Houlton, Maine

Coordinates: 46°7′32″N 67°50′23″W / 46.12556°N 67.83972°W / 46.12556; -67.83972
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the census-designated place, see Houlton (CDP), Maine.
Houlton
Town
Aroostook County Courthouse and Jail
Aroostook County Courthouse and Jail
FIPS code
23-33980
GNIS feature ID0582525
Websitewww.houlton-maine.com

Houlton is a town and

2020 census, the town's population was 6,055.[2] It is perhaps best known for being at the northern terminus of Interstate 95 and as the birthplace of Samantha Smith, a goodwill ambassador as a child during the Cold War
. The town hosts the annual Houlton Agricultural Fair.

Its nickname is the "Shire Town". The Houlton High School sports teams are named "The Shiretowners". The Meduxnekeag River flows through the heart of the town, and the border with the Canadian province of New Brunswick is 3 mi (4.8 km) east of the town's center. Houlton was the home of Ricker College, which closed in 1978.[3]

The primary settlement and center of the town is designated as a CDP with the same name. The headquarters of the federally recognized Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians is based here.[4]

History

The area was occupied for thousands of years by varying cultures of indigenous peoples. In historic times, these were the

Maliseet people. When Maine was part of Massachusetts, parcels of land were dealt out to schools and colleges. The area that was to become Houlton was deeded to the Academy of New Salem, Massachusetts. Thirteen men from New Salem bought the land from the Academy though only three settled there.[5]

Decades after the American Revolutionary War, Anglo-American pioneers Aaron Putnam and Joseph Houlton started a village. They named it for Houlton, who had moved to Maine in 1807 from the more populated part of Massachusetts.[6] Maine separated from Massachusetts in 1820 and became an independent state.

In 1828 the United States government established

Webster-Ashburton Treaty settled the boundary dispute in 1842, and the Army abandoned Hancock Barracks in 1847.[7]

The

Signal Corps
personnel for the sole purpose of supporting strategic intelligence through radio intercepts during World War I. The United States intelligence services built Houlton as the first unit of its type, and its success helped to lay the foundation for many more United States long-range radio-intercept stations.

The AT&T receiving Beverage antenna (left) and radio receiver (right) at Houlton, from a 1920s magazine

On January 7, 1927,

Rugby, England.[13] The Rugby Radio Station ceased operations in 2007. On its site is a new large scale housing development, which has also been named Houlton, in honour of the historic links with its American namesake.[14]

The US Army established Houlton Army Air Base in 1941 immediately adjacent to the

British Commonwealth
, because that would violate the official United States position of neutrality. Local farmers used their tractors to tow the planes into Canada, where the Canadians closed the Woodstock highway so that aircraft could use it as a runway.

A

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The American Legion post in Houlton maintains both these Commonwealth War Graves
.

The Houlton Army Air Base closed in July 1944. In 1944, the Army adapted a major part of the Houlton Army Air Base for use as

repatriated, the Army closed Camp Houlton in 1946. The site was redeveloped as Houlton International Airport
.

A solar eclipse across the United States was expected on April 8, 2024, and Houlton was known to be in the path of totality. The town spent two years preparing a three-day festival leading up to the event. The turnout was even greater than planners had expected because of bad weather in other parts of the country, resulting in a last-minute rush of visitors to Houlton. Attendance was estimated at 20,000 people or more. Welcome news as the sudden unexpected influx of tourist seeking clear skies only added to the street party atmosphere. A large (photo op) banner was unveiled, celebrating Houlton’s being the Great American Eclipse’s final destination proclaiming, “The End is Here” and the town’s bust statue of George Washington was equipped with a pair of oversized eclipse glasses. But when the people started leaving after totality, there was a 7-mile traffic backup heading south out of town.[19][20]

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.73 square miles (95.13 km2), of which 36.71 square miles (95.08 km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) is water.[1] Houlton is drained by the Meduxnekeag River.

Houlton/Woodstock Border Crossing, located to the east of downtown Houlton, marks the northern terminus of Interstate 95. The town is also crossed by U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 2
, which have a brief concurrency in the center of town.

Typically for Maine, Houlton has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with warm summers and cold, snowy winters comparable to Fargo or St. Petersburg. The coldest month between 1971 and 2000 was January 1994 with a mean temperature of 0.7 °F or −17.4 °C, though data from nearby stations suggest the Januaries of 1920 and 1925 were equally cold.[21] Snow depth typically reaches 14 inches or 0.36 metres in February, and has been as high as 71 inches or 1.80 metres at the close of January 1998. Temperature extremes range from −41 °F (−41 °C) on January 4, 1981, up to 99 °F (37 °C) on August 2, 1975.

Climate data for Houlton, Maine (Houlton International Airport) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 58
(14) 		62
(17) 		79
(26) 		86
(30) 		96
(36) 		97
(36) 		97
(36) 		99
(37) 		93
(34) 		82
(28) 		73
(23) 		60
(16) 		99
(37)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 46.1
(7.8) 		44.5
(6.9) 		53.6
(12.0) 		70.4
(21.3) 		82.6
(28.1) 		87.5
(30.8) 		89.4
(31.9) 		88.5
(31.4) 		83.2
(28.4) 		72.3
(22.4) 		61.1
(16.2) 		49.9
(9.9) 		91.6
(33.1)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 23.2
(−4.9) 		26.3
(−3.2) 		36.0
(2.2) 		49.3
(9.6) 		63.6
(17.6) 		72.5
(22.5) 		78.1
(25.6) 		76.7
(24.8) 		68.3
(20.2) 		54.5
(12.5) 		41.3
(5.2) 		29.6
(−1.3) 		51.6
(10.9)
Daily mean °F (°C) 12.9
(−10.6) 		14.8
(−9.6) 		25.5
(−3.6) 		38.6
(3.7) 		51.2
(10.7) 		60.2
(15.7) 		66.1
(18.9) 		64.4
(18.0) 		56.2
(13.4) 		44.3
(6.8) 		33.1
(0.6) 		20.9
(−6.2) 		40.7
(4.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 2.6
(−16.3) 		3.2
(−16.0) 		15.0
(−9.4) 		27.9
(−2.3) 		38.9
(3.8) 		48.0
(8.9) 		54.1
(12.3) 		52.1
(11.2) 		44.0
(6.7) 		34.0
(1.1) 		24.8
(−4.0) 		12.2
(−11.0) 		29.7
(−1.3)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −22.5
(−30.3) 		−20.8
(−29.3) 		−11.7
(−24.3) 		12.3
(−10.9) 		25.5
(−3.6) 		33.0
(0.6) 		41.1
(5.1) 		38.1
(3.4) 		27.7
(−2.4) 		19.1
(−7.2) 		5.1
(−14.9) 		−12.2
(−24.6) 		−25.2
(−31.8)
Record low °F (°C) −41
(−41) 		−36
(−38) 		−31
(−35) 		−13
(−25) 		18
(−8) 		26
(−3) 		32
(0) 		30
(−1) 		20
(−7) 		10
(−12) 		−14
(−26) 		−34
(−37) 		−41
(−41)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.65
(67) 		1.95
(50) 		2.67
(68) 		2.94
(75) 		3.46
(88) 		4.04
(103) 		3.63
(92) 		3.52
(89) 		3.40
(86) 		4.04
(103) 		3.61
(92) 		3.37
(86) 		39.28
(998)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 22.8
(58) 		20.9
(53) 		19.0
(48) 		6.3
(16) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.7
(1.8) 		6.5
(17) 		19.6
(50) 		95.9
(244)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 11.4 9.8 11.0 12.2 13.4 13.7 13.0 11.8 10.7 12.6 11.7 12.6 143.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 11.9 10.7 8.6 3.7 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 4.5 10.4 50.7
Average
relative humidity
(%) 		91 91 91 83 76 78 78 79 80 82 83 88 83
Mean daily sunshine hours 3.2 2.6 3.8 5.8 7.4 8.1 9.3 9.6 7.4 5.8 4.2 3.5 5.9
Mean daily daylight hours 9.1 10.4 12.0 13.6 15.0 15.7 15.3 14.1 12.5 10.9 9.4 8.7 12.2
Average ultraviolet index 1 1 1 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1 1 3
Source 1:
NOAA (snow recorded at Houlton 5N weather station)[22][23][24]
Source 2: Weather Atlas (UV and humidity)[25]

Demographics

See also: Houlton (CDP), Maine
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1820115—
1830579403.5%
18401,597175.8%
18501,453−9.0%
18602,03540.1%
18702,85040.0%
18803,22813.3%
18904,01524.4%
19004,68616.7%
19105,84524.7%
19206,1915.9%
19306,86510.9%
19407,77113.2%
19508,3777.8%
19608,289−1.1%
19708,111−2.1%
19806,766−16.6%
19906,613−2.3%
20006,476−2.1%
20106,123−5.5%
20206,055−1.1%

2010 census

As of the

Latino
of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There were 2,556 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.8% were non-families. Of all households, 33.9% were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.87.

The median age in the town was 43.2 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.6% were from 45 to 64; and 19.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.4% male and 53.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

African American, 4.23% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
of any race.

There were 1,677 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 11.0% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 38.2% were non-families. Of all households, 34.3% were made up of individuals, and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,212, and the median income for a family was $34,812. Males had a median income of $27,623 versus $20,991 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,007. 17.7% of the population and 13.5% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 21.0% are under the age of 18 and 15.8% are 65 or older.

Education

Houlton High School is the public high school in the town.

Sites of interest

Market Square in 1911
Cary Library, a Carnegie library designed by John Calvin Stevens

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 20, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  2. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Houlton town, Aroostook County, Maine". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "Ricker - Ricker College - Ricker Classical Institute". Archived from the original on February 8, 1999.
  4. ^ "Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians." Archived December 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Region 1: EPA New England. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  5. ^ Hamlin, Helen (1948). Pine, potatoes and people : the story of Aroostook. W.W. Norton.
  6. ^ "George J. Varney, History of Houlton, Maine, Boston 1886". History.rays-place.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  7. ^ Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums (1970). Doris A. Isaacson (ed.). Maine: A Guide 'Down East'. Rockland, Maine: Courier-Gazette, Inc. pp. 183–188.
  8. ^ Smoot, Betsy Rohaly (January 2014). "Farmhouse Field Station Houlton, Maine: The U.S. Army's First Fixed Field Site". Cryptologic Quarterly (PDF). p. 40. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  9. ^ "MI-8". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  10. ^ http://www.smecc.org/general_electric_computers/Houltonrepeater06123partial.jpg [bare URL image file]
  11. ^ http://www.smecc.org//general_electric_computers/HoultonTelephone2.jpg [bare URL image file]
  12. ^ Charles William Taussig (1922). The Book of Radio--Radio Central chapter. D. Appleton and company. pp. 312–327.
  13. ^ "Rugby Radio – Subterranea Britannica". www.subbrit.org.uk.
  14. ^ "Welcome to Houlton - Rugby's new neighbourhood named in honour of town's radio heritage". Rugby Observer. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Maine Memory Network - Site of the Houlton Army Air Base". Maine Memory Network.
  16. ^ Reading Room Manchester. "CWGC - Casualty Details".
  17. ^ "Maine Military Crash List". Archived from the original on March 31, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
  18. ^ Reading Room Manchester. "CWGC - Casualty Details".
  19. ^ "Eclipse in Maine: Visitors from across the country, world travel to Maine to experience totality". Maine Public. April 8, 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  20. ^ Tomaselli, Kathleen Phalen (April 8, 2024). "Houlton cleans up after eclipse event that 'surpassed expectations'". The County. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  21. ^ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Maine Climate division 1 January Average Temperature
  22. ^ "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  23. ^ "Station: Houlton Intl AP, ME". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  24. ^ "Station: Houlton 5N, ME". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  25. ^ "Climate and monthly weather forecast Houlton, ME". Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  26. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 16, 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Houlton, Maine.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Houlton.
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