Caribou, Commercial center in Aroostook County, Maine, United States
Caribou is a town in northern Maine near the Canadian border that serves as a trade center for surrounding farms. The streets run through a townscape of single-story buildings, warehouses and shops selling agricultural equipment.
A lumber settlement started here in 1824 and developed into a center for potato farming after the railroad connection in the late 19th century. The decades after World War II brought major changes in farming and new connections to Loring Air Force Base.
The name comes from large caribou that once moved through the region before disappearing from Maine. Today monuments and local events recall this wildlife that shaped the lives of early settlers.
Winter lasts long and brings heavy snow, while short summers offer warmer weather suitable for walks in nearby forests. Shops concentrate along the main street and mostly open in the morning.
A weather station has operated a balloon launch site here for decades, collecting data for forecasts across the Northeast. The measurements from this elevation help monitor arctic air masses moving across the Canadian border.
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