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UNITED STATES | Far North, Maine Travel Guide
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Aroostook County
Aroostook County
Known as “The County,” Aroostook opens up to visitors as they pass the towns of Medway and Patten on the way north on Interstate 95. A solid wall of trees gives way to rolling countryside planted with potatoes as far as the eye can see. More than 1½ million pounds of potatoes are produced annually in Aroostook County and there are plans to bring another 15,000 acres “on-line” at the turn of the century. In recent years, broccoli has become an important crop as well. Covering more than 4.2 million acres, Aroostook is the largest county in Maine and nearly double the size of the next two largest combined.
In this pastoral landscape, the culture and inhabitants feel strong ties to French-speaking Québec. In many cases, particularly at the tip of the state in places like Fort Kent, Madawaska and Van Buren, French is the primary language.
The area maintains a multi-cultural flair. Double Eagle Park on the Spragueville Road in Presque Isle marks the spot where the first ballonists to cross the Atlantic took off in 1978. The crew took less than a week to get to – you guessed it – France.
Even in the best of years you could not say times were good in Aroostook County. The closing of Loring Air Force Base in Limestone several years ago contributed to a population drop of more than 10,000. Still, despite economic disadvantage, the people of the country remain hard-working, generous and friendly. Most welcome the arrival of more than 70,000 young fans of the band Phish, who take over the former bomber base for several days of music and fun each summer.
Towns like Caribou and Houlton are strong commercial centers.
Sporting traditions such as hunting and fishing remain healthy in the Far North. The Allagash Wilderness Waterway continues to attract thousands of canoeists each year. Hidden to all but those with special knowledge, the hills here harbor caves where ice remains all year. It is a difficult journey by water and foot to find them, but they are unique places to visit.
An international extension of the famous Appalachian Trail – which will begin at the present terminus in Baxter State Park and end on the Gaspé Penninsula in Canada – is presently being constructed. Sections over Mars Hill near the New Brunswick border are already completed.
Aroostook holds the most remote and wild country in the Northeast United States. Evidence of the occasional visit by wolves has spurred hopes for their reintroduction. Small and pristine state parks seldom see the crowds endured by more popular areas to the south.
Last updated November 26, 2010
Posted in United States | Far North
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