Bangor’s Most Famous Resident Just Turned 189 Years Old

Paul Bunyan is another year older!

According to WABI5, Paul turned 189 right before Valentine's Day. Lots of places claim to be the birthplace of Paul Bunyan, but we know it's Bangor, Maine. Paul's birth certificate says that he was born in the Queen City* on February 12, 1834. That makes him 189 years old this year. But the landmark we all know and love in Bangor wasn't unveiled until he turned 125 in 1959.

His statue along Main Street is still there today at 31 feet tall making it one of Bangor's biggest attractions. Matt Bishop, the curator and operations manager of the Bangor Historical Society told WABI5,

He’s definitely on the Mount Rushmore. I mean, depending on where you’re debating for one through four, but Paul Bunyan is up there. Just for the lumber industry and what we’ve had here in Bangor, the Penobscot River, and really all of the state of Maine. The legend has always been there since we were all really, really young. We drove by. We’ve all had our pictures, well before you could not climb on it, we’ve all had our pictures up there and it’s really interwoven in our community.

By the way, if you don't know who Paul Bunyan is, he's a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore. He's sort of the first superhero with lots of superhuman feats and his companion, Babe the Blue Ox. The statue in Bangor also is home to a time capsule that’s set to be open in 2084, Bangor’s 250th birthday. Cool.

*According to Wikipedia, Bangor was so beautiful it was referred to as the Queen City of the East. It may still be referred to as the Queen City in some corners of Bangor.