| Madawaska, Maine | |||
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| — Town — | |||
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| Location of Madawaska, Maine | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Maine | ||
| County | Aroostook | ||
| Incorporated | 1869 | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 56.5 sq mi (146.2 km2) | ||
| • Land | 55.7 sq mi (144.2 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 971 ft (296 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 4,035 | ||
| • Density | 71.4/sq mi (27.6/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 04756 | ||
| Area code(s) | 207 | ||
| FIPS code | 23-42520 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0582576 | ||
| Website | www.townofmadawaska.com | ||
Madawaska is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,035 at the 2010 census. Madawaska is opposite Edmundston in Madawaska County in New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Edmundston-Madawaska Bridge. Today many of its residents speak French; 83.4% of the population speak French at home. Home of a large annual Acadian festival, Madawaska is the northernmost town in New England.
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During the early colonial period, Madawaska was a significant meeting place and hunting/fishing area for the Maliseet (Wolastoqiyik) nation. Madawaska was at the center of the bloodless Aroostook War. The final border between the two countries was established with the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, which gave Maine most of the disputed area, and gave the British a militarily vital connection between the province of Québec and the province of New Brunswick.[1] Unfortunately, many families were left divided after the settlement.[2] [3]
Madawaska is a rural town whose economy centers on the paper industry. Canadian corporation Twin Rivers (originally Fraser Papers) has a large facility located in Madawaska which processes the pulp produced by the mill's main plant in Edmundston. The pulp is shipped across the border through a mile-long high pressure pipeline running between both facilities, and is made into paper in Madawaska. The Madawaska mill specializes in fine-grade papers. The town's economy is highly dependent upon cross-border trade, to the extent that Madawaska and its larger sister city of Edmundston are considered by residents under many aspects, a single economic entity.[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 56.5 square miles (146.2 km²), of which, 55.7 square miles (144.2 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (1.42%) is water. Madawaska is located beside the St. John River, the Canada – United States border. The town is served by U.S. Route 1.
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 4,534 people, 1,993 households, and 1,301 families residing in the town. The population density was 81.5 people per square mile (31.5/km²). There were 2,362 housing units at an average density of 42.4 per square mile (16.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% White, 0.15% Black , 0.44% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.20% of the population.
There were 1,993 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.77.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,994, and the median income for a family was $42,269. Males had a median income of $46,117 versus $22,361 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,552. About 7.5% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
Madawaska's schools serve Madawaska, St. David, and Grand Isle. The Madawaska Elementary School has students from pre-kindergarten through the 6th grade. Madawaska Middle/High School contains grades 7 through 12.