If you venture as far as Madawaska, Maine – the most Northeastern town in the United States – the first thing you’ll notice is the welcome sign that greets you in French. “Bienvenue,” it reads, along with “Welcome” in English. Like many small towns in Aroostook county, French is the primary spoken language of Madawaska.

Between the years of 1755 and 1764 during the colonization of North America, in response to the French & Indian War, the British carried out the mass capturing and deportation of the French people in what was once the colony of Acadia (now the Canadian maritime provinces.) This event, known as ‘The Great Expulsion,’ resulted in the forced relocation of Acadian people to multiple parts of North America and Europe being held as prisoners, facing further hardships and punishment. However, some Acadians managed to successfully find refuge from displacement; Maine was one of the destinations for Acadian refuge, where established resettlements would form in areas of the state. One of these resettlements was the town of Madawaska, founded 1785 in the greater St. John valley. Since the town’s establishment, the Acadian cultural identity still thrives in Madawaska today. The strong presence of Madawaska’s Acadian identity and history has deemed this town the Acadian capital of the United States.

Despite the strong cultural lineage of Madawaska, the town faces challenges in preserving its native French tongue. The small population of Madawaska continues to age in majority, with the median age being 58 years old, which is exceptionally higher than the national average. Along with an aging population, younger people from Madawaska are preferring English as their spoken language over French. The main reason being that English is the dominant language of the United States. After all, it’s the main language of American entertainment, social media and larger cities where younger people migrate to from the rural towns they come from. Beyond Madawaska, French has been on a general decline throughout pockets of the greater United States where French is spoken. Louisiana, for example, once had an estimated 1 million native Cajun-French speakers in the 1960s. Today, there are only an estimated 120,000 native French speakers left in Louisiana. As the years continue, French will most likely cease to exist in the United States if the current trends continue.

As mentioned earlier, Madawaska was deemed the Acadian capital of the United States. Through cultural celebrations, the town has managed to maintain its language and identity for so long despite its small population. Madawaska hosts an annual Acadian Festival where descendants and visitors celebrate traditions and cuisine. These yearly festivities of Acadian culture have given the citizens pride for their history and lineage, where the fight to keep the culture and language alive keeps going.