Caribou, Maine

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Trucks outside a starch factory in Caribou, Aroostook County, Maine, October 1940
Trucks outside a starch factory in Caribou, Aroostook County, Maine, October 1940
Location of city of Caribou in state of Maine
Location of city of Caribou in state of Maine

Caribou is a city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,312 at the 2000 census.

Caribou was incorporated on April 5, 1859 as the town of Lyndon from Eaton Plantation and part of half township H. In 1869 Lyndon annexed Eaton, Sheridan and Forestville plantations. On February 26th of that year its name was changed to Caribou, then back to Lyndon on March 9th. Finally on February 8, 1877 Caribou was confirmed as the town's permanent name. Ninety years later, it was incorporated as a city February 23, 1967. Though Alexander Cochran visited the area in 1793 seeking a mill site, European settlers awaited the conclusion of the northern boundary dispute with Canada before arriving in force in 1843. After the optimism of 1967, the City began a long-term population decline, associated with difficulties in the traditional potato industry and the closing of nearby Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Caribou is located at 46°51′49″N, 67°59′53″W (46.863559, -67.997992)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 207.7 km² (80.2 mi²). 205.4 km² (79.3 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (1.11%) is water.

Caribou is located in the geographical center of Aroostook County. Aroostook County is readily accessible by two major highways; Interstate 95 from the South and the Trans-Canada Highway 2 from the North and East. Caribou is located on the northern bend of the Aroostook River before it heads southeast to join the St. John River in New Brunswick just east of Fort Fairfield, Maine. In the sparsely populated Aroostook County, Caribou is at the hub of spokes serving the area via U.S. Route 1 and Maine Routes 89, 161, 164, 205 and 228. Northern Maine Regional Airport in Presque Isle, Maine serves as the primary hub for air service. Daily flights are scheduled to and from Northern Maine with daily connections to Boston’s Logan International Airport. Seaports are also close by in coastal Maine, New Brunswick and Quebec. The closest deep water port is Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec it is only 120 miles away from Caribou. Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway (MMA) is a 745 mile regional railway operating in the states of Maine, Vermont and in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, providing a direct rail link between Northern Maine, Saint John, NB and Montreal, QC.

With economic and cultural ties with the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, cross border partnerships and relationships are often a common facet in many businesses.

[edit] Climate

The normal seasonal snowfall for Caribou is approximately 115 inches.

Spring in Aroostook County begins with maple tree tapping and the picking of fiddleheads along the many rivers in late May. Fiddleheads, the very young, coiled leaves of the ostrich fern, are a county delicacy. Spring is known as the ‘mud season’, which suits many local ATV owners. Designated areas of the snowmobile trail system may be used for all terrain vehicles.

Warm days and cool nights characterize summers. The area is generally favored with abundant rainfall, which is one of the most important factors in the high yield of the potato and grain crops throughout the county. The growing season in Caribou averages more than 120 days.

Autumn climate is nearly ideal, with mostly sunny warm days and cool nights predominating. The end of September begins the Potato harvest; this is truly a community event. Many Aroostook County schools still grant vacations so students can work the harvest.

Snowfall can occur at any month, but usually the first snowfall occurs in mid to late October.

Link to NWS (National Weather Service) – http://www.erh.noaa.gov/car

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rec High °F 53 59 73 86 96 96 95 95 91 79 68 58
Norm High °F 19.3 23.2 34.1 47 62.6 71.8 76.3 74.2 64.1 51.4 37.4 24.8
Norm Low °F -0.3 2.9 15.2 29.2 40.7 49.9 54.8 52.6 43.6 34.1 23.7 8
Rec Low °F -33 -41 -28 -2 18 30 36 34 23 14 -8 -31
Precip (in) 2.97 2.06 2.57 2.64 3.28 3.31 3.89 4.15 3.27 2.99 3.12 3.19
Source: USTravelWeather.com [1]

[edit] History

In 1807, Charles Turner surveyed ten thousand acres (40 km²) of land in Northern Maine, then part of the state of Massachusetts. In 1808 Captain William Eaton was deeded these same 10,000 acres (40 km²) as a reward for his heroic victory over the Barbary Pirates, this estate became known as the Eaton Grant and is now the southeast section of Caribou. Around 1824 settlers began arriving from New Brunswick, and settled land on the north side of the Aroostook River. The City of Caribou originally known as the town of Lyndon was established in 1843 and incorporated in 1859. The first school was built in 1852, and the town of Lyndon was renamed Caribou by the state legislature in 1877.


Notable Inhabitants:

Susan M. Collins, U.S. Senator

Historic Sites & Museums:

Nylander Museum Nylander Museum

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 8,312 people, 3,517 households, and 2,324 families residing in the city. The population density was 40.5/km² (104.8/mi²). There were 3,858 housing units at an average density of 18.8/km² (48.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.22% White, 0.29% African American, 1.48% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.46% of the population.

There were 3,517 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,485, and the median income for a family was $38,378. Males had a median income of $29,202 versus $20,737 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,061. About 8.4% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Industry

In Caribou and throughout Aroostook County, the two major agricultural crops are the potato and broccoli. Area farmers annually plant approximately 80,000 acres (320 km²) of potatoes. The chief varieties are Russett Burbank, Superior, Shepody and Atlantic. Aroostook County is renowned for its Round White potatoes. The potato crop is used for seed, table stock, and processed potato products. Aroostook County is the largest grower of broccoli on the East Coast.

Other important agricultural crops grown in the area include peas, hay, oats, and alternative crops on a smaller scale. The high volume of activity results in the growth of related agri-business. Farm implement sales and services and the development of several area processing plants are examples of the influence agriculture has on the local economy.

[edit] Education

Caribou High School

Selected by Redbook’s National Best Schools Programs for their Automated Library System. Caribou High School is above the rest offering many outstanding nationally recognized programs. Considering the low dropout rate and above average attendance it’s not hard to see why students achieve excellent Maine Educational Assessment scores.

Caribou Middle School

Caribou Middle school Staff, Teachers and Educational Aides serve a school population of 420 student’s grades 5-8. The middle school is a member of the New England League of Middle Schools and has recently been selected by the Maine State Department of Education to represent Maine in the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Program. In addition to the standard curriculum the Middle School offers Special Education, Chapter 1 Reading and Math, Higher Order Thinking Skills, Gifted and Talented, Migratory and Speech instruction.

Hilltop Elementary School

Hilltop Elementary serves all Caribou students K-2; all students attend French classes daily as part of the elementary second language program. The curriculum at Hilltop is aligned with the Maine State Learning Results.

Teague Park School

Teague Park School houses two pre-school classrooms as well as all third and fourth grade classrooms. The school also houses a Central Aroostook Child Development Center. The preschool program for four-year-olds is based on the High Scope Philosophy and Curriculum developed in Yipsilanti, Michigan. A computer lab and media center offer the students an opportunity to complete writing and research assignments using computers, CD-ROMS, telecommunications and other forms of media.

Caribou Adult Education

Adult High School Diploma opportunities: To earn a GED, call to schedule a pretest. GED Preparation classes are also available. There is no charge for the GED test. To earn a Caribou Adult High School Diploma, you may take classes scheduled in the evening or during the day at the Learning Center and Caribou High School. There is no charge for High School Completion Courses.

Loring Job Corps Center

The Loring Job Corps Center opened in 1997 on the Loring Commerce Center at the former Loring Air Force Base. It offers educational, vocational, administrative, health and residential living services to approximately 380 students each year. The center offers advanced training programs. The Loring Job Corps Center is designated as an alternative school and is part of Maine’s School-to-Work transition program.

[edit] Recreation

Caribou has over a dozen cross country ski trails with varied scenery and terrain within a one hour drive of the city. Aroostook County is widely known by sports enthusiasts for its well-groomed extensive snowmobile trail system; Caribou maintains 170 miles of Aroostook County’s 1600-mile snowmobile trail system. A major tourist destination for snowmobile enthusiasts throughout the country, who take advantage of the more than 1600 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, which have been rated the third best in the nation. Snowmobilers can venture out every day, choose a variety of routes and with the number of loop trails never cross the same trail twice. Many county communities are located on the Canadian border, making international travel by snowmobile convenient. Running through the heart of Aroostook County is the Northeast Snowmobile Trail (NEST), and International Snowmobile Trail System linking Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the Province of Quebec.

[edit] Media

Caribou is served by WAGM, a CBS affiliate located in Presque Isle, Maine, which is the only television station north of Bangor, Maine. Residents of Caribou can receive the CBC and PBS stations over the air as well. Most residents subscribe to Dish Network, Direct TV or Time Warner Cable. The city is also home to two radio stations: WCXU 97.7 FM and WFST 600 AM. In addition, listeners can listen to other radio stations in Northern Maine, Western New Brunwick and Eastern Quebec. They include WUPI 92.1 FM, CIKX 93.5 FM, CFVD 95.5 FM, WQHR 96.1 FM, WBPW 96.9 FM, CBAM 99.5 FM, WOZI 101.9 FM, WCXX 102.3 FM, CBZC 103.3 FM, CFAI 105.1 FM, WMEM 106.1 FM, CIBM 107.1 FM and WEGP 1390 AM. Lately there has been an increase to Satellite Radio Subscriptions in Northern Maine. Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio are leading the way due to the lack of radio programming aimed to the 12-40 age bracket in Northern Maine. A weekly newspaper, the Aroostook Republican, is published in Caribou. Home delivery of the daily newspaper out of Bangor, Maine, the Bangor Daily News, is also available. Residents of Caribou, Maine also have access to the USA Today, but some reason it is always a day late and folks up here call it the USA Yesterday.

[edit] Arts and Culture

Caribou and Aroostook County have a rich cultural base, with strong arts programming. The Caribou Performing Arts Center draws acts and shows from all over the U.S. and Canada. Caribou also has a thriving music program centered around the Caribou Music Department. Music education has been a vital part of the education system in Caribou for years. The Caribou High School Music Building Fund, a student-initiated non-profit organization, is currently raising $2.7 million for a new music facility to be located at the high school. The new facility will allow Caribou High School students to utilize increased practice space and music technology to significantly further music education. Additionally, the facility will be open to community groups and musicians from all over Caribou and Aroostook County to use as the only center for music in Northern Maine.


[edit] External links


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