Skowhegan, Maine

Skowhegan, Maine
Water Street in 1906
Motto: 
A Place to Watch
Skowhegan
Skowhegan
Coordinates: 44°45′20″N 69°40′00″W / 44.75556°N 69.66667°W / 44.75556; -69.66667
Country United States
State Maine
CountySomerset
Settled1771
IncorporatedFebruary 5, 1823
Area
 • Total
60.47 sq mi (156.62 km2)
 • Land58.85 sq mi (152.42 km2)
 • Water1.62 sq mi (4.20 km2)
Elevation
112 ft (34 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
8,620
 • Density163/sq mi (63.1/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
04976
Area code207
FIPS code23-68910
GNIS ID579029
Websitewww.skowhegan.org

Skowhegan (/skˈhɡən/) is the county seat of Somerset County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 8,620. It contains the census-designated place of the same name. Every August, Skowhegan hosts the annual Skowhegan State Fair, the oldest continuously held state fair in the United States. Skowhegan was originally inhabited by the indigenous Abenaki people who named the area Skowhegan, meaning "watching place [for fish]," and were mostly dispersed by the end of the 4th Anglo-Abenaki War.