for by Bangor. Historically Bangor received many immigrants as it industrialized. Irish-Catholic and later Jewish immigrants eventually became established members of

2714-492: The spring months. In 1807 an ice jam formed below Bangor Village, raising the water 10 to 12 feet (3 to 3.7 m) above the normal highwater mark and in 1887 the freshet caused the Maine Central Railroad Company rails between Bangor and Vanceboro to be covered to a depth of several feet. Bangor's worst ice jam floods occurred in 1846 and 1902. Both resulted from mid-December freshets that cleared

2773-538: The two parts of Canada continues to travel north of Maine rather than across it. Major fires struck the downtown in 1856, 1869, and 1872, the last resulting in the erection of the Adams-Pickering Block . In the Great Fire of 1911 Bangor lost its high school, post office & custom house, public library, telephone and telegraph companies, banks, two fire stations, nearly a hundred businesses, six churches, and synagogue and 285 private residences over

2832-561: The upper river of ice, followed by cold that produced large volumes of frazil ice or slush which was carried by high flows forming a major ice jam in the lower river. In March of both years, a dynamic breakup of ice ran into the jam and flooded downtown Bangor. Though no people died and the city recovered quickly, the 1846 and 1902 ice jam floods were economically devastating, according to the Army Corps analysis. Both floods occurred with multiple dams in place and little to no ice-breaking in

2891-529: The venue from 8,000 to 16,500. The venue seats 6,400 under the Hussey seating and has lawn space for over 10,000 spectors. A University of Maine study in 2013 showed that the economic impact of the Waterfront Concert series totaled more than $ 30 million since 2010. 44°47′40″N 68°46′24″W  /  44.79456°N 68.77323°W  / 44.79456; -68.77323 This article about

2950-570: Was activated in Bangor with over 400 personnel. The center controlled the over-the-horizon radar 's transmitter in Moscow, Maine, and receiver in Columbia Falls, Maine . With the end of the Cold War , the facility's mission of guarding against a Soviet air attack became superfluous, and though it briefly turned its attention toward drug interdiction , the system was decommissioned in 1997 as

3009-823: Was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state under the Missouri Compromise . In 1861, a mob ransacked the offices of the Democratic newspaper the Bangor Daily Union , threw the presses and other materials into the street and burned them. Editor Marcellus Emery, who was sympathetic to the South, escaped unharmed but only resumed publishing after the war. During the American Civil War the locally mustered 2nd Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment

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3068-769: Was born in Porto in northern Portugal. He sailed in the Portuguese India Armadas during his youth. In 1518, he moved to Castile , where he was appointed a pilot for the Casa de Contratación in Seville . In 1519, Gomes sailed with the Magellan expedition as the pilot major of the fleet aboard the San Antonio . His real ambition, however, was to become captain of the ship. Gomes frustration grew when he

3127-476: Was called "The Queen City of the East". The shorter Queen City appellation is still used by some local clubs, organizations, events and businesses. In addition to shipping lumber, 19th-century Bangor was the leading producer of moccasins , shipping over 100,000 pairs a year by the 1880s. Exports also included bricks, leather, and even ice (which was cut and stored in winter, then shipped to Boston, and even China,

3186-560: Was known as Sunbury or Kenduskeag Plantation until incorporation as Bangor in 1791. In 1779, the rebel Penobscot Expedition fled up the Penobscot River and ten of its ships were scuttled by the British fleet at Bangor. The ships remained there until the late 1950s, when construction of the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge disturbed the site. Six cannons were removed from the riverbed, five of which are on display throughout

3245-528: Was near the lands disputed during the Aroostook War , a boundary dispute with Britain in 1838–1839. The passion of the Aroostook War signaled the increasing role lumbering and logging played in the Maine economy, particularly in the state's central and eastern sections. Bangor arose as a lumbering boom-town in the 1830s, and a potential demographic and political rival to Portland. Bangor became for

3304-533: Was not uncommon during the 1500s because the fur trade was lucrative and the Penobscot were willing to trade pelts for European goods. The first European known to have explored the area in 1524 was Estêvão Gomes , a Portuguese navigator who sailed in the service of Spain in the 1520s. The Spaniards, led by Gómez, were the first Europeans to make landfall in what is now Maine, followed by the Frenchman Samuel de Champlain in 1605. The Jesuits established

3363-656: Was passed over for promotion in favor of Magellan's inexperienced nephew, Alvaro de Mesquita. Near the Strait of Magellan , Gomes overpowered Mesquita, took control of the San Antonio and sailed back to Spain in May 1521. Upon their return, Gomes claimed his mutiny was justified by Magellan's abuses and poor management. The mutineers were thrown in jail while their claims were investigated, but within six months all except Mesquita were freed. In 1523 Gomes received authorization from

3422-464: Was sung to the tune of " We Are the World ". The Penobscot people have inhabited the area around present-day Bangor for at least 11,000 years and still occupy tribal land on the nearby Penobscot Indian Island Reservation . They practised some agriculture, but less than peoples in southern New England where the climate is milder, and subsisted on what they could hunt and gather. Contact with Europeans

3481-444: Was the first to march out of Maine in 1861, and played a prominent part in the First Battle of Bull Run . The 1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment , mustered in Bangor and commanded by a local merchant, lost more men than any other Union regiment in the war (especially in the Second Battle of Petersburg , 1864). The 20th Maine Infantry Regiment held Little Round Top in the Battle of Gettysburg . A bridge connecting Bangor with Brewer

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