"Perhaps, too, some had not even been able to completely pay for their ocean passage," Luthy writes. "Thus, a small community ...

This isn’t some financial fantasy—it’s Van Buren, Maine, the northernmost treasure of Aroostook County where housing costs sit a jaw-dropping 57% below the national average.

The Acadian Village, located just outside the main downtown area, offers a tangible connection to the region’s past. This collection of historic buildings showcases how the early settlers lived, ...