Presque Isle, Maine
Encyclopedia
Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in the sparsely populated Aroostook County
Aroostook County, Maine
Aroostook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 71,870. In land area, it is the largest county in the state and the largest U.S. county east of the Mississippi River. Its seat is Houlton...

, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 9,692 at the 2010 census. The city is home to the University of Maine at Presque Isle
University of Maine at Presque Isle
The University of Maine at Presque Isle is part of the University of Maine System. Located in Presque Isle, UMPI offers studies in social and life sciences, business, recreation, education, and natural sciences. Its campus radio station is WUPI....

, Northern Maine Community College
Northern Maine Community College
Northern Maine Community College is a community college in Presque Isle, Maine and one of the seven colleges in the Maine Community College System. The campus was founded in 1961 on the grounds of the former Presque Isle Air Force Base.-Academics:...

, Northern Maine Fairgrounds, The Aroostook Centre Mall, and the Northern Maine Regional Airport
Northern Maine Regional Airport
Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle is a city-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile northwest of the central business district of Presque Isle, a city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. It serves the residents of Presque Isle, Maine, and a vast area of northern...

.

History

Originally known as Fairbanks for its founder Dennis Fairbanks, it was settled in 1828 in land that was unknown to be part of British North America
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...

 (Canada) or the United States. The Aroostook War
Aroostook War
The Aroostook War was an undeclared nonviolent confrontation in 1838/1839 between the United States and Great Britain over the international boundary between British North America and Maine. The compromise resolution win a mutually accepted border between the state of Maine and the provinces of...

 broke out in 1838 because of boundary disputes between the two countries, which were resolved in 1842 by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
The Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty resolving several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies...

. The township was incorporated from Plantations F, G and H on April 4, 1859 as Presque Isle, the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 term for peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

 (presqu'île), as the courses of the Aroostook River
Aroostook River
The Aroostook River is a tributary of the Saint John River in the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Its basin is the largest sub-drainage of the St. John River....

 and Presque Isle Stream form a peninsula here.

The first industry to form in Presque Isle was the lumber industry. However, during the last 30 years of the 19th century, agriculture also became important, and the entire county became noted for its production of potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...

es. On October 9, 1851, the first Northern Maine Fair exhibition opened. In 1881 the New Brunswick Railway
New Brunswick Railway
The New Brunswick Railway was a historic Canadian railway operating in western New Brunswick. Its headquarters were in Woodstock.The original NBR lines were built to the narrow gauge of...

 created the first rail connection in Presque Isle. In 1883, the town of Maysville was annexed. The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad
The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad is a defunct United States railroad company, that brought rail service to Aroostook County, Maine. Brightly painted BAR box cars attracted national attention in the 1950s. First-generation diesel locomotives operated on BAR until they were museum pieces...

 arrived in 1895, opening the area for further development. Industries included two lumbermills, a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...

, a wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....

 carding
Carding
Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...

 mill, a furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...

 factory, a carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...

 factory and a tinware
Tinware
Tinware is any item made of prefabricated tinplate. Usually tinware refers to kitchenware made of tinplate, often crafted by tinsmiths. Many cans used for canned food are tinware as well. Something that is tinned after being shaped and fabricated is not considered tinware.-Properties:Tinware is...

 factory. The community became the trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...

, shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...

 and tourist center of the Aroostook valley. In 1903, the Aroostook State Normal School
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...

 was founded, which in 1968 would be renamed the University of Maine at Presque Isle
University of Maine at Presque Isle
The University of Maine at Presque Isle is part of the University of Maine System. Located in Presque Isle, UMPI offers studies in social and life sciences, business, recreation, education, and natural sciences. Its campus radio station is WUPI....

. On January 1, 1940, Presque Isle was incorporated as a city.

The Presque Isle Air Force Base
Presque Isle Air Force Base
Presque Isle Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base, located in the city of Presque Isle, Maine.-History:Presque Isle Air Force Base was originally built in 1930 by the Civilian Conservation Corps as Presque Isle Airport, a commercial airport located west of the "business center."...

, in operation between 1941 and 1961, was a major departure point for U.S. fighter planes during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

 due to its relative proximity to Europe. The former base is now the Northern Maine Regional Airport
Northern Maine Regional Airport
Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle is a city-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile northwest of the central business district of Presque Isle, a city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. It serves the residents of Presque Isle, Maine, and a vast area of northern...

 and the Skyway Industrial Park. Presque Isle was named an "All American City" in 1966.
On August 11, 1978, the Double Eagle II
Double Eagle II
Double Eagle II, piloted by Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman, became the first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it landed 17 August 1978 in Miserey near Paris, 137 hours 6 minutes after leaving Presque Isle, Maine....

was launched from a Presque Isle field carrying three passengers. It made the first successful transatlantic
Transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...

 balloon
Balloon (aircraft)
A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its buoyancy. A balloon travels by moving with the wind. It is distinct from an airship, which is a buoyant aircraft that can be propelled through the air in a controlled manner....

 crossing. In honor of the Double Eagle II, the city holds an annual celebration called The Crown of Maine Balloon Festival. The popular event includes balloon rides, plane tours, amateur photo contests and children’s fair rides. Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and other local organizations, it is held in late August. The field from which the Double Eagle II lifted off now features a commemorative model balloon.

Geography and climate

Presque Isle is located at 46°40′46"N 68°0′8"W (46.679321, -68.002166).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 77.6 square miles (201 km²), of which, 75.8 square miles (196.3 km²) of it is land and 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) of it (2.32%) is water. Presque Isle is drained by the Aroostook River
Aroostook River
The Aroostook River is a tributary of the Saint John River in the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Its basin is the largest sub-drainage of the St. John River....

 and Presque Isle Stream.

Presque Isle has a humid continental climate
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....

 typified with long cold winters and short warm summers.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 9,511 people, 3,963 households, and 2,464 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 125.6 people per square mile (48.5/km²). There were 4,405 housing units at an average density of 58.2 per square mile (22.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.13% White, 0.36% African American, 2.26% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.

There were 3,963 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,325, and the median income for a family was $37,090. Males had a median income of $27,510 versus $19,785 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $15,712. About 9.2% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Due to being Aroostook County's largest city, Presque Isle is the retail center for a large number of both American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Canadian towns. The Aroostook Centre Mall became a major shopping center for residents during the 1990s. A Super Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...

 center also attracts a large number of shoppers. Agriculture remains a top industry of Presque Isle and the surrounding area, with potatoes being the top crop. During the winter months many local businesses rely on the snowmobiling industry as there is a highly regarded trail system connecting far away towns and cities with Presque Isle. Presque Isle is also home to a significant industrial park
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...

 near the Northern Maine Regional Airport
Northern Maine Regional Airport
Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle is a city-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile northwest of the central business district of Presque Isle, a city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. It serves the residents of Presque Isle, Maine, and a vast area of northern...

.

Presque Isle typically has a slightly higher unemployment level when compared to the state average.

Television

Presque Isle is home to one of the smallest TV markets as defined by Nielsen
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...

 market research. It consists of WAGM-TV
WAGM-TV
WAGM-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Northern Maine, United States and Western New Brunswick, Canada. Licensed to Presque Isle, Maine, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter on the northern section of Mars Hill Mountain among the wind...

 channel 8, a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

/Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 affiliate; and WMEM-TV channel 10, affiliated with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network
Maine Public Broadcasting Network
The Maine Public Broadcasting Network is a state network of public television and radio stations located in the state of Maine in the United States. It is operated by the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, which holds the licenses for all the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public...

 and PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

.

Radio

Several radio stations have studios located in Presque Isle, including WBPW
WBPW
WBPW is an American radio station in Presque Isle, Maine. It is a country music formatted station on FM frequency 96.9 MHz and is owned by Cumulus Media. The station carries NASCAR races from MRN Radio.-External links:...

, WOZI
WOZI
WOZI is an American radio station in Presque Isle, Maine. It is a Classic rock formatted station owned by Cumulus Media.- History :Originally on 101.7 MHz as a sister station to WOZW AM 710 and in 2007 part of the Channel X Radio network. Radio pioneer Allan Weiner bought the station and the...

 and WQHR
WQHR
WQHR is an American radio station in Presque Isle, Maine. It is a hot adult contemporary formatted station owned by Cumulus Media. It currently carries The Bob & Sheri Show. The transmitter is in Mars Hill, Maine....

, all owned by Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country...

 and talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...

 station WEGP
WEGP
WEGP is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Presque Isle, Maine, USA, the station serves the Northern Maine, Western New Brunswick, and Downeast area. The station is currently owned by Northern Maine Broadcasting Inc...

. The city is also home to WCXU
WCXU
Channel X Radio is a network of American radio stations in Aroostook County, Maine. With studios in Caribou the stations are heard through various transmitters throughout Aroostook County.-History:...

, Channel X Radio, WUPI
WUPI
WUPI is an American FM radio station licensed in Presque Isle, Maine currently carrying a Contemporary Hit Radio format and operated by the University of Maine at Presque Isle. The station has an ERP of 17 watts with studios in Normal Hall at UMPI. It is the only contemporary formatted radio...

, the University of Maine Presque Isle's student radio station which broadcasts on 92.1 and Maine Public Broadcasting Network
Maine Public Broadcasting Network
The Maine Public Broadcasting Network is a state network of public television and radio stations located in the state of Maine in the United States. It is operated by the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, which holds the licenses for all the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public...

 on 106.1.

Newspaper

There are no daily newspapers in Aroostook County. The Star-Herald is published Wednesdays, one of several weekly newspapers published in Aroostook County. Others include Caribou's Aroostook Republican, Madawaska's St. John Valley Times, The Fort Fairfield Journal and Houlton's Pioneer Times.

Sites of interest


Notable people

  • Jay Brewer
    Jay Brewer
    Jay Brewer is a designer.-Personal:Jay Brewer grew up with designer and father Rod Brewer and business woman Nadiene Brewer. He has one sibling Rod Brewer III, and attended the University of Maine...

    , designer
  • John Cariani
    John Cariani
    John Cariani is an American actor best known for his role as CSU Tech Julian Beck on television's Law & Order, and for his performance as Motel the Tailor in the 2004 Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof  for which he received a Tony Award nomination. He is also a playwright best known for...

    , actor
  • John Crowley
    John Crowley
    John Crowley is an American author of fantasy, science fiction and mainstream fiction. He studied at Indiana University and has a second career as a documentary film writer...

    , author
  • Lynn Flewelling
    Lynn Flewelling
    Lynn Flewelling is a fantasy fiction author, best known for two internationally acclaimed fantasy series: the Nightrunner books and Tamír Triad.-Biography:...

    , author
  • Arthur R. Gould
    Arthur R. Gould
    Arthur Robinson Gould was a United States Senator from Maine.Born in Corinth, Maine, he attended the common schools and East Corinth Academy. He moved first to Bangor, Maine, where he opened a candy factory and met and married his wife, and then to Presque Isle, Maine, in 1887...

    , businessman and senator
  • James Chico Hernandez
    James Chico Hernandez
    James "Chico" Hernandez is an accomplished athlete in the sport of Sambo and a seven-time member of the Team USA National Team.-Early years:...

    , wrestling champion
  • John Lisnik
    John Lisnik
    John Lisnik is a former Maine politician and current University of Maine administrator. A Democrat, Lisnik ran in 1980 for the Maine House of Representatives; he replaced retiring Republican Bruce Roope. He was born in Presque Isle, Maine and graduated from area schools in 1965 before enlisting in...

    , politician
  • Ellis Paul
    Ellis Paul
    Ellis Paul is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the Boston school of songwriting, a literate, provocative and urbanely romantic folk-pop style that helped ignite the folk revival of the 1990s...

    , musician
  • Jack Sepkoski
    Jack Sepkoski
    J. John Sepkoski Jr., , was a University of Chicago paleontologist. Sepkoski studied the fossil record and the diversity of life on Earth. Sepkoski and David Raup contributed to the knowledge of extinction events...

    , paleontologist
  • Ron Tingley
    Ron Tingley
    Ronald Irvin Tingley is a former professional baseball catcher. He played all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball between 1982 and 1995....

    , baseball player

External links

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