Lewiston

Lewiston, in Androscoggin County, is the second-largest city in Maine, directly across the Androscoggin River from Auburn. The two are often considered a single metropolitan area, referred to as Lewiston-Auburn or L-A.

The area was first settled in the 1760s, and was incorporated as a town in 1795. Like Auburn, the city is a former industrial center, focused on textile mills and factories until the end of World War II. The town went through a slump as factories closed and stores relocated, but began rebounding in the 1990s with the redevelopment of the Bates Mill Complex and the downtown area.

Lewiston is home to Bates College, the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the Lewiston campus of the University of Southern Maine, and several medical centers.