city, Lee county, eastern Alabama, U.S., adjacent to Opelika, about 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Montgomery. Founded in 1836 by John Harper and settlers from Georgia, its name was inspired by the “sweet Auburn” of Oliver Goldsmith (Goldsmith, Oliver)'s poem The Deserted Village. Auburn University, opened as East Alabama Male College (Methodist) in 1859, is the main factor in the city's economy. The manufacture of engines, tools, and plastics is also important. Chewacla State Park and Tuskegee National Forest are southwest. A historical fair, showcasing the making of cane syrup, is held in October. The university campus is home to the Donald E. Davis Arboretum; the historic district of Loachapoka, 7 miles (11 km) west of Auburn, has several 19th-century homes. Inc. 1839. Pop. (1990) city, 33,830; Auburn-Opelika MSA, 87,146; (2000) city, 42,987; Auburn-Opelika MSA, 115,092.

city, seat (1854) of Androscoggin county, southwestern Maine, U.S., on the Androscoggin River opposite Lewiston and part of the Lewiston-Auburn metropolitan area. Settled in 1786, Auburn was separated from Minot in 1842 and is supposed to have been named for the Auburn of Oliver Goldsmith's poem The Deserted Village. The manufacture of shoes was once the city's chief industry. Today diversified industries produce plastic laminates, automotive products, and electrical components. The Androscoggin Historical Society Library and Museum has exhibits derived from local history. Recreational facilities include the nearby Lost Valley Ski Area, Lake Auburn, and Taylor Pond. Inc. town, 1842; city, 1869. Pop. (1990) city, 24,309; Lewiston-Auburn MSA, 93,679; (2000) city, 23,203; Lewiston-Auburn MSA, 90,830.

city, seat (1805) of Cayuga county, west-central New York, U.S. It lies at the north end of Owasco Lake, in the Finger Lakes region, 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Syracuse. Founded in 1793 by John Hardenbergh, an officer in the American Revolution, on the site of a Cayuga Indian village called Wasco, it was first known as Hardenbergh's Corners. It developed around Auburn State Prison (established 1816) and Auburn Theological Seminary (founded 1821; merged 1939 with Union Theological Seminary, New York City). Industry was attracted by abundant waterpower and what was then the practice of using cheap prison labour. Manufactures now include steel, diesel engines, wire, glass bottles, jet aircraft spark plugs, air conditioners, and auto parts.

Cayuga Community College, now part of the State University of New York (New York, State University of (SUNY)) system, was established there in 1953. The home (built 1816–17) of William H. Seward (Seward, William H) (governor of New York 【1839–43】, senator, and secretary of state under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson) is maintained as a museum. Seward is buried in Fort Hill Cemetery, and his records, books, and Indian relics are in the Cayuga Museum of History and Art. The Case Research Lab Museum preserves the site of the invention of sound motion-picture film. Harriet Tubman (Tubman, Harriet), the abolitionist and former slave, died (1913) in Auburn; her house is preserved. Inc. village, 1815; city, 1848. Pop. (1990) 31,258; (2000) 28,574.

city, King county, western Washington, U.S., in the White River valley, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Tacoma. It was laid out in 1887 by Levi W. Ballard, an early local settler, and named for W.A. Slaughter, an army officer killed in a conflict with area Indians 30 years earlier. Local residents, disliking the name Slaughter (the hotel was named Slaughter House), petitioned the legislature to change the name, and in 1893 it was designated Auburn after the city in New York.

The city developed as an agricultural trade centre and as a division point for the Northern Pacific Railway (Northern Pacific Railway Company) (now Burlington Northern Sante Fe). Manufacturing, chiefly the production of aircraft parts, is important. A Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control centre that serves the northwestern region was established there in 1962. The city is home to Green River Community College (1963), the Auburn Symphony Orchestra, the Evergreen City Ballet, and Emerald Downs, a Thoroughbred racetrack. The White River Valley Museum houses documents and artifacts relating to the region; one of its permanent exhibits is a Japanese American farmhouse (c. 1915) that presents aspects of the immigrant experience. A monument just north of Auburn marks the site of the White River Massacre (October 28, 1855), in which nine members of three pioneer families were killed by Indians. The Green River (salmon) Hatchery and Mount Rainier National Park are nearby. Inc. 1914. Pop. (1990) 33,102; (2000) 40,314.