| |||||
| Capital | Houlton | ||||
| Largest city | Presque Isle | ||||
| Language | English | ||||
| Religion | 89,041 (2021) | ||||
| Governor | Jared Golden (D) | ||||
| Area | 17,680 km² | ||||
| Population | 8,791,894 | ||||
| Established | 1838 | ||||
Aroostook is a state in the New England region of the United States, bordered by Maine to the South and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and northwest, respectively. Aroostook is the most rural of all US states. It is also the northeasternmost among the contiguous United States, the northernmost state east of the Great Lakes, and the only state to border only one other state. Aroostook is known for its heavily forested interior; picturesque waterways; sparse population, and its status as the most conservative state in New England. Its most populous city is Presque Isle, and its capital is Houlton.
History
The original inhabitants of the territory that is now Aroostook were Algonquian-speaking Wabanaki peoples, including the Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Penobscot, Androscoggin, and Kennebec. During the later King Philip's War, many of these peoples would merge in one form or another to become the Wabanaki Confederacy, aiding the Wampanoag of Massachusetts and the Mahican of New York. Afterwards, many of these people were driven from their natural territories, but most of Aroostook's tribes continued, unchanged, until the American Revolution. Before this point, however, most of these people were considered separate
nations.
The area was a de facto part of Massachusetts and later Maine until the Aroostook War, a border conflict that resulted in the British recognizing the region as under American ownership. During the "war", Aroostook was admitted as a state in 1838. The state remained thinly populated, and had a low-population until the late 19th century, when immigration led to several immigrants moving to the state to farm. In the 20th century and beyond, it became known for its army bases, especially during the Cold War and afterwards.
