Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The city is home to Colby College and Thomas College. As of the 2020 census the population was 15,828. Along in the same way as Augusta, Waterville is one of the principal cities of the Augusta-Waterville, ME Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The Place now known as Waterville was subsequent to inhabited by the Canibas tribe of the Abenaki people. Called “Taconnet” after Chief Taconnet, the main village was located upon the east bank of the Kennebec River at its confluence next the Sebasticook River at what is now Winslow. Known as “Ticonic” by English settlers, it was burned in 1692 during King William’s War, after which the Canibas tribe unaccompanied the area. Fort Halifax was built by General John Winslow in 1754, and the last suit with native peoples occurred on May 18, 1757.

The township would be organized as Kingfield Plantation, then incorporated as Winslow in 1771. When residents on the west side of the Kennebec found themselves unable to enraged the river to attend town meetings, Waterville was founded from the western parts of Winslow and incorporated upon June 23, 1802. In 1824 a bridge was built joining the communities. Early industries included fishing, lumbering, agriculture and ship building, with larger boats launched in spring during freshets. By the ahead of time 1900s, there were five shipyards in the community.

Ticonic Falls blocked navigation farther upriver, so Waterville developed as the terminus for trade and shipping. The Kennebec River and Messalonskee Stream provided water capability for mills, including several sawmills, a gristmill, a sash and blind factory, a furniture factory, and a shovel handle factory. There was as well as a carriage and sleigh factory, boot shop, brickyard, and tannery. On September 27, 1849, the Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad opened to Waterville. It would become allocation of the Maine Central Railroad, which in 1870 customary locomotive and car repair shops in the booming mill town. West Waterville (renamed Oakland) was set off as a town in 1873. Waterville was incorporated as a city on January 12, 1888.