Madawaska County (2021 population 32,603), also known as the "New Brunswick Panhandle", is located in northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. 94% of the county’s population speaks French (88% as first language, 6.1% as second language). Its Francophone population are known as "Brayons." Forestry is the major industry in the county.

History

The first inhabitants of what is now called Madawaska County were the Wolastoqiyik (aka Maliseet), who occupied and used the land along the Saint John River Valley north to the St. Lawrence River and south to the Penobscot River. There is debate concerning the true origin of the word "Madawaska". The earliest settlers were from Quebec. The area was the focus of the bloodless Aroostook War, a border dispute led by businessman and political activist John Baker.

The earliest settlers of the Upper Saint John River Valley have been clearly verified, with census results of the Madawaska region taken in 1820 showing where most families had originated from Quebec.

Census subdivisions

Communities

There are ten municipalities within Madawaska County (listed by 2016 population):

First Nations

There is one First Nations reserve in Madawaska County (listed by 2016 population):

Parishes

The county is subdivided into fourteen parishes (listed by 2016 population):

Demographics

As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Madawaska County had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Language

Access routes

Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:

Highways

Principal Routes

Secondary Routes:

External Routes:

• U.S. Route 1

• Quebec Autoroute 85 (TCH)

• Quebec Route 289

Protected areas and attractions

Notable people

See also

• Republic of Madawaska

• Brayon

• List of communities in New Brunswick

References