Caribou

Caribou is the second largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. Its population was 7,396 at the 2020 census, and between the 2010 and 2020 census it was the fastest-shrinking city in Maine. The city is a service center for the agricultural and tourism industries, and the location of a National Weather Service Forecast Office. Loring Air Force Base opened in the early 1950s near Limestone, with bomber and tanker aircraft of the Strategic Air Command. In September 1984, Caribou was the lift-off location of the first successful solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by Colonel Joseph Kittinger. The closest port is Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, 120 miles (190 km) north of Caribou, connecting to the Eastern Railroad and the Eastern Maine and St. Lawrence River. The nearest airport is Presque Isle Regional Airport, which serves as the primary hub for air service to and from northern Maine on United Airlines with connections to Newark International Airport. In 2013, a bypass was completed just outside the urban limits of the city, with a municipal airport with full eastwest and northwest and civil and Civil Air Patrol runways. The Caribou Public Library is a Carnegie library, designed in the Romanesque Revival style by local architect Schuyler C. Page, it was built in 1911-1912 with a $10,000 grant. It is primarily used for corporate, hobby, and hobby, hobby and hobby use.

History

Caribou is the primary city name, but also Connor Twp, Woodland are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Caribou, Maine. Caribou was incorporated in 1859 as the town of Lyndon. On February 26 of that year its name was changed to Caribou, only to revert to Lyndon on March 9. In September 1984, Caribou was the lift-off location of the first successful solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by Colonel Joseph Kittinger. Loring Air Force Base opened in the early 1950s near Limestone, with bomber and tanker aircraft of the Strategic Air Command. It provided a major economic boost to the area, with construction starting in 1947 on "Limestone Army Air Field" Caribou became the largest potato shipping hub in the world, and had many related industries. It was the "jumping off" point for a large influx of settlers who immigrated directly from Sweden in 1870-1871, and settled the nearby "Swedish colony" The Caribou Public Library is a Carnegie library. Designed in the Romanesque Revival style by local architect Schuyler C. Page, it was built in 1911-1912 with a $10,000 grant. The city was incorporated as a city in 1967 on February 23, but the area's boom period leveled off in the 1970s as a result of difficulties in its traditional potato industry. That, along with closure of the base in 1994, contributed to a decline in population in the 1980s and 1990s. The town's name was finally confirmed as Caribou on February 8, 1877, and it became the town's permanent name.

Geography

Caribou is located in the geographical center of Aroostook County, at an elevation of 449 feet (137 m) above sea level. The county is readily accessible by two major highways; Interstate 95 from the south and the Trans-Canada Highway (New Brunswick Route 2) from the north and east. The city has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), with cold, snowy winters, and warm summers. The average annual snowfall for Caribou is approximately 118.2 inches (3.0 m), while snowfall has ranged from 68.5 inches (1.74 m) in 1961-1962 to 196. 5 inches (4.99 m) In 2007-2008, the most snow in one calendar day was 28.6 inches (73 cm) on March 14, 1984. Daily flights are scheduled to and from northern Maine on United Airlines with connections to Newark Liberty International Airport. The closest deep-water port is Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, 120 miles (190 km) north of Caribou, on the St. Lawrence River. On average, there are 38 nights annually that drop to 0 °F (18 °C) or below, and 91 days where the temperature stays below freezing, including 69 days from December through February. Although 1991-2020 averaged 2 days annually with highs at or above 90 °C (32 °C), more than 35 percent of all years on record have not seen such temperatures.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,189 people, 3,559 households, and 2,206 families residing in the city. There were 3,914 housing units at an average density of 49.4 per square mile (19.1/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 98.2% White, 0.0% African American, 1.4% Native American, 0,7% Asian, and 0,2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.01% of the population. The city's median income was $29,485, and the median income for a family was $38,378. 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 average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was2.82. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there are 93.2 males. The per capita income for the city is $16,061. About 13.7% of those under age 18 and 11.9%. of those age 65 or over. are below the poverty line, including 13.9% ofThose age 65 and over. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city has a population of 8,312.

Public safety

Caribou's Public Safety is served 24/7/365 by the Caribou Fire and Ambulance Department. The department is a combination full-time, paid call and volunteer fire department. Services provided are Fire prevention, suppression, medical emergency response, Critical Care Air and Ground transfers, Local and Long Distant transfers from one health care facility to another, high angle and low angle rescues, HAZ-MAT, vehicle extrication, and health education. Caribou Police Department is made up of one Chief, one Captain and four firefighter/paramedics. Police and Fire Department apparatuses include First Out Engine 1, two pumper tankers (Tanker 2 and Tanker 4), Ladder 3, Rescue 6, Utility Pickup 7, Incident Command 5, one snowmobile, one ATV (used by both police and fire), five ambulances, two fixed-wing aircraft (courtesy of FreshAir, Inc). Police and fire department are both part-time and part-volunteer, with one Chief and 30 Paid Call / Volunteer Firefighter/EMT/Paramedics working a 24 on and 48 off schedule. Police department is made-up of one Captain, four firefighters and one paramedic, and one Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Police department has one Chief. Police Department has two fixed wing aircraft, one fixed wing helicopter, and a fixed wing snowmobile. Police have two snowmobiles, and an ATV, used by both fire and fire.

Education

Caribou Community School is a prekindergarten through 8th grade school. Loring Job Corps is a federal vocational and technical school located four miles northeast of Caribou at the Loring Commerce Center. Caribou High School is an 8th through 12th grade high school. The Caribou School District is a non-sectarian school district. The school district is part of the North Dakota Board of Education. It is located in the town of Loring, about four miles from Caribou. The district has a population of about 1,000 people. It was founded in the early 1900s by the Caribou community. It has been the site of a number of schools, including Loring Community School, Loring High School, and Loring School of the Arts, among others. It also has a high school, Caribou High, and a middle school, which are all located in Loring. The town's highest school is Caribou Middle School, which is located near the town center. The high school has a junior high and a senior high, which also are located near Caribou, and the high school is on the outskirts of the town, about five miles from the town. The community also has an elementary school and a community center, both of which are open to the public. The elementary school is called Caribou Elementary and Caribou Junior High. The junior high is also known as Caribou Senior High and is located on the north side of the community.

Industry

Aroostook County is renowned for its round white potatoes. The potato crop is used for seed, table stock, and processed potato products. The Loring Commerce Center is located four miles from Caribou and has several major employers. The Maine Military Authority (100 employees) restores military and municipal heavy equipment, the Defense Finance Accounting Service (600 employees) which handles accounting and payroll for the armed services, and Job Corps (200 employees) Caribou is also, along with neighboring Presque Isle, one of the service hubs for central Arostook County. Other important agricultural crops grown in Caribou include blueberries, hay, oats, and alternative crops on a smaller scale. Cattle and dairy farming are a growing segment of the agricultural landscape. Farm implement sales and services and the development of several area processing plants are examples of the influence agriculture has on the local economy. Other employers include light manufacturers, information technology companies, and the woods products industry. The county is the largest grower of broccoli on the East Coast. It is also home to the Maine Maritime Museum, which is a major tourist attraction. The town of Caribou has a population of about 2,000 people and is located in the northern part of the county, near the town of Presque Island. It has a history of being a center of the Maine lobster industry. It was founded in the 18th century and is still a popular destination for lobster hunters and other fishermen. It also is home to a number of historic buildings, including the Maine State House, which dates back to the 17th century.

Arts and culture

The Caribou Performing Arts Center draws acts and shows from all over the United States and Canada. Music education has been a vital part of the education system in Caribou for years. The Caribou Choral Society has performed concerts in Aroostook County for the last 35 years. Caribou is also home to Echoes magazine, a quarterly publication about rural culture and heritage focused primarily on northern Maine. It recently marked its 20th anniversary, and is read throughout the U.S. and around the world. It consists of performers from throughout the northern Maine/western New Brunswick region.

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. The Maine Winter Sports Center is headquartered in Caribou and is the premier outdoor sports organization in the state. Other recreational options include a 9-hole golf course, multi-use hiking/biking/ATV trails, a four screen movie theater, a frisbee golf course and a roller skating rink. Goughan's Berry Farm includes miniature golf, a petting zoo, a carousel, ice cream, and a corn maze in the fall. The community completed construction of a new outdoor tennis complex in 2009, to complement the existing courts at Teague Park. The city finished construction on a large,Multi-use recreation, wellness, and community center, which was attached to the existing recreation center. This project is designed to also include a large indoor swimming pool and a fitness center. The construction is being completed in phases and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. It is located on the CanadaUS border, making international travel by snowmobile convenient. The county has more than 1,600 miles (2,600 km) of groomed snowmobile trails, which have been rated the third best in the nation. The Northeast Snowmobile Trail (NEST), and International Snowmobile trail System linking Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the Province of Quebec.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Caribou, Aroostook County, Maine = 73.6. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 61. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Caribou = 2.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 7,396 individuals with a median age of 43.5 age the population dropped by -2.11% in Caribou, Aroostook County, Maine population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 93.28 residents per square mile of area (36.01/km²). There are average 2.18 people per household in the 3,669 households with an average household income of $37,190 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.90% of the available work force and has dropped -2.41% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 27.28%. The number of physicians in Caribou per 100,000 population = 222.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Caribou = 36.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 112.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 158. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 158. 76 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 62, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Caribou, Aroostook County, Maine which are owned by the occupant = 63.06%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 50 years with median home cost = $76,130 and home appreciation of -2.51%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $14.02 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,424 per student. There are 13 students for each teacher in the school, 272 students for each Librarian and 302 students for each Counselor. 7.03% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.88% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.87% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).