town, seat (1839) of Aroostook county, northeastern Maine, U.S. It lies along the Meduxnekeag River 120 miles (193 km) northeast of Bangor. Settled in 1805 and named for one of its founders, Joseph Houlton, it soon developed as a lumbering town and was incorporated in 1831. From 1828 to 1847 it was a military station (Hancock Barracks 【partially restored】 on Garrison Hill) that played an active role during the bloodless Aroostook War caused by the Maine–New Brunswick border dispute (settled in 1842). The economy is based on potato farming, supplemented by beef and dairy production and woodworking industries. Houlton International Airport, immediately to the east at the Canadian-U.S. border, is a port of entry and site of an industrial park. Area 37 square miles (95 square km). Pop. (1990) 6,613; (2000) 6,476.