Ludlow

About the Town

Ludlow, Maine is a town situated in southern Aroostook County in northeastern Maine, resting at an elevation of 830 feet. The town encompasses a total area of 22.02 square miles (57.03 square kilometers), which includes 22.01 square miles (57.01 square kilometers) of land and roughly 0.012 square miles (0.01 square miles, or 0.03 square kilometers) of water. Ludlow is bordered by Hammond to the north, New Limerick to the south, and Smyrna to the west along Town Line Road. It is located directly west of Houlton, sitting roughly 3 miles from the border of the shire town. The ZIP code serving Ludlow is 04730.

As of the 2020 census, Ludlow had an official population count of 434 residents. This represents a 7.4% population increase from 2010, when the town had 404 residents, 177 households, and 118 families. The population was recorded at 402 residents in 2000. Five-year American Community Survey estimates place the median age in Ludlow at 46.1 years, with an estimated 198 households averaging 2.2 persons per household.

Community Services and Government

The Ludlow Town Office is located at 831 Ludlow Road in the former Moose Brook schoolhouse adapted for municipal use. ATV and snowmobile operators can register their recreational vehicles locally through the Ludlow Town Clerk's office. Fire protection services are provided to the community by the neighboring Houlton Fire Department. Ludlow does not maintain or operate its own municipal public library.

Local Economy

According to American Community Survey estimates, the median household income in Ludlow is $62,500, and an estimated 15.3 percent of residents live below the federal poverty line. Major regional employers in the broader Aroostook County economy include agricultural processors such as McCain Foods and Pineland Farms, alongside forest products and manufacturing operations such as Columbia Forest Products, Huber Engineered Woods, and Louisiana Forest Products. Healthcare workers and residents are also served by regional employers including Houlton Regional Hospital, Cary Medical Center, Northern Light Health, and Northern Maine Medical Center.

Education

Ludlow is part of Regional School Unit 70 (RSU 70 / MSAD 70), a school district that also includes Amity, Haynesville, Hodgdon, Linneus, and New Limerick. Public school students travel to neighboring Hodgdon for their classes:

• Elementary students attend Mill Pond School in Hodgdon, which serves pre-kindergarten through grade 6.
• Secondary students attend Hodgdon Middle/High School, located on Hodgdon Mills Road in Hodgdon.
• Students in MSAD 70 have access to career and technical education through the Region Two School of Applied Technology in nearby Houlton.
• Adult and community education services are handled through RSU 29/MSAD 70 Houlton Hodgdon Adult & Community Education, based in Houlton.

Transportation

The town of Ludlow contains 24.65 public road centerline miles. This total includes 4.99 miles of Interstate 95, which traverses the town, as well as 0.20 miles of state highway, 3.66 miles of state aid highway, and 15.80 miles of townways. Ludlow Road serves as a collector corridor leading toward Houlton, while other local routes include Hemore Road and Moose Brook Road. For regional transit, the Aroostook Regional Transportation System (ARTS) runs demand-response public bus service linking Ludlow to Houlton and other regional destinations. Ludlow is also a designated stop and terminus segment for Trek #5 of U.S. Bicycle Route 501, which connects Stacyville into Ludlow.

Outdoor Recreation and Local Sites

Ludlow provides access to regional trail networks and local waterways:

• Trail Networks: The International Appalachian Trail follows Ludlow Road from Line Road in Smyrna eastward through Ludlow toward Houlton. The town is also integrated into the countywide multi-use and ATV trail network maintained by regional clubs.
• Waterways: Ludlow's drainage network includes Moose Brook, Mill Brook, Marley Brook, and tributaries flowing into the Meduxnekeag River basin. Moose Brook is monitored by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection as an active biomonitoring stream station (Station S-467) within the St. John River drainage basin.
• Local Landmarks: Ludlow Cemetery is situated along Ludlow Road. Nearby in Houlton, the Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum, founded in 1937, preserves the heritage of Houlton and surrounding southern Aroostook County communities.