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Updated: September 1, 2025 2025 Fact Book: Doing Business in Maine

Caribou, The Nation’s Most Northeastern City: Collaborative Partners for Prosperity

PHOTO by Paul Cyr

We Are Caribou

We are connected – through major highways, general aviation and broadband. We are healthy – an award-winning hospital and natural resources that attract outdoor enthusiasts. We are curious – constantly working with our community to create more with our existing assets. We are building for the future – seeking collaborative partners for prosperity.

Riverfront Renaissance and City Initiatives

Caribou’s Riverfront Master Plan is now becoming a reality, thanks to a Northern Border Regional Commission Grant which allowed the city to purchase two key assets - the former railroad station and starch plant. This will create a municipally owned anchor for Caribou’s riverfront renaissance, welcoming private investment into the city.

Caribou has also been awarded a $4.45 million congressionally-directed spending grant to restore the Caribou Mill Pond, dam and fishway. Restoring the pond will enhance recreational, fishing, and birding opportunities and provide essential access to improved infrastructure and recreation.

Overall, the projects complement ongoing city initiatives that target the well-being of the region’s residents and stewardship of the region’s natural and cultural assets. Thanks to two EPA Brownfields grants and an EPA Emergency response and removal, including a FY25 $4 million Brownfields Cleanup Grant, Caribou has begun cleanup work at the former Power Plant Complex. The site operated as a fossil-fuel-powered electric generation facility until 2012. “Brownfields assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment opens the door to opportunities for not only our community but for new businesses to locate in Caribou,” says Caribou City Manager Penny Thompson.

For those businesses which have already made Caribou home, the Caribou Economic Growth Council (CEGC) has low interest rates for gap funding. The CEGC also provides resources, business planning, and business support services to established businesses. And, the city also supports façade improvement grants for businesses in the downtown and RC-2 TIF districts.

PHOTO by Fred Field
City of Caribou staff (from left to right): Eric Sanderson, Caribou Economic & Community Development Specialist; Penny Thompson, Caribou City Manager; Ashley Pringle, Maine & Co. Senior Vice President of Operations; and Peter DelGreco, Maine & Co. President & CEO

Caribou’s Newest Company: Amazon

Partnerships fuel economic growth and business attraction in Caribou. In 2025, Amazon completed construction work on a small delivery station supporting faster delivery and better service to customers in Caribou and across northeastern Maine. Caribou partnered with Maine & Co. to bring Amazon to the city.

“Amazon has similar sites across the U.S. and globally. The company searched for a location in Northern Maine to bring its services closer to its growing market in our area. Maine & Co. worked hand-in-hand with us to find the perfect site and needed workforce,” said Caribou City Manager Penny Thompson. “We are thrilled for Amazon to open its delivery station in our community.”

“Caribou is doing everything right to attract and keep businesses in its community,” said Maine & Co. President and CEO Peter DelGreco. “The city leadership is focused on building partnerships, as well as matching its natural and economic resources with the right businesses. Caribou is a gem in Northern Maine.”

Partnerships

  • Maine & Co.: Private, nonprofit corporation providing free and confidential consulting services to businesses locating in Maine
  • Eltueg Development Corp.: Federally-chartered corporation of the Mi’kmaq nation, fostering partnerships that support sustainable growth across Northern Maine
  • Northern Maine Development Commission Regional Planning Office: Provides federal and state services at the regional and local levels and manages the Aroostook County Tourism (ACT), Aroostook Municipal Association (AMA) and Aroostook Partnership
  • Caribou Economic Growth Council: Providing economic development assistance and gap funding to businesses interested in locating and growing in Caribou
  • Aroostook Partnership: Public-private partnership focused on regional development strategies

Caribou facts:

  • Located on the Aroostook River
  • Central to Loring Commerce Center and St. John Valley
  • Accessible by major highways and nearby airports
  • General aviation airport — KCAR
  • Robust broadband access
  • Award winning and municipally owned hospital — Cary Medical Center
  • Several municipally — controlled development parks

 

 

City of Caribou

25 High St., Caribou, ME 04736

Penny Thompson, City Manager
pthompson@cariboumaine.org

Eric Sanderson, Economic & Community Development Specialist
esanderson@cariboumaine.org

(207) 493- 3324 / cariboumaine.org