Aroostook County, Maine

Aroostook County, Maine
Seal
Location in the state of Maine
Maine's location in the U.S.
Founded	May 1, 1839
Seat	Houlton
Largest city	Presque Isle
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	6,828.79 sq mi (17,686 km²) 6,671.54 sq mi (17,279 km²) 157.25 sq mi (407 km²), 2.30%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	71,870 10.7/sq mi (4.15/km²)
Website	www.aroostook.me.us

Aroostook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 71,870. In land area, it is the largest county in the state and the largest U.S. county east of the Mississippi River. Its seat is Houlton. Among residents of Maine, it is often referred to simply as "The County."

As Maine's northernmost county, its northernmost town, Estcourt Station, is therefore also the northernmost town of New England and of the continental U.S. east of the Great Lakes.

Aroostook County is known for its potato crops, as well as its Acadian culture. In the northernmost region of the county, which borders Madawaska County, New Brunswick, many of the residents are bilingual (English and French).

The county is an emerging hub for wind power.

Aroostook County was formed in 1839 from parts of Penobscot and Washington Counties. In 1843, Aroostook gained land from Penobscot County; in 1844, Aroostook again gained land from Penobscot, plus it exchanged land with Piscataquis County. In 1889, Aroostook gained slightly from Penobscot, but gave back the land in 1903 when Aroostook County gained its final form.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 6,828.79 square miles (17,686.5 km²), of which 6,671.54 square miles (17,279.2 km²) (or 97.70%) is land and 157.25 square miles (407.3 km²) (or 2.30%) is water. Aroostook County is about the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.

Adjacent U.S. counties

• Washington County, Maine - southeast
• Penobscot County, Maine - south
• Piscataquis County, Maine - south
• Somerset County, Maine - southwest

Adjacent regional county municipalities

• Montmagny Regional County Municipality, Quebec - west
• L'Islet Regional County Municipality, Quebec - west
• Kamouraska Regional County Municipality, Quebec - northwest
• Témiscouata Regional County Municipality, Quebec - north

Adjacent Canadian counties

• Madawaska County, New Brunswick - northeast
• Victoria County, New Brunswick - east
• Carleton County, New Brunswick - east
• York County, New Brunswick - southeast

Cities, towns, and plantations

Allagash Amity Ashland Bancroft Benedicta Township Blaine Bridgewater Caribou Cary Plantation Castle Hill Caswell Chapman Crystal Dickey Cyr Plantation Dyer Brook Eagle Lake Easton Fort Fairfield Fort Kent Frenchville Garfield Plantation Glenwood Plantation Grand Isle Hamlin

Hammond Haynesville Hersey Hodgdon Houlton Island Falls Limestone Linneus Littleton Ludlow Macwahoc Plantation Madawaska Mapleton Mars Hill Masardis Merrill Monticello Moro Plantation Nashville Plantation New Canada New Limerick New Sweden

Oakfield Orient Oxbow (plantation) Perham Portage Lake Presque Isle Reed Plantation Saint Agatha Saint Francis Saint John Plantation Sherman Silver Ridge Township Smyrna Stockholm Van Buren Wade Wallagrass Washburn Weeksboro Westfield Westmanland Weston Winterville Plantation Woodland

Territories

• Central Aroostook
• Connor
• Northwest Aroostook
• South Aroostook
• Square Lake
• Madawaska Lake
• Cross Lake
• Sinclair

Indian reservations

• Aroostook Band of Mi'kmaq Indians Reservation, located in Presque Isle, Maine
• Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians Reservation, located in Houlton, Maine

National protected area

• Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge

Government and politics

The county is one of the most conservative politically in Maine. It has gone for the Democratic Presidential candidate in the last five elections, but often not with more than 50% of the vote. In the Maine Legislature, the county's delegation includes three Democrats and seven Republicans. In 2009 it voted 73% in favor of a referendum rejecting same-sex marriage and 54% against the Maine Medical Marijuana Act.

Due to remoteness from the rest of Maine and a perceived lack of connection with Maine government, as well as a strong connection with neighboring Canada, politicians of Aroostook County, Maine, have proposed making Aroostook part of New Brunswick or spinning off the county as its own state, probably named Aroostook, since the 1990s. As recently as 2005 the question has been brought up before the state legislature.

Voter registration

Voter registration

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of August 2011
Party		Total Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	17,376	34.96%
	Unenrolled	16,868	33.93%
	Republican	14,188	28.54%
	Green Independent	1,271	2.56%
Total		49,703	100%

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	9,413		—
1850	12,529		33.1%
1860	22,479		79.4%
1870	29,609		31.7%
1880	41,700		40.8%
1890	49,589		18.9%
1900	60,744		22.5%
1910	74,664		22.9%
1920	81,728		9.5%
1930	87,843		7.5%
1940	94,436		7.5%
1950	96,039		1.7%
1960	106,064		10.4%
1970	92,463		−12.8%
1980	91,331		−1.2%
1990	86,936		−4.8%
2000	73,938		−15.0%
2010	71,870		−2.8%

As of the census of 2000, there were 73,938 people, 30,356 households, and 20,429 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 38,719 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.80% White, 0.38% Black or African American, 1.36% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22.6% were of French, 15.4% United States or American, 14.6% English, 14.3% French Canadian and 10.2% Irish ancestry. According to the 2000 United States Census, 22.37% of the population speak French at home.

There were 30,356 households out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.70% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.60% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,837, and the median income for a family was $36,044. Males had a median income of $29,747 versus $20,300 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,033. About 9.80% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.20% of those under age 18 and 16.00% of those age 65 or over.

History

Some of the territory in this county was part of the land dispute that led to the "Aroostook War".

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Aroostook County, Maine

External links

• Aroostook County Government
• Aroostook County on Maine.gov