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): Official name Designation Area km2 Population Parish Edmundston City106.8516,580Madawaska, Saint-Basile, Saint-Jacques, Saint-Joseph Saint-Léonard Town5.221,300 Saint-Léonard Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska Village9.19957 Sainte-Anne Clair Village10.61781Clair Saint-André Rural community8.04772Saint-André Parish Rivière-Verte Village6.70724 Rivière-Verte Lac-Baker Village37.18690 Lac-Baker Baker-Brook Village12.27564Baker Brook Saint-François-de-Madawaska Village6.39470Saint-François Saint-Hilaire Village5.68252 Saint-Hilaire

First Nations There is one First Nations reserve in Madawaska County (listed by 2016 population): Official name Designation Area km2 Population Parish St. Basile 10 Reserve3.22214Saint-Basile

Parishes The county is subdivided into fourteen parishes (listed by 2016 population): Official name Area km2 Population Municipalities or equivalents Unincorporated communities Saint-Jacques299.491,596 Edmundston Ennemond / Grandmaison / Moulin-Morneault / Patrieville /Petite-Rivière-à-la-Truite / Saint-Jacques / St. Joseph Settlement Saint-Joseph322.891,538Edmundston Deuxième-Sault / Francoeur / Lévesque / Rang-des-Bossé / Rang-des-Couturier /Saint-Joseph-de-Madawaska / Sicard / Toussaint / Violette Saint-André128.181,129Saint-André Comeau Ridge / Gaudreau Park / Lévesque Settlement / McManus Siding /Powers Creek / Saint-Amand / Woodville Saint-Léonard343.39975Saint-Léonard Bellefleur / Coombes Road / Cyr Junction / Grand-Ruisseau /Martin Siding / Poitras / Rang-des-Bourgoin / Saint-Léonard-Parent Sainte-Anne368.89964Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska Fourche-à-Clark / Miller Line Cache / Prime / Rang-des-Deschêne /Ringuette Settlement / Siegas / Siegas Lake Settlement / Sirois Rivière-Verte715.86711Rivière-Verte Beardsley Depot / Davis Mill / Montagne-de-la-Croix / Montagne-des-Roy /Rang-des-Hubert Saint-François344.59606Haut-Madawaska Concession-des-Jaunes / Concession-des-Viel / Connors / Lac-Unique /Little River Mills / Mouth of St. Francis / Pelletiers Mill / Val Oakes Saint-Basile129.61592 EdmundstonSt. Basile 10 (native reserve) Boniface Bridge / Green River Settlement / Jalbert / Maillet /Montagne-des-Therrien / Rang-des-Lavoie / Saint-Hilaire41.90478 Haut-Madawaska Riceville Clair43.92283Haut-Madawaska Caron Brook / Concession-des-Lang / Concession-des-Vasseur / Crockett /Les Rapides Baker Brook125.17275Haut-Madawaska Concession-de-Baker-Brook / Concession-des-Ouellette / Rang-des-Morneault /Rang-Saint-Joseph / Val-Lambert / Val-Nadeau Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes187.18275 Durette Settlement / Flemming / Harrison Brook Settlement / La Montagne /Lower Siegas / Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes Madawaska173.1810 EdmundstonHaut-Madawaska Lac Baker24.305 Lac-BakerHaut-Madawaska Boundary / Portage-du-Lac / Rang-des-Collin / Saint-Castin / Pelletiers Mill /Soucy

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 Canada Census Mother Tongue - Madawaska County, New Brunswick Census Total Year Responses Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % 29,765 2.5% 92.71% 1,645 7.5% 5.12% 372 24.0% 1.17% 320 77.8% 1.00% 30,500 2.2% 93.82% 1,530 8.1% 4.71% 300 13.2% 0.92% 180 54.4% 0.55% 31,185 4.7% 93.06% 1,665 6.1% 4.97% 265 26.4% 0.79% 395 119.4% 1.18% 32,735 3.8% 93.94% 1,570 14.2% 4.51% 360 14.3% 1.03% 180 44.0% 0.52% 34,030 n/a 93.75% 1,830 n/a 5.04% 315 n/a 0.87% 125 n/a 0.34%

Access routes Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas

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