Caribou, Maine
Caribou, Maine | ||
---|---|---|
City | ||
FIPS code 23-10565 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0563512 | |
Website | cariboumaine |
Caribou is the second largest city in
History
Nearby to the northeast, 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 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.
In September 1984, Caribou was the lift-off location of the first successful solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by Colonel Joseph Kittinger. This flight is memorialized at the Rosie O'Grady Balloon of Peace Park one mile (1.6 km) south of the city on Main Street. This site includes a large replica of Kittinger's balloon.
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.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 80.10 square miles (207.5 km2), of which 79.26 square miles (205.3 km2) is land and 0.84 square miles (2.2 km2) is water.[3] Caribou is located on the northern bend of the Aroostook River before it heads southeast to join the Saint John River just east of Fort Fairfield, Maine.
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. In sparsely populated Aroostook County, Caribou is at the hub of spokes serving the area via U.S. 1 and Maine State routes 89, 161, 164, 205 and 228. In 2013, a bypass was completed just outside the urban limits.
Caribou has a municipal
Seaports are also close by in coastal Maine,
The Eastern Maine Railroad serves Caribou and Aroostook County, also connecting Maine, Vermont and the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick and providing a direct rail link between northern Maine; Saint John, New Brunswick; and Montreal, Quebec. Given the city's 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.
Climate
Caribou has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), with very cold, snowy winters, and mild to warm summers, and is located in USDA hardiness zone 4b/4a.[4] The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 11.7 °F (−11.3 °C) in January to 66.7 °F (19.3 °C) in July.[5] 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.[5] Although 1991–2020 averaged 2 days annually with highs at or above 90 °F (32 °C), more than 35 percent of all years on record have not seen such temperatures.[5] Extreme temperatures range from −41 °F (−41 °C) on February 1, 1955, up to 96 °F (36 °C) as recently as June 19, 2020.[5] Precipitation is substantial year-round, with a slight summer maximum, and with fall being wetter than spring. On average, the driest month is February, and the wettest month is July.
The average first freeze of the season occurs on September 23, and the last May 15, resulting in a freeze-free season of 130 days; the corresponding dates for measurable snowfall, i.e. at least 0.1 in (0.25 cm), are October 23 and April 25.[5] 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 record snowiest month was December 1972 with 59.9 inches (1.52 m), while the most snow in one calendar day was 28.6 inches (73 cm) on March 14, 1984.[5] Measurable snowfalls typically occur from early November to early April. A snow depth of at least 10 in (25 cm) is on average seen 78 days per winter, including 63 days from January to March,[6] when the snow pack is typically most reliable.
Climate data for Caribou Municipal Airport, Maine (1991–2020 normals,[a] extremes 1939–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 53 (12) |
59 (15) |
75 (24) |
86 (30) |
96 (36) |
96 (36) |
95 (35) |
95 (35) |
92 (33) |
82 (28) |
75 (24) |
60 (16) |
96 (36) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 43.0 (6.1) |
41.7 (5.4) |
51.4 (10.8) |
68.4 (20.2) |
81.9 (27.7) |
86.7 (30.4) |
88.4 (31.3) |
87.3 (30.7) |
82.3 (27.9) |
71.8 (22.1) |
60.1 (15.6) |
47.1 (8.4) |
90.4 (32.4) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 20.8 (−6.2) |
24.1 (−4.4) |
34.3 (1.3) |
47.7 (8.7) |
63.0 (17.2) |
72.1 (22.3) |
77.1 (25.1) |
75.7 (24.3) |
67.3 (19.6) |
53.2 (11.8) |
39.5 (4.2) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
50.2 (10.1) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 11.7 (−11.3) |
14.2 (−9.9) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
38.5 (3.6) |
52.2 (11.2) |
61.4 (16.3) |
66.7 (19.3) |
64.9 (18.3) |
56.6 (13.7) |
44.5 (6.9) |
32.6 (0.3) |
19.9 (−6.7) |
40.7 (4.8) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 2.6 (−16.3) |
4.4 (−15.3) |
15.6 (−9.1) |
29.4 (−1.4) |
41.4 (5.2) |
50.6 (10.3) |
56.3 (13.5) |
54.1 (12.3) |
45.9 (7.7) |
35.9 (2.2) |
25.6 (−3.6) |
12.3 (−10.9) |
31.2 (−0.4) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | −20.8 (−29.3) |
−17.7 (−27.6) |
−9.1 (−22.8) |
14.6 (−9.7) |
29.3 (−1.5) |
37.6 (3.1) |
45.1 (7.3) |
41.7 (5.4) |
31.0 (−0.6) |
22.4 (−5.3) |
7.1 (−13.8) |
−10.5 (−23.6) |
−23.0 (−30.6) |
Record low °F (°C) | −37 (−38) |
−41 (−41) |
−28 (−33) |
−4 (−20) |
18 (−8) |
30 (−1) |
36 (2) |
34 (1) |
23 (−5) |
14 (−10) |
−8 (−22) |
−31 (−35) |
−41 (−41) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.95 (75) |
2.42 (61) |
2.77 (70) |
2.99 (76) |
3.46 (88) |
3.89 (99) |
4.23 (107) |
3.61 (92) |
3.44 (87) |
3.99 (101) |
3.35 (85) |
3.60 (91) |
40.70 (1,034) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 25.0 (64) |
25.3 (64) |
21.4 (54) |
8.3 (21) |
0.8 (2.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
1.7 (4.3) |
10.4 (26) |
25.2 (64) |
118.2 (300) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 14.0 | 12.1 | 12.5 | 13.1 | 14.7 | 13.8 | 14.4 | 13.0 | 11.5 | 13.5 | 13.4 | 14.9 | 160.9 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 14.0 | 11.8 | 10.6 | 4.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 6.9 | 13.0 | 63.0 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
69.8 | 70.8 | 70.5 | 74.0 | 68.5 | 67.9 | 77.1 | 79.1 | 82.4 | 81.8 | 84.5 | 79.1 | 75.5 |
Average dew point °F (°C) | −0.2 (−17.9) |
4.5 (−15.3) |
15.6 (−9.1) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
37.9 (3.3) |
49.3 (9.6) |
55.6 (13.1) |
54.1 (12.3) |
47.5 (8.6) |
35.2 (1.8) |
26.2 (−3.2) |
12.7 (−10.7) |
30.5 (−0.9) |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 9.0 | 10.4 | 12.0 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.4 | 8.6 | 12.2 |
Mean daily daylight hours | 2.5 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 5.2 | 7.3 | 8.2 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 7.3 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 5.6 |
Average ultraviolet index | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Source 1: | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Weather Atlas (UV and humidity)[8] |
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
See or edit raw graph data.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1860 | 297 | — | |
1870 | 1,410 | 374.7% | |
1880 | 2,756 | 95.5% | |
1890 | 4,087 | 48.3% | |
1900 | 4,758 | 16.4% | |
1910 | 5,377 | 13.0% | |
1920 | 6,018 | 11.9% | |
1930 | 7,248 | 20.4% | |
1940 | 8,218 | 13.4% | |
1950 | 9,923 | 20.7% | |
1960 | 12,464 | 25.6% | |
1970 | 10,419 | −16.4% | |
1980 | 9,916 | −4.8% | |
1990 | 9,415 | −5.1% | |
2000 | 8,312 | −11.7% | |
2010 | 8,189 | −1.5% | |
2020 | 7,396 | −9.7% | |
U.S. Decennial Census |
2010 census
As of the
There were 3,559 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.0% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.82.
The median age in the city was 44 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.3% were from 45 to 64; and 19.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.
2000 census
As of the
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 22.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.6% was from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% was 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
Public safety
Caribou's Public Safety is served on a full-time basis by the Caribou Fire and Ambulance Department, and the Caribou Police Department.
Caribou Fire and Ambulance Department is a combination full-time, paid call and volunteer fire department. Caribou Fire and Ambulance 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).
Caribou Fire and Ambulance Department is staffed by 15 Full-Time Firefighter/Paramedics, one Full-Time Chief and approximately 30 Paid Call / Volunteer Firefighter/EMT/Paramedics. Full-Time personnel work a 24 hours on and 48 off schedule. Each shift is covered by one Captain and four firefighter/paramedics.
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.
Education
- Caribou Community School – Prekindergarten through 8th grade.[11]
- Caribou High School
- Loring Job Corps, a federal vocational and technical school located four miles northeast of Caribou at the Loring Commerce Center.
Industry
In Caribou and throughout Aroostook County, the two major agricultural crops are potatoes at one point peas and
Other important agricultural crops grown in Caribou include blueberries,
Other employers include light manufacturers, information technology companies, and the woods products industry. The Loring Commerce Center is located four miles from Caribou and has several major employers, including the Maine Military Authority (100 employees) which 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 Aroostook County.
Media
Caribou is served by
Arts and culture
The Caribou Performing Arts Center draws acts and shows from all over the United States and Canada. Caribou also has a music program centered around the Caribou Music Department. Music education has been a vital part of the education system in Caribou for 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 United States. In addition, the Caribou Choral Society has performed concerts in Aroostook County for the last 35 years, and 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. It has two municipal cross-country ski venues; one within the urban limits which has lights for night skiing as well as a visitors' center, and a lengthier venue two miles (3 km) outside the urban limits. Both are consistently well-groomed for skate and classical skiing, and accept donations for usage. The Maine Winter Sports Center is headquartered in Caribou. It is the premier outdoor sports organization in the state. MWSC is active in Caribou's recreational life during all four seasons and sponsors numerous events, including a Ski Dash, Youth Ski Festival, and the Caribou Mile road race. Aroostook County is widely known by sports enthusiasts for its well-groomed extensive snowmobile trail system; Caribou maintains 170 miles (270 km) of Aroostook County's 1,600-mile (2,600 km) snowmobile trail system. A major tourist destination for snowmobile enthusiasts throughout the country, who take advantage of the more than 1,600 miles (2,600 km) 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 Canada–US 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.
In 2008, 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.
Other recreational options include a nine-hole golf course, multi-use hiking/biking/ATV trails, a four screen movie theater, a frisbee golf course, a roller skating rink, Spud Speedway (the area's only race track), a bowling alley, The Maine Dance Academy, and several excellent parks. 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.
Sites of interest
- Caribou Historical Society & Museum
- Caribou Performing Arts Center
- Nylander Museum – Northern Maine's Natural History Museum
- Gray Memorial United Methodist Church and Parsonage
- McElwain House
Notable people
- Donald Collins, four-term state senator
- Patricia M. Collins, two-term mayor of Caribou and civic leader
- Samuel Collins, State Senator and Supreme Judicial Court Justice
- Susan Collins, U.S. senator
- Peter Edgecomb, Maine state senator
- Roland Gammon, writer
- Timothy Guerrette, state legislator
- Wallace Hardison, Union Oil co-founder
- Leo Kieffer, mayor of Caribou, Maine state senator
- Paryse Martin, artist[12]
- Jessica Meir, NASA astronaut[13]
- Florence Collins Porter, suffragist, clubwoman, Republican campaigner
- Max Whittier, California oil mogul
References
- ^ Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
- ^ "City Council - City of Caribou, Maine". Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
- ^ United States Department of Agriculture. "USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map". United States National Arboretum. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ a b "Station: Caribou Muni AP, ME". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ "WMO climate normals for CARIBOU/MUNICIPAL, ME 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Climate and monthly weather forecast Caribou, ME". Retrieved August 18, 2022.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "After 10 years, Caribou's new $54M school finally opens in the middle of a pandemic". Bangor Daily News. December 14, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "BNSC - Paryse Martin". National Biennial of Contemporary Sculpture. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "2013 Astronaut Class". NASA. Archived from the originalon June 21, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- Varney, George J. (1886). "Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Caribou". Boston: Russell. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
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External links
- City of Caribou, Maine
- Caribou Public Library
- Caribou Chamber of Commerce & Industry
- Map of Caribou, Maine, ca. 1870, from the Maine Memory Network