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Bates College
- Local Atmosphere

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Bates College - Local Atmosphere - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.31

Local Atmosphere

C
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Quick Stats

Points of Interest
  • Acadia National Park
  • The Androscoggin Historical Society Museum
  • Androscoggin River Walk
  • The Atrium Gallery
  • Bates Mill
  • The Franco-American Heritage Collection
  • Lewiston-Auburn Public Theatre
  • Lost Valley Ski Area
  • Railroad Park
  • Sabbath Day Lake Shaker Museum
  • Thorncraig Bird Sanctuary

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Though Lewiston is probably the biggest drawback about going to Bates, the city probably isn’t quite as bad as most students make it out to be. There are some nice trails only about 10 minutes from campus, and while there honestly isn’t that much to do in Lewiston, Portland is less than an hour drive from campus. Portland is a fun city—it’s very artsy and cultural, with plenty for anyone to do. There are museums, restaurants, cafés, theaters, bars, shops, and a very nice waterfront not far from the city. For students who don’t have cars, the school runs a bus that goes to the Old Port about once a month. The area around Lewiston is nice as well, with ski areas and good spots for hiking. The Outing Club organizes numerous trips to local hiking spots, and there are deals on seasonal passes for Batesies at local ski areas. If you’re interested in outdoor winter sports, including snowball fights, Bates is a great school. If you’re interested in spending a lot of time hanging out in a booming, urban metropolis, you might be happier somewhere else.

The relationship between students and “townies” is generally very poor, since most people from Lewiston resent the “spoiled rich kids” going to Bates. With a few exceptions, Bates students are seldom involved in the Lewiston-Auburn community, preferring to stay in the “Bates bubble.” In truth, there is very little to do in Lewiston—the enormous Super Wal-Mart really is the town’s greatest attraction. Lewiston is not only boring, it can be dangerous. It isn’t safe for students to walk around the city alone at night, and the rape and stabbing that took place a few years ago didn’t help matters. For those who are interested in Franco-American or mill-town history, Lewiston-Auburn is a treasure trove of information, but most Bates students try to avoid the town as much as possible.

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Bates Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Local Atmosphere at Bates College

zdiaby

'12

Rhetoric and Composition

3.8
B+

Lewiston's Atmosphere

Lewiston is a nice sized town located in Maine. Originally a millers town Lewiston is home to many Somali refugees. Bates College is located in the center of the town. The college offers a free open campus to the locals and in return the locals and the students have a very free and opened relationship.

Sep 09, 2010

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Local Atmosphere at Bates College

BatMV

'10

Arts

Lewiston is quite a large city,...

Lewiston is quite a large city, and not necessarily the most student-friendly. Having said that, there is no shortage of nice, fun restaurants to take your parents to on parents' weekend, places to call for take-out, or places to shop for groceries and other essentials. Bowdoin College is about 45 minutes away, and Colby is a little further. They are our predominant sporting rivals. Students don't usually travel there to hang out unless there is a concert or sporting event of interest, or if, of course, you have a friend who goes to one of them.

Mar 01, 2009

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Local Atmosphere at Bates College

BatMS

'12

English

Lewiston is a very unique...

Lewiston is a very unique city-even though it's the second-largest city in Maine behind Portland, it has a very low total income and a struggling economy. There is a large community of immigrants from Somalia in Lewiston. What's great is that Bates loves to reach out to help the community-lots of people on campus are learning Somali and volunteer to help families and teach both parents and kids English. Apart from this unique aspect of Lewiston, there are great, conventional activities going on. My favorite restaurant is Espo's, just over the bridge in Auburn, which makes its own pasta. Everyone's favorite takeout place is Lewiston's own Thai Dish, which makes the best chicken Pad Thai. There's a classic rivalry between Bowdoin, Bates, and Colby, but the three colleges actually do a lot together, be it a one-act theater festival or inviting one another to concerts. Girl Talk played at Bates this fall, and Colby and Bowdoin bused students over to see him. If you get the chance, drive up to Freeport and go to LL Bean-at 2 in the morning of course, since it's open 24 hours!

Feb 16, 2009

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Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the local atmosphere on the following topics

What is the local atmosphere like at your school?

What is the proximity to other universities? Is there much interaction?

Can you see yourself living here after graduation?

Facts

Shopping Centers
  • Auburn Mall
  • Lewiston Mall
  • Maine Mall in Portland
Major Sports Teams
  • Lewiston MAINEiacs: junior hockey
  • Portland Sea Dogs: minor league baseball
City Web Sites
Distances to Nearest Major Cities
  • Boston: MA: 2 hours, 15 minutes
  • Portland: ME: 45 minutes
Did You Know?

5 Fun Facts about Lewiston:
• Lewiston is the second-largest city in Maine.
• The Lewiston-Auburn area is often referred to as “LA” by residents; there’s even an LAPD.
• The Lewiston Sun Journal, established in 1893, is one of the most widely circulated newspapers in the state of Maine.
• Lewiston cited as one of the 100 best small arts towns in America by John Muir Publications.
• On May 25, 1965, in Lewiston’s St. Dominick’s Arena, Mohammad Ali knocked out Sammy Liston in the first round of a rematch with a quick, hard right punch to the head. The quick win for Ali was under scrutiny as people questioned whether Liston threw the fight.

Famous People from Lewiston:
Gerard Robichaud, author
Patrick Dempsey, actor (born in Lewiston, but grew up in Turner, Maine)

Local Slang:
LA – Lewiston-Auburn
Wicked – Very, as in, “That clam chowdah is wicked good!”

Movie TheatersWhat's This?

Flagship Cinema
730 Center St.
Auburn
(207) 786-8605

Flagship Cinema 10
Promenade Mall
Lewiston
(207) 777-5010

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at Bates

Name: Jessie Sawyer

Hometown: Farmington, CT

Major: English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a Spanish minor

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