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B+History
History · Caribou

Caribou dates to 1824, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #102 of 143 in Maine. What drives it

Its Register listing is the Gray Memorial United Methodist Church and Parsonage. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1860.

1824founded
1on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
8famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Caribou’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Caribou began

When was Caribou founded?

1824

Caribou dates its founding to 1824 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 297 in 18602020 census: 7,396202 years

How historic is Caribou?

B+

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1848.
History grade

What drives Caribou’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Caribou is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #102 of 143 in Maine. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Caribou’s overall grade.
Founding era1824, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194019.5% of homes (±4.0) · typical ME town 19.1% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register1 listing, 2 historic buildings, 2.7 per 10,000 residents · typical ME town 15.9 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 70%
NewerOlder
Maine towns of 2,500+ (143)Ahead of 29%

Maine towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Maine town has 15.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Caribou’s 2.7 sits below most of its state (22% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points). Two sources give 1824.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Caribou’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages5 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Caribou, and 14 old place names are still on the map.Boom and bustPeaked at 12,464 in 1960; 7,396 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1917, drew every building in Caribou.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1887–1940.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Caribou had its own post office from 1848 to 1852. Five other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Caribou
1848–1852
Lyndon
1852–1900
Caribou
1860–today
Maysville
1864–1865
North Lyndon
1873–1905
East Lyndon
1874–1886
Maysville
1912–1917
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BarrettsBishopEast LyndonGreen RidgeGrimes MillHurdMadawaskaMaineMaysvilleMcGrawNorth LyndonOgrenPaulsRoberts
11cemeteries and burying grounds inside Caribou
BubarCochranDoyleEvergreenGreen RidgeGrimes KellyHoly RosaryLyndon CenterNew Holy RosaryNorthern Maine VeteransSacred Heart

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

People over time

Caribou, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,000190019502000Peak: 12,464

Peaked at 12,464 in 1960; 7,396 people lived here in 2020.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Caribou’s Wikipedia page.

Every building

Caribou, building by building, 1893–1917

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Caribou fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story so far

Caribou, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Caribou yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Caribou is the second largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. Its population was 7,396 at the 2020 census. The city is a service center for the agricultural and tourism industries, and the location of a National Weather Service Forecast Office.

Caribou was established in 1824. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 8,189 to 7,396 (-10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Caribou, 1824 to 1977

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1824
    FoundingCaribou is established
  3. 1848Post officeThe Caribou post office opens
  4. 1852Post officeThe Caribou post office closes
  5. 1852Post officeThe Lyndon post office opens
  6. 1853Born hereFlorence Collins Porter is born here
  7. 1860Post officeThe Caribou post office opens
  8. 1887In the archiveColby's atlas of the state of Maine - including statistics and descriptions of its histor…
  9. 1893In the archiveCaribou, Aroostook Co. Maine
  10. 20th century
  11. 1900In the archiveMethodist Parsonage
  12. 1900Post officeThe Lyndon post office closes
  13. 1913In the archiveMethodist Episcopal Church 1913
  14. 1932On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  15. 1940In the archiveCaribou maine
  16. 1952Born hereSusan Collins is born here
  17. 1959Born hereParyse Martin is born here
  18. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 12,464
  19. 1977Born hereJessica Meir is born here
By decade

Caribou, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1900s5 items
Colby's atlas of the state of Maine - including statistics and descriptions of its history, educational system, geology…1887Colby's atlas of the state of Maine - including stati…MapCaribou, Aroostook Co. Maine1893Caribou, Aroostook Co. MaineMethodist Parsonagec. 1900Methodist ParsonageResidence of A.V. Goud1906Residence of A.V. GoudSweden Street1908Sweden Street
1910s–1940s7 items
Methodist Episcopal Church 19131913Methodist Episcopal Church 1913Methodist Episcopal Church 19141914Methodist Episcopal Church 1914Caribou maine1940Caribou maineCaribou-bar 19401940Caribou-bar 1940Child Laborers in a Maine field (1940)1940Child Laborers in a Maine field (1940)Children gathering potatoes on a large farm. Vicinity of Caribou, Aroostook County, Maine, October 19401940Children gathering potatoes on a large farm. Vicinity…Potato farms showing layout of land and buildings 1a33848v1940Potato farms showing layout of land and buildings 1a3…
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the map

Caribou on the map, 1932 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Caribou. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Caribou on the 1932 USGS mapCaribou on the 1953 USGS mapCaribou on the 1975 USGS mapCaribou on the 1984 USGS map1932Caribou sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Caribou.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Caribou, Aroostook Co. Maine
Retake this viewCaribou, Aroostook Co. Maine, 1893

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Caribou’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Caribou

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1995
Gray Memorial United Methodist Church and Parso…
Gray Memorial United Methodist Church and Parsonage
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival1
Gothic1
Gray Memorial United Methodist Church and ParsonageColonial Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

8 famous people were born in Caribou

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
S
Susan CollinsUnited States Senator from Maine since 1997 · b. 1952
Jessica MeirAmerican and Swedish astronaut · b. 1977
Paryse MartinCanadian artist · b. 1959
Florence Collins PorterAmerican temperance worker · b. 1853
S
Samuel CollinsAmerican lawyer, jurist and politician from Mai… · b. 1923
D
Donald CollinsAmerican politician from Maine · b. 1925
Help out

Finish Caribou’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCaribou, Aroostook Co. Maine: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Limestone2 historic placesB−WoodlandIts storyC+Fort Fairfield4 historic placesA−Presque Isle3 historic placesB+

Questions about Caribou’s history

What year was Caribou founded?

In 1824, according to Wikidata. Caribou’s post office opened in 1848, and the census of 1860 counted 297 people here.

How does Caribou rank for history?

Caribou is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #102 of 143 in Maine. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Caribou?

One place: the Gray Memorial United Methodist Church and Parsonage (listed 1995).

How old are the homes in Caribou?

20% of Caribou’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1960.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.