Berlin is a city along the
Androscoggin RiverThe Androscoggin River is a river in the US states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is 178 miles long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean...
in
Coos CountyCoos County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, including the whole of the state's northern panhandle. The two-syllable pronunciation is sometimes made visible using diaeresis, notably in the Lancaster-based weekly newspaper The Coös County Democrat and on some county-owned...
in northern
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 borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 10,331 at the
2000 CensusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. It includes the village of Cascade. Located on the edge of the
White MountainsThe White Mountains are a mountain range that covers about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
, the city's boundaries extend into the
White Mountain National ForestThe White Mountain National Forest is a forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was initially established in 1918. It has a total area of 784,505 acres . Most of the WMNF is in New Hampshire; a small part is in the neighboring state of Maine...
. Berlin is home to Northern Forest Heritage Park, the Berlin
Fish HatcheryA hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish or poultry. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled conditions; alternatively, it may be for economic reasons A hatchery is a...
, and the White Mountains Community College, a member of the
Community College System of New HampshireThe Community College System of New Hampshire is an organization of seven public community colleges located throughout New Hampshire. 95% of enrolled students are New Hampshire residents.The colleges offer over 80 associate degree programs...
.
Berlin is the principal city of the Berlin
Micropolitan Statistical AreaThe Berlin Micropolitan Statistical Area is the core based statistical area centered on the urban cluster associated with the city Berlin, New Hampshire in the United States...
, which includes all of Coos County, New Hampshire and
Essex CountyEssex County is the county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2000, the population was 6,459, making it the least-populous county in Vermont...
,
VermontThe State of Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state...
.
First granted in 1771 by
ColonialIn politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their...
Governor
John WentworthSir John Wentworth was the British colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the American Revolution. A graduate of Harvard College, he earned a BA in 1755 and MA in 1758....
, the town was named Maynesborough Plantation after Sir William Mayne, a West Indies trader.
Berlin is a city along the
Androscoggin RiverThe Androscoggin River is a river in the US states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is 178 miles long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean...
in
Coos CountyCoos County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, including the whole of the state's northern panhandle. The two-syllable pronunciation is sometimes made visible using diaeresis, notably in the Lancaster-based weekly newspaper The Coös County Democrat and on some county-owned...
in northern
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 borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 10,331 at the
2000 CensusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. It includes the village of Cascade. Located on the edge of the
White MountainsThe White Mountains are a mountain range that covers about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
, the city's boundaries extend into the
White Mountain National ForestThe White Mountain National Forest is a forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was initially established in 1918. It has a total area of 784,505 acres . Most of the WMNF is in New Hampshire; a small part is in the neighboring state of Maine...
. Berlin is home to Northern Forest Heritage Park, the Berlin
Fish HatcheryA hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish or poultry. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled conditions; alternatively, it may be for economic reasons A hatchery is a...
, and the White Mountains Community College, a member of the
Community College System of New HampshireThe Community College System of New Hampshire is an organization of seven public community colleges located throughout New Hampshire. 95% of enrolled students are New Hampshire residents.The colleges offer over 80 associate degree programs...
.
Berlin is the principal city of the Berlin
Micropolitan Statistical AreaThe Berlin Micropolitan Statistical Area is the core based statistical area centered on the urban cluster associated with the city Berlin, New Hampshire in the United States...
, which includes all of Coos County, New Hampshire and
Essex CountyEssex County is the county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2000, the population was 6,459, making it the least-populous county in Vermont...
,
VermontThe State of Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state...
.
History
First granted in 1771 by
ColonialIn politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their...
Governor
John WentworthSir John Wentworth was the British colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the American Revolution. A graduate of Harvard College, he earned a BA in 1755 and MA in 1758....
, the town was named Maynesborough Plantation after Sir William Mayne, a West Indies trader. But the grantees did not take up their claims, which disappeared with the
RevolutionThe American Revolution is the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America at first rejected the governance of the Parliament of Great Britain, and later the British monarchy itself, to become the sovereign United States of...
. Instead, Maynesborough was settled in 1781-1782 by William Sessions and others from
MaineThe State of Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is the northernmost portion of...
. Farming was the first industry. With 65 inhabitants in 1829, the
New England townThe New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. An institution that does not have a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in that they were originally set up so that all...
was reincorporated as Berlin by Thomas Wheeler, a selectman formerly of
Berlin, MassachusettsBerlin is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,380 at the 2000 census.- History :Berlin was first settled in 1665 and was officially incorporated in 1812....
.
Situated in a heavily forested region, the community developed early into a center for logging and wood industries. Falls on the
Androscoggin RiverThe Androscoggin River is a river in the US states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is 178 miles long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean...
provided water power for
sawmillsSawmills may refer to;* A sawmill, a facility where logs are cut to length* Sawmills Studio, a famous UK music recording studio* Sawmills, North Carolina...
. In 1821, a road was built to
GorhamGorham is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,895 at the 2000 census. Gorham is located in the White Mountains, and parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the south and northwest. Moose Brook State Park is in the west. The town is crossed by the...
, and in 1851 the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad entered Berlin. Acquiring water, timber and rail rights in the early 1850s, the H. Winslow & Company built a large sawmill at the head of Berlin Falls. In 1868, William Wentworth Brown and Lewis T. Brown bought a
controlling interestControlling interest in a corporation means to have control of a large enough block of voting stock shares in a company such that no one stock holder or coalition of stock holders can successfully oppose a motion...
in the business and changed its name to the Berlin Mills Company. By 1885, the
mill townA mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
was home to several lumber,
pulpPulp is a dry fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating fibers from wood, fiber crops or waste paper.Pulp can be either fluffy or formed into thick sheets. The latter form is used if the pulp must be transported from the pulp mill to a paper mill...
and
paper millA paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from wood pulp and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier Machine or similar apparatus.A website that collects and distributes essay papers on the internet, either free or for a fee is known as "web paper mills"...
s, including the Forest Fibre Company and White Mountain Pulp & Paper Company. Because of the need for labor, immigrants arrived from
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
,
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
. Many others were French Canadians from nearby
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
In 1882, a group of
ScandinaviansScandinavians are a group of Germanic peoples, inhabiting Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway and Sweden, as well as Iceland and the Faroe Islands, as well as Finland Swedes in Finland, as well as descendants in many other countries, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States. The...
founded here the nation's first
skiA ski is a long, flat device worn on the feet designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now primarily used for recreational and sporting purposes...
club, which would be named Nansen Ski Club in honor of
Fridtjof NansenFridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist and diplomat. Nansen was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his work as a League of Nations High Commissioner....
, who in 1888 skied across
GreenlandGreenland is an autonomous constituent country within the Kingdom of Denmark located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago...
. In 1897, Berlin was incorporated as a city, the northernmost in the state.
The wood and paper industries, however, have been in a long decline. In 1917, the Berlin Mills Company was renamed the Brown Company, which went into
receivershipReceivership is used to denote a situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver. In law, a receiver is a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." Various types of receiver...
during the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. It survived with governmental help, and was bought and sold several times after
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. American Tissue filed for bankruptcy in 2001, before which it had stopped paying city taxes. Its facilities were purchased in 2002 by
Fraser PapersFraser Papers Inc. is a Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based manufacturer of specialized printing, publishing, and converting papers, with customers in Canada and the US. It manages more than two million acres of forest, operates a tree nursery, and sawmills. It was spun off as a public company in 2004...
of
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. But in March 2006, Fraser Papers announced the closing of Berlin's
pulp millA pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fiber source into a thick fiber board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical or fully chemical methods...
. On May 6, 2006, 250 employees were displaced, some moving to
CascadeCascade is a village within the town of Gorham and the city of Berlin, New Hampshire. The village gets its name from an alpine waterfall which is visible in the hills to the east....
's paper finishing mill, but most were left unemployed. The North American Dismantling Corporation of
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
announced on October 3, 2006, that it had bought the defunct pulp mill site of Fraser Paper, and would spend a year demolishing the property to allow redevelopment. Laidlaw Energy LLC has since purchased a portion of the former Fraser property, including a large recovery boiler which it intends to convert into a 66 megawatt
biomassBiomass, a renewable energy source, is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms, such as wood, waste, and alcohol fuels. Biomass is commonly plant matter grown to generate electricity or produce heat. For example, forest residues , yard clippings and wood chips may be...
plant in 2010-2011.
Recent economic development has focused on the correctional industry, with the 750 bed Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility built in 1999 and employing approximately 200 people. In Fall 2010 the Federal Bureau of Prisons plans on opening a 1200 bed medium security facility which will employ approximately 350 people.
Geography
Berlin is located at (44.4686, -71.1839).
Berlin is located in northern New Hampshire, north of the
White MountainsThe White Mountains are a mountain range that covers about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
. The city is bordered to the south by
RandolphRandolph is a heavily forested town in Coos County, New Hampshire, U.S., extending from the northern slopes of the White Mountains of the Presidential Range to Berlin , with U.S. Route 2 cutting through the middle...
and
GorhamGorham is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,895 at the 2000 census. Gorham is located in the White Mountains, and parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the south and northwest. Moose Brook State Park is in the west. The town is crossed by the...
, north by
MilanMilan is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,331 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area....
, east by
SuccessSuccess is an unincorporated township located in Coos County, New Hampshire, USA. It is located directly to the east of the city of Berlin, New Hampshire, and borders on the state of Maine. Success is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.As of the 2000 census, the township...
and west by
KilkennyKilkenny is a township located in Coos County, New Hampshire, USA. It was granted on June 4, 1774, containing about 26,911 acres...
.
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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water, comprising 1.17% of the town. Berlin is situated at the confluence of the Androscoggin and
DeadThe Dead River is a 3.5 mile long river located entirely in the city of Berlin in northern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Androscoggin River, which flows south and east into Maine, joining the Kennebec River near the Atlantic Ocean.The Dead River is formed where...
rivers. The Mahoosuc Range is to the southeast. Jericho Lake State Park, created from a city park and from private land in 2005, is west of the city center and features a
man-made lakeA reservoir is an artificial lake used to store water. Reservoirs are often created by building a sturdy dam, usually out of concrete, earth, rock, or a mixture across a river or stream. Once the dam is completed, the stream fills the reservoir. When a reservoir is predominantly man-made it may...
created in the 1970s and a network of
ATVAn all-terrain vehicle , informally referred to as a quad bike or quad, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...
trails. The city's highest point is
Mount WeeksMount Weeks is a mountain located in Coos County, New Hampshire.The mountain is named for United States Senator John W. Weeks of nearby Lancaster, New Hampshire, the sponsor of the Weeks Act of 1911, under which the White Mountain National Forest was established.Mt...
, at above
sea levelMean sea level is the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation.- Measurement :...
. Approximately half of Berlin lies fully within the
Connecticut RiverThe Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It has a...
watershedA drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean...
and half lies in the
Androscoggin RiverThe Androscoggin River is a river in the US states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is 178 miles long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean...
watershed.
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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2005, there were 10,097 people, 4,555 households, and 2,901 families residing in the city. 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. It is a key term used in geography....
was 167.4 people per square mile (64.6/km²). There were 5,111 housing units at an average density of 82.8/sq mi (32.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.25% White, 0.18% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.
There were 4,555 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.74.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The
median incomeThe median household income is commonly used to provide data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
for a household in the city was $29,647, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $33,190 versus $21,156 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $15,780. 12.4% of the population and 9.1% of families were below the poverty line. 13.4% of those under the age of 18 and 12.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The
population of Berlin rose rapidly from 1880 through 1930. The fastest growth more than doubled the population between 1890 and 1900. A slow decline began after 1930, interrupted only by a temporary increase around 1960.
Notable inhabitants
- Michael Durant
Michael "Mike" J. Durant is the American pilot who was held prisoner after a raid in Mogadishu, Somalia on October 3, 1993. Durant served in the United States Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment as a Chief Warrant Officer 3...
, US Army Night Stalkers pilot shot down and held prisoner after the Battle of Mogadishu
- George Hawkins, the victim of a bad skin graft that led to the celebrated "Hairy Hand" case of Hawkins v. McGee
Hawkins v. McGee, 84 N.H. 114, 146 A. 641 , is a leading case on damages in contracts handed down by the New Hampshire Supreme Court.This case is also famous for its mention in the John Jay Osborn, Jr...
- Earl Silas Tupper
Earl Silas Tupper was the inventor of Tupperware, an airtight plastic container for storing food.-Biography:...
(1907 - 1983), inventor of TupperwareTupperware is the name of a home products line that includes preparation, storage, and serving products for the kitchen and home, which were first introduced to the public in 1946....
- Bob Whitcher
Robert Arthur Whitcher was a Major League Baseball pitcher who appeared in nine games for the Boston Braves in 1945. The 5'8", 165 lb. left-hander was a native of Berlin, New Hampshire....
, Boston BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From to the present, the Braves have played in Turner Field....
pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is...
who appeared in six games in 1945
Public schools
Public education is managed by Berlin Public Schools:
- Berlin High School
Berlin High School is a public, co-educational high school located in Berlin, New Hampshire. It also serves the towns of Dummer, Errol, and Milan.-Budget:...
(Grades 9 through 12)
- Berlin Junior High School (Grades 7 through 8)
- Hillside Elementary School (Grades 3 through 6)
- Brown Elementary School (Grades K through 2)
Higher education
- White Mountains Community College (Member of the New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges)
- Granite State College
Granite State College is an institution of the University System of New Hampshire. The College provides flexibility, value and state-wide accessibility to higher education throughout New Hampshire....
Radio stations
- WMOU
WMOU is a radio station broadcasting an Oldies music format. Licensed to Berlin, New Hampshire, USA, the station serves northern New Hampshire and the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The station is currently owned by Barry P. Lunderville.-History:...
1210 AM- Oldies
- WPKQ
WOKQ is an FM radio station broadcasting on 97.5 MHz. It has a country music format.The transmitter is located in Barrington, New Hampshire with the station's city of license beingDover, New Hampshire. The studios are located in Dover, NH...
103.7 FM- Country (simulcastSimulcast is a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast", and refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are...
of WOKQWOKQ is an FM radio station broadcasting on 97.5 MHz. It has a country music format.The transmitter is located in Barrington, New Hampshire with the station's city of license beingDover, New Hampshire. The studios are located in Dover, NH...
)
Sites of interest
External links