Bangor

Bangor Bangor bang ´gôr, ban ´â€", bang ´g?r [key], city (1990 pop. 33,181), seat of Penobscot co., S Maine, at the confluence of the Penobscot and Kenduskeag rivers; inc. as a town 1791, as a city 1834. It is a port of entry, commercial center, and gateway to an extensive resort and lumber region. Major industries include the production of shoes, pulp and paper, and wood products. The city was settled in 1769 and was known as Sunbury. During the War of 1812 it was occupied by the British. In the 19th cent., Bangor was a shipbuilding center that carried on an extensive coastal and overseas trade in lumber, stone, and ice. The city has a theological seminary, a conservatory of music, and three colleges. Bangor International Airport, part of which was once Dow Air Force Base, has one of the longest runways in the United States. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. Political Geography