Augusta

English settlers from the Popham Colony at the mouth of the Kennebec River explored the area in 1607. Before European settlement, Algonquian-speaking Indians lived in the area. In 1625, representatives of Plymouth Colony chose the east shore of the Kennebec for a trading post, which was likely built in 1628 and became known as "Cushnoc". The Kennebec Proprietors, successors to the Plymouth Company, built Fort Western near the site of the abandoned trading post in 1754 and began settlement efforts. The new village was incorporated as Hallowell in 1771, and the upriver part of town separated in 1797 to form the town of Harrington. On June 9, 1797, Harrington changed its name to Augusta and, in 1827, it was designated capital of Maine.

Augusta is the easternmost state capital in the United States. Located on the Kennebec River at the head of tide, it is the principal city in the Augusta–Waterville micropolitan statistical area and home to the University of Maine at Augusta. Because of the city's position on the Kennebec, downtown Augusta is vulnerable to floods in spring.