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Manchester, New Hampshire
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Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the largest city of northern New England, an area composed of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It is in Hillsborough County on the banks of the Merrimack River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,219. The estimated population in 2007 was 108,580. Manchester is the center of the Manchester, NH, New England City and Town Metropolitan Area (NECTA MA), with a population in 2000 of 176,663, and is near the northern end of the BosWash megalopolis.
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Encyclopedia
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the largest city of northern New England, an area composed of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It is in Hillsborough County on the banks of the Merrimack River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,219. The estimated population in 2007 was 108,580. Manchester is the center of the Manchester, NH, New England City and Town Metropolitan Area (NECTA MA), with a population in 2000 of 176,663, and is near the northern end of the BosWash megalopolis. As of the 2007 population estimate referred to above, Manchester is the most populous New England city north of Boston, and it has a population greater than Burlington, Vermont, and Portland, Maine, the most populous cities in their respective states, combined.
History
Pennacook Indians called it Namoskeag, meaning "good fishing place" -- a reference to the Amoskeag Falls in the Merrimack River. In 1722, John Goffe settled beside Cohas Brook, later building a dam and sawmill at what was dubbed Old Harry's Town. It was granted by Massachusetts in 1727 as Tyngstown to veterans of Queen Anne's War who served in 1703 under Captain William Tyng. But at New Hampshire's 1741 separation from Massachusetts, the grant was ruled invalid and substituted with Wilton, Maine, so Governor Benning Wentworth rechartered the town in 1751 as Derryfield.
In 1807, Samuel Blodget opened a canal and lock system to allow vessels passage around the falls. He envisioned here a great industrial center, "the Manchester of America," like the Industrial Revolution's Manchester in England, the first industrialized city in the world. Sure enough, in 1809, Benjamin Prichard and others built a cotton spinning mill operated by water power on the western bank of the Merrimack. Following Blodgett's suggestion, Derryfield was renamed Manchester in 1810, the year the mill was incorporated as the Amoskeag Cotton & Woolen Manufacturing Company. It would be purchased in 1825 by entrepreneurs from Massachusetts, expanded to 3 mills in 1826, and then incorporated in 1831 as the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company.
On the eastern bank, Amoskeag engineers and architects planned a model company town, founded in 1838 with Elm Street as its main thoroughfare. Incorporated as a city in 1846, Manchester would become home to the largest cotton mill in the world -- Mill No. 11, stretching long by wide, and containing 4000 looms. Other products made in the community included shoes, cigars and paper. The Amoskeag foundry made rifles, sewing machines, textile machinery, fire engines, and locomotives in a division called the Amoskeag Locomotive Works (later, the Manchester Locomotive Works). The rapid growth of the mills demanded a large influx of workers, resulting in a flood of immigrants, particularly French Canadians. Many current residents descend from these workers. The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company went out of business in 1935, although its red brick mills have been renovated for other uses. Indeed, the mill town's 19th century affluence left behind some of the finest Victorian commercial, municipal and residential architecture in the state.
Manchester is nicknamed the Queen City. More recent nicknames for the city are ManchVegas, Funchester, ManchHattan, and simply "Manch". In 1998, Manchester was named the "Number One Small City in the East" by Money magazine. The Mall of New Hampshire, on Manchester's southern fringe, is the city's main retail center.
Geography
Manchester is located at (42.986284, -71.451560).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water, comprising 5.44% of the city. Manchester is drained by the Merrimack River, the Piscataquog River and Cohas Brook. Massabesic Lake is on the eastern border. The highest point in Manchester is its extreme northwest corner, where the elevation reaches above sea level.
Government
Board of Mayor and Aldermen
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- Mayor: Frank Guinta (R)
- Ward 1: Mark Roy (D)
- Ward 2: Ted Gatsas (R)
- Ward 3: Peter M. Sullivan (D)
- Ward 4: Jim Roy (D)
- Ward 5: Ed Osborne (D)
- Ward 6: Real Pinard (I)
- Ward 7: William P. Shea (D)
- Ward 8: Betsi DeVries (D)
- Ward 9: Michael Garrity (R)
- Ward 10: George Smith (D)
- Ward 11: Russell Ouellette (D)
- Ward 12: Kelleigh Domaingue (D)
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Manchester is incorporated as a city under the laws of the State of New Hampshire, and operates under a strong mayor form of government. The mayor serves as chairman of the fourteen member Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the city's legislative body. Each of Manchester's twelve wards elects a single alderman, and two additional at-large members are elected citywide.
The mayor also serves as the chair of the board of school committee. Like the board of aldermen, the school board is has twelve members elected by ward and two at-large members. The School Board is not a City Department; rather, it is a School District which obtains financing from the Board of Mayor & Aldermen.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 107,219 people, 44,247 households, and 26,105 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,241.4 people per square mile (1,251.6/km²). There were 45,892 housing units at an average density of 1,390.2/sq mi (536.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.75% White, 2.10% African American, 0.30% Native American, 2.32% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.76% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.62% of the population.
The largest ancestry groups within the city's population are: French (34.5%), Irish (18.1%), English (10.0%), German (6.3%), and Italian (6.2%).
There were 44,247 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,774, and the median income for a family was $50,039. Males had a median income of $34,287 versus $26,584 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,244. 10.6% of the population and 7.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.6% are under the age of 18 and 11.7% are 65 or older.
Media
The city is served by four newspapers: New Hampshire Union Leader (daily), the Manchester Express (a weekly newspaper published by Hippo Press), The Hippo (weekly) and the Manchester Mirror (a weekly produced by the New Hampshire Union Leader).
In addition to several commercial AM and FM radio stations, Manchester is also served by local cable television and one commercial television station:
- , Manchester Community Access Media, a public-access television facility. View programs online at
- , providing government access (channel 22) and education access (channel 16) channels. MCTV also airs shows created by video students in Video Production at Manchester School of Technology.
- WMUR-TV, the local ABC television affiliate
- WZMY-TV, a MyNetworkTV affiliated (formerly independent) television station located in nearby Derry.
Manchester is part of the Boston television market, although it has two major stations of its own.
Education
Public schools
Manchester's public school system is run by the .
High schools
Manchester School District has four public high schools:
Middle schools
Manchester School District has four public middle schools:
- Hillside Middle School
- Henry J. McLaughlin Middle School
- Middle School at Parkside
- Southside Middle School
Elementary schools
Manchester School District has fourteen elementary schools:
- Bakersville Elementary School
- Beech Street School
- Gossler Park School
- Green Acres Elementary School
- Hallsville Elementary School
- Highland-Goffe's Falls Elementary School
- Jewett Street School
- McDonough Elementary School
- Northwest Elementary School
- Parker-Varney School
- Smyth Road School
- Webster School
- Weston School
- Henry Wilson School
Private schools
Manchester is served by three private high schools:
- Trinity High School, a private, Roman Catholic high school
- The Derryfield School, a private school serving sixth through twelfth grades
- Holy Family Academy, a small Roman Catholic private school serving seventh through twelfth grades
Other Roman Catholic schools include:
- St. Joseph Regional Junior High School
- St. Catherine School, an elementary school
- St. Anthony School, an elementary school
- St. Casimir, elementary and junior high school
- St. Benedict Academy, an elementary school
- Mount Saint Mary Academy, an elementary school
In addition:
- Mount Zion Christian Schools, a nondenominational, evangelical Christian school serving kindergarten through twelfth grade; recently relocated from neighboring Bedford to Manchester
- Easter Seals Robert B. Jolicoeur School, a private special education school
Post-secondary schools
Area institutions of higher education, together enrolling more than 8,000 students, include:
Culture
Cultural landmarks include the historic Palace Theatre, the Currier Museum of Art, the New Hampshire Institute of Art, the Franco-American Center, the Manchester Historic Association Millyard Museum, the Massabesic Audubon Center, the Amoskeag Fishways Learning and Visitors Center, the Lawrence L. Lee Scouting Museum and Max I. Silber Library, and the SEE Science Center. Valley Cemetery, since 1841 the resting place of numerous prominent citizens, is an early example of a garden style burial ground.
The Verizon Wireless Arena is a civic center that hosts a variety of events, from sports such as hockey and arena football to concerts and fairs. It opened in November, 2001. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Coliseum is another, smaller venue located in Manchester. It was completed in 1963, and serves as home ice for Manchester Central and Memorial High School hockey teams, and is home of the Southern New Hampshire Skating Club.
Sports
Transportation
The city is served by Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation, and fourth largest in New England. It is the secondary airport serving Boston, Massachusetts.
Interstates 93 and 293 and US Highway 3 connect the area to Concord and the White Mountains to the north and Nashua and Boston to the south. NH 101 is a four-lane freeway eastbound from Manchester to Hampton, connecting the city with the southeastern part of the state and the seacoast, as well as Maine and Massachusetts' North Shore via Interstate 95. West of Manchester, NH 101 is a two lane highway serving as the main route to Keene and the Monadnock region.
Public transportation is provided by the Manchester Transit Authority, which runs several bus routes throughout the city and surrounding areas.
Concord Trailways and Boston Express runs commuter services to Boston and other parts of the state. Vermont Transit Lines (affiliated with Greyhound Lines) has lines to Montreal.
With the planned expansion of Interstate 93 to eight lanes from Salem to Manchester, space will be reserved in the median for potential future commuter rail service along this corridor.
Economy
Manchester is northern New England's largest city, and its metropolitan area is the fastest growing in New England. On top of this, Manchester is one of New England's best places for finding a job. Its economy has changed greatly, as Manchester was a textile mill town just about 20 years ago.
Downtown
Manchester has a thriving downtown area, with more restaurants and stores being established all the time.
City Hall Plaza, the tallest New England building north of Boston, is located in downtown Manchester. Other notable downtown buildings include the all-black Hampshire Plaza, the New Hampshire Tower, the New Hampshire headquarters of Citizens Bank (in the former Amoskeag Bank building) and Bank of America.
The Verizon Wireless Arena has become the centerpiece of downtown Manchester. The venue can seat more than 10,000 for concerts and sporting events. The Verizon is also home to the Manchester Monarchs, the local AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. The Merchantsauto.com Stadium (formerly Fisher Cats Park) is a baseball park located on the Merrimack River in downtown Manchester and is home to the local AA baseball affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
The Red Arrow, rated in 1998 as one of the top 10 diners in the United States, is located downtown.
Recent years have seen an influx of downtown residents buying the historic row houses originally built for Amoskeag Mill workers. Rents spiked as a result, but have largely leveled out in recent years.
Shopping
Manchester has two main retail-oriented areas, downtown Manchester and South Willow Street. The Mall of New Hampshire is located on South Willow Street, and has more than 125 stores.
In recent years there has been increasing redevelopment of the historic Amoskeag Millyard, with many retail stores now located there along both Commercial and Canal Street. There are a variety of stores and restaurants to visit.
Notable inhabitants
- See List of people from Manchester, New Hampshire for a more complete list.
- Joseph Carter Abbott, Union general and a Senator from North Carolina
- Steve Balboni, major league baseball player
- Mike Flanagan, Major League pitcher and winner of the 1979 Cy Young Award
- Rene Gagnon, a US Marine who helped raise the flag over Iwo Jima
- William Loeb, publisher of the Manchester Union Leader newspaper, 1946-81
- Dick and Mac McDonald, founders of McDonald's
- Grace Metalious, author of Peyton Place
- Lee M.E. Morin, astronaut
- Charles Revson, businessman, founder of the cosmetics company Revlon
- Adam Sandler, actor and comedian
- John Stark, Revolutionary War general and commander
Sister cities
Nashville, Tennessee USA
Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Germany
Hof HaCarmel Region, Israel
Gweru, Zimbabwe
See also
- List of mayors of Manchester, New Hampshire
External links
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