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Madawaska, Maine Ville de Madawaska (French)
Town
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Location of Madawaska, Maine
MadawaskaLocation of Madawaska in MaineShow map of MaineMadawaskaLocation of Madawaska in the USAShow map of the United States
Coordinates: 47°18′25.87″N 68°14′29.69″W / 47.3071861°N 68.2415806°W / 47.3071861; -68.2415806
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Aroostook
Incorporated	1869
Villages	Madawaska Cleveland Fournier Lavertue St. David
Area
• Total	56.24 sq mi (145.66 km)
• Land	55.56 sq mi (143.90 km)
• Water	0.68 sq mi (1.76 km)
Elevation	971 ft (296 m)
Population
• Total	3,867
• Density	70/sq mi (26.9/km)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	04756
Area code	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 3,867 at the 2020 census. Madawaska is opposite Edmundston, Madawaska County in New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Edmundston–Madawaska Bridge over the Saint John River. The majority of its residents speak French; 83.4% of the population speaks French at home.

History

During the early colonial period, Madawaska was a meeting place and hunting/fishing area for the Maliseet (Wolastoqiyik) nation. Later, it 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 Quebec and the province of New Brunswick. Many families were left divided after the settlement.

Economy

Madawaska is a rural town whose economy centers on the Saint John River paper industry. The river historically provided water power for the mills and was the route of log drives bringing pulpwood from upstream forests. The river still provides the water supply for paper manufacture, but environmental concerns encourage pulpwood delivery by highway and rail. Canadian corporation Twin Rivers (originally Fraser Papers) has a large facility located in Madawaska which processes the pulp produced by the mill's other 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.

Madawaska is also home to the St. John Valley Times, a popular weekly newspaper circulated across Aroostook County.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 56.24 square miles (145.66 km), of which 55.56 square miles (143.90 km) is land and 0.68 square miles (1.76 km) is water. Madawaska is located beside the Saint John River, the Canada–United States border. Four Corners Park commemorates its location as the most northeastern town in the contiguous United States. The town is served by U.S. Route 1.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Madawaska has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,035 people, 1,983 households, and 1,128 families living in the town. The population density was 72.6 inhabitants per square mile (28.0/km). There were 2,398 housing units at an average density of 43.2 per square mile (16.7/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.4% White, 0.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.5% of the population.

There were 1,983 households, of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.1% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.62.

The median age in the town was 51.2 years. 16.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 34.1% were from 45 to 64; and 26.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,534 people, 1,993 households, and 1,301 families living in the town. The population density was 81.5 inhabitants per square mile (31.5/km). There were 2,362 housing units at an average density of 42.4 per square mile (16.4/km). 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. The median home value is $102,935.

Education

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.

Notable people

• Roger Albert, Maine state legislator
• Ashley Hebert, The Bachelorette Season 7
• Emilien Levesque, Maine state legislator
• Charles Theriault, Maine state legislator
• Roland White, bluegrass musician

See also

• French language in the United States

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
2. "Census - Geography Profile: Madawaska town, Aroostook County, Maine". Retrieved January 15, 2022.
3. Varney, George J. (1886). "Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Madawaska". Boston: Russell. Retrieved February 4, 2009. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
4. Robert Remini, Daniel Webster (1997) 535-64
5. "Madawaska Pride". www.madawaskahistorical.org.
6. United States Department of Transportation (1974). Rail Service in the Midwest and Northeast Region. United States Government Printing Office.
7. Wright, Virginia M. "In the Shadow of the Border". Down East: The Magazine of Maine (June 2006).
8. "St. John Valley Times". Archived from the original on May 30, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
9. "Chapter 1: Northern Maine and New Hampshire". United Divide: A Linear Portrait of the USA/Canada Border. The Center for Land Use Interpretation. Winter 2015.
10. "Madawaska, Maine Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase.
11. "Edmundston, New Brunswick". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. October 31, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
15. "Roger Albert". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 18, 2024.

External links

• Town of Madawaska, Maine
• Madawaska Public Library
• Madawaska Historical Society
• Madawaska Acadian Festival
• Madawaska School Department
• Madawaska Four Corners Park

v t e Municipalities and communities of Aroostook County, Maine, United States
County seat: Houlton
Cities	Caribou Presque Isle
Towns	Allagash Amity Ashland Blaine Bridgewater Castle Hill Caswell Chapman Crystal Dyer Brook Eagle Lake Easton Fort Fairfield Fort Kent Frenchville Grand Isle Hamlin Hammond Haynesville Hersey Hodgdon Houlton Island Falls Limestone Linneus Littleton Ludlow Madawaska Mapleton Mars Hill Masardis Merrill Monticello New Canada New Limerick New Sweden Oakfield Orient Perham Portage Lake St. Agatha St. Francis Sherman Smyrna Stockholm Van Buren Wade Wallagrass Washburn Westfield Westmanland Weston Woodland
Plantations	Cyr Garfield Glenwood Macwahoc Moro Nashville Reed Saint John Winterville
Unorganized territories	Bancroft Cary Central Aroostook Connor Northwest Aroostook Oxbow South Aroostook Square Lake
CDPs	Ashland Blaine Fort Fairfield Fort Kent Grand Isle Island Falls Houlton Limestone Madawaska Mapleton Mars Hill Oakfield Van Buren Washburn
Other communities	California Clayton Lake Crouseville Daigle Estcourt Station Fort Kent Mills Portage Saint David Sinclair Smyrna Mills Wytopitlock
Indian reservations	Mi'kmaq Nation trust land Houlton Maliseet reservation
Maine portal United States portal

47°18′25.8696″N 68°14′29.69″W / 47.307186000°N 68.2415806°W / 47.307186000; -68.2415806

• Madawaska, Maine
• Towns in Aroostook County, Maine
• Towns in Maine
• Populated places on the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy)
• French-Canadian culture in Maine