Presque Isle, Maine

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Presque Isle is a city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,511 at the 2000 census. The city is home to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College and the Northern Maine Regional Airport.

The name Presque Isle comes from the French phrase for almost an island, as the courses of the Aroostook River and Presque Isle Stream in the area form a peninsula.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Notable Natives 5 External links

[edit] History

Presque Isle, originally known as Fairbanks for its founder Dennis Fairbanks, was settled in 1828; and incorporated as a town in 1859 and a city in 1940. The town of Maysville was annexed by Presque Isle in 1883. The opening of the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad to Presque Isle in 1885 opened up the area for development.

The Presque Isle Air Force Base, in operation between 1941 and 1961, was a major departure point for U.S. fighter planes during World War II and the Korean War. The former base is now the site of the Northern Maine Regional Airport

On August 11th, 1978, the Double Eagle II was launched from Presque Isle, Maine carrying three passengers. It was the first successfully completed transatlantic balloon crossing.

In honor of the Double Eagle II, the city of Presque Isle holds an annual celebration: The Crown of Maine Balloon Festival. The popular festival includes activities such as balloon rides, plane tours, amateur photo contests and children’s fair rides. The celebration is held in late August and is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and other local organizations.

The Presque Isle field from which the Double Eagle II lifted off now hosts a memorial model balloon. It is composed of a steel structure and beside the balloon is a scale model gondola. The land on which the memorial sits was donated by the Merle Sprague family and is maintained by the Spragueville extension.

The Double Eagle II balloon crossing carried passengers Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman, all of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The balloon was 112 feet high, 65 feet in diameter and had a capacity of 160,000 square feet. The three men rode in an attached gondola named the Spirit of Albuquerque. The 15x7x4.5 foot gondola was equipped with a twin hulled catamaran in case they were forced to make an emergency landing in the ocean. The Double Eagle II was constructed by Ed Yost of Tea, South Dakota.

They lifted off from the field in Presque Isle at 8:42 a.m, August 11th, 1978. Their flight was 3,100 miles and took 137 hours and 6 minutes. They landed in a field in Misery, France, about 60 miles northwest of Paris, on August 17, 1978. Though their goal was to get to an airfield near Paris where Charles Lindbergh had landed, the three balloonists officially completed their trip across the Atlantic Ocean on August 16th at 10:02 p.m. as they crossed the Irish Coast. The balloon dipped from a high of 24,950 feet to a low of only 3,500 feet but was able to make a safe and record setting trip.

Sources: www.crownofmaineballoonfest.org; National Geographic 1978, Volume 154 No.6: Double Eagle II Leaps the Atlantic; www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/double_eagle.htm; www.umpi.maine.edu/info/nmms/solar/balloons.htm

[edit] Geography

Presque Isle is located at 46°40′46″N, 68°0′8″W (46.679321, -68.002166)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 200.9 km² (77.6 mi²). 196.2 km² (75.8 mi²) of it is land and 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²) of it (2.32%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 9,511 people, 3,963 households, and 2,464 families residing in the city. The population density was 48.5/km² (125.6/mi²). There were 4,405 housing units at an average density of 22.5/km² (58.2/mi²). 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, 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 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 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.

[edit] Notable Natives

• Ron Tingley, former Major League Baseball catcher
• John Crowley, science fiction author
• Ellis Paul, musician
• John Cariani, actor
• Eric F. J. Martin, historian and poet

[edit] External links

• City of Presque Isle
• Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce
• Presque Isle Webcam
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 46.679321° -68.002166°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA