Houlton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine

Aroostook County, Maine

Aroostook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 71,870. In land area, it is the largest county in the state and the largest U.S. county east of the Mississippi River. Its seat is Houlton...

, on the United States – Canada border, located at 46.1256°N 67.8398°W. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 6,123. It is perhaps best known as being at the northern terminus of Interstate 95

Interstate 95 in Maine

In the U.S. state of Maine, Interstate 95 is a long highway running from the New Hampshire border near Kittery, to the Canadian border near Houlton. It is the only two-digit Interstate Highway in Maine...

 and for being the birthplace of Samantha Smith

Samantha Smith

Samantha Reed Smith was an American schoolgirl and child actress from Manchester, Maine, who became famous in the Cold War-era United States and Soviet Union...

. The town is home to the annual Houlton Agricultural Fair.

Houlton is the county seat for Aroostook County, and as such its nickname is the "Shire Town" and the Houlton High School sports teams are named "The Shiretowners." The Meduxnekeag River

Meduxnekeag River

The Meduxnekeag River is a small river in northern Maine in the United States and western New Brunswick, Canada. It is long.It rises from the outflow of Meduxnekeag Lake in New Limerick, Maine, and flows to its end in the Town of Woodstock, New Brunswick.The North and South branches rise in...

 flows through the heart of the town, and the border with the Canadian province of New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

 is three miles east of the town's center.