Bangor (Maine)
Penobscot County
23-02795
Bangor, with over 33,000 inhabitants, the third largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and capital of Penobscot County. Bangor is located on the influence of the river Kenduskeag Stream in the Penobscot River, about 90 km from the sea. Bangor has a port which is also accessible to larger ships. A 400- meter long bridge connects it with the city of Brewer.
Pending the outcome of the American- Canadian customs agreement in 1854, Bangor was an important port, including for wood.
History
The first settlement of European immigrants in the present territory of Bangor was built in 1769 by Jacob Buswell. At this time, Maine was not an independent state, but part of Massachusetts. The office was a large plantation, which bore the name of Kenduskeag, after the river on which it lay. 1787 was the place for a short time the name of Sunbury, in 1791 finally took place, probably under the influence of the priest Seth Noble, the name change to the present name. In the British -American War, the plantation was occupied in September 1814 for a few days by the British and completely burned, but rebuilt. On February 24, 1834 Bangor was elevated to municipality, declared on March 26, 1853 to the city.
The economic rise of Bangor was closely associated with the development of the timber industry. The first sawmill in 1772 took on the operation. Mid-1830s there were more than 300 sawmills and Bangor had become a center of the timber industry. Until the 1870s, Bangor was the capital of the wood industry: up to 350 million linear meters of wooden planks were shipped annually from its port. Towards the end of the 19th century Bangor lost its prominent position because it was competition by opening up forested areas of the western United States, particularly in the states of Minnesota and Oregon. Today there are no more sawmills in Bangor.
In April 1911 Bangor experienced its largest disaster when a major fire destroyed much of the city. The fact that most of the buildings were made of wood, caused a rapid spread of fire. Nearly 300 houses were destroyed and another 100 seriously damaged. The reconstruction changed the face of the city significantly.
Infrastructure
From 1889 to 1945 Bangor had an electric tram.
The former military airfield Dow Air Force Base in 1968 was converted into the civilian Bangor International Airport, can land large machine on the still. Due to the length of the runway landing of the Space Shuttle was also possible. The airport will continue to be used militarily, especially for shipments to Europe. Bangor International Airport is also one of the main airports for returning troops from Iraq. Therefore, there is a separate office for the welcome of the returning soldiers. This airport serves as one of the main airports for stopovers for refueling and technical problems on the route between North America and Europe. 5 lines with 60 daily flights are handled as planned at the airport.
Lately this place hit the headlines because airliners between landed here to get off (so-called no-fly list) suspected of terrorism passengers and closer to interrogate.
Education
Just outside of Bangor in the town of Orono is the University of Maine, the most important location of the University of Maine System.
Media
In Bangor, a local daily newspaper, the Bangor Daily News, and in the same publishing house, a national weekly newspaper, The Weekly appear.
Sons and daughters of the town
- John Baldacci ( b. 1955 ), politician (Democratic Party)
- William Cohen ( born 1940 ), Republican politician and former U.S. Secretary of Defense
- Howie Day ( born 1981 ), singer and songwriter
- Robert Haskell (1903-1987), Governor of Maine
- Owen King ( born 1977 ), writer
- John McKernan Jr. ( b. 1948 ), politician and former governor of Maine
- Stephanie Niznik (born 1967 ), actress
- Chuck Peddle ( born 1937 ), inventor of the MOS 6502 microprocessor ( 1975)
- Charles Rocket (1949-2005), actor
- Todd Verow (born 1966 ), filmmaker
- Paul White (1895-1973), American composer, violinist, conductor and music teacher
- Blanche Willis Howard (1847-1898), writer
Others
The writer Stephen King lives with his wife Tabitha King in Bangor. He founded the city of a sports stadium, and has three small radio stations. Many of King's stories are set in or are related to Bangor.