Allenstown is a town in
Merrimack County-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 136,225 people, 51,843 households, and 35,460 families residing in the county. The population density was 146 people per square mile . There were 56,244 housing units at an average density of 60 per square mile...
,
New HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 4,322 at the 2010 census. Allenstown includes a portion of the village of
SuncookSuncook is a census-designated place in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,379 at the 2010 census. Approximately 2/3 of Suncook village is located in the town of Pembroke, with the remainder in Allenstown....
. Just over one-half of the town's area is covered by
Bear Brook State ParkBear Brook State Park is a preserve located in Allenstown, New Hampshire and surrounding towns. It is one of New Hampshire's largest state parks....
.
History
Allenstown takes its name from 17th-century provincial governor Samuel Allen. It was granted in 1721 but not incorporated until 1831. A part of neighboring
BowBow is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,519 at the 2010 census.- History :Incorporated in 1727, the town was one of several formed to ease population pressures on the Seacoast. The town's name comes from its establishment along a bend, or "bow", in the...
was annexed to Allenstown in 1815, and a portion of
HooksettHooksett is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 13,451 at the 2010 census. The town is located between Manchester, the state's largest city, and Concord, the state capital...
was annexed in 1853.
Geography
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 20.4 square miles (52.8 km²), of which 20.3 square miles (52.6 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) is water, comprising 0.54% of the town. The highest point in Allenstown is Bear Hill, at 835 feet (254.5 m) above
sea levelMean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Allenstown lies fully within the
Merrimack RiverThe Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
watershedA drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
.
Bear Brook State Park occupies 6740 acres (27.3 km²) in the center of town, extending from the town's northern corner to its southern corner. (An additional 3200 acres (12.9 km²) of the park are in the neighboring towns of
DeerfieldDeerfield is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,280 at the 2010 census. Deerfield is home to the annual Deerfield Fair.- History :...
,
CandiaCandia is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,909 at the 2010 census. The town includes the villages of Candia, Candia Four Corners and East Candia.-History:...
, and
HooksettHooksett is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 13,451 at the 2010 census. The town is located between Manchester, the state's largest city, and Concord, the state capital...
.)
Demographics
As of the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,843 people, 1,902 households, and 1,253 families residing in the town. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 235.9 people per square mile (91.1/km²). There were 1,962 housing units at an average density of 95.6 per square mile (36.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.83% White, 0.50% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.27% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.
There were 1,902 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,958, and the median income for a family was $51,659. Males had a median income of $35,520 versus $25,430 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $18,851. About 2.2% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
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