Encyclopedia
The State of New Hampshire is a
state in the
New England region of the northeastern
United States. The state ranks 46th of the 50 states in land area and 41st in
population. It was one of the
Thirteen Colonies and became the ninth state admitted to the Union. New Hampshire was also the first U.S. state to have its own state
constitution.
It is internationally famous for the New Hampshire primary, the first primary in the quadrennial American presidential election cycle. The primary draws more attention by far than all other primaries and has often been decisive in shaping the national contest.
Its license plates carry the famous state motto: "
Live free or die." The state nickname is "The Granite State", in reference both to its geology and to its tradition of self-sufficiency. Several other official nicknames exist but are rarely if ever used . Antebellum New Hampshire produced numerous people who went on to become famous national leaders after moving to
Boston or
New York City, including Senator
Daniel Webster, editor
Horace Greeley, and
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science religion.
New Hampshire's recreational attractions include skiing and other winter sports; observing the spectacular fall foliage; summer cottages along many lakes; and the New Hampshire International Speedway, home of the Loudon Classic, the longest-running motorcycle race in the United States.
Geography
See List of counties in New Hampshire , List of mountains in New Hampshire, List of lakes in New Hampshire, List of New Hampshire riversNew Hampshire is part of the
New England region. It is bounded by
Quebec,
Canada to the north and northwest;
Maine and the
Atlantic Ocean to the east;
Massachusetts to the south; and
Vermont to the west.
New Hampshire's major regions are the Great North Woods, the White Mountains, the Lakes Region, the Seacoast, the Merrimack Valley, the Monadnock Region, and the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee area. New Hampshire has the shortest ocean coastline of any U.S. state, with a coastline of 18 miles .
New Hampshire was home to the famous rock formation called the
Old Man of the Mountain, a face-like profile in
Franconia Notch, until May 2003, when the formation, an icon of the state, fell apart.
The White Mountains range in New Hampshire spans the north-central portion of the state, with Mount Washington being the tallest in the northeastern U.S., and other mountains like Mount Madison and Mount Adams surrounding it. With hurricane-force winds every third day on the average, over 100 recorded deaths among visitors, and conspicuous
krummholz , the upper reaches of Mount Washington claim the title of having the "worst weather on earth." A non-profit observatory is located on the peak for the purposes of observing the harsh environmental conditions.
In the flatter southwest corner of New Hampshire another feature, the prominent landmark and tourist attraction of
Mount Monadnock, has given its name to a general class of earth-forms—a
monadnock signifying, in geomorphology, any isolated resistant peak rising from a less resistant eroded plain.
The
Appalachian National Scenic Trail passes through New Hampshire, and the
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site is located in
Cornish.
Major rivers include the 110-
mile Merrimack River, which bisects the lower half of the state north-south and ends up in
Newburyport, Massachusetts. Its major tributaries include the Contoocook River,
Pemigewasset River, and
Winnipesaukee River. The 410-mile
Connecticut River, which starts at New Hampshire's Connecticut Lakes and flows south to
Connecticut, defines the western border with Vermont. Oddly, the state border is not in the center of that river, as is usually the case, but lies at the low-water mark on the
Vermont side; so New Hampshire actually owns the entire river where it runs adjacent to Vermont. The "northwesternmost headwaters" of the Connecticut also define the Canadian border with New Hampshire.
The
Piscataqua River and its several tributaries form the state's only significant ocean port where they flow into the Atlantic at
Portsmouth. The
Salmon Falls River and the Piscataqua define the southern portion of the border with Maine. The state has an ongoing boundary dispute with
Maine in the area of Portsmouth Harbor, with New Hampshire claiming dominion over several islands that include the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as well as to the Maine towns of
Kittery and
Berwick.
The largest lake is
Lake Winnipesaukee, which covers 72 square miles in the east-central part of New Hampshire.
Hampton Beach is a popular local summer destination. About 10 miles offshore are the
Isles of Shoals, nine small islands best known as the site of a 19th-century art colony founded by poet
Celia Thaxter, as well as the alleged location of one of the buried treasures of the pirate
Blackbeard.
It is the second-most-forested state in the country, after
Maine, in terms of percentage of land covered by woods. This change was caused by the abandonment of farms during the 20th century as many farmers took wage jobs in urban areas or moved to more productive areas. The return of woodlands from open fields forms the subject of many poems by
Robert Frost.
The northern third of the state is locally referred to as "north of the notches" in reference to White Mountain
passes that channel traffic, or as "the north country". It contains less than 5% of the state's population, suffers from relatively high poverty rates, and is losing population as the logging and paper industries decline. However, the tourist industry, in particular visitors who go to northern New Hampshire to take advantage of the winter
ski season, have helped to offset economic losses from mill closures.
History
New Hampshire was explored 1600-1605 and first settled in 1623. By 1631 the Upper Plantation comprised modern-day
Dover,
Durham and
Stratham; in 1679 it became the "Royal Province." Indian raids were a serious problem before 1763 and many men, women, and children were scalped during the happenings.
It was one of the
thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the
American Revolution. It was the first state to declare its independence, but the only battle fought there was the raid on
Fort William and Mary, December 14, 1774 in
Portsmouth Harbor, which netted the rebellion sizable quantities of gunpowder, small arms, and cannon over the course of two nights. This raid was preceded by a warning to local patriots the previous day, by
Paul Revere on December 13, 1774 that the fort was to be reinforced by troops sailing from Boston. This raid is widely regarded as the . According to unverified accounts, the gunpowder was later used at the Battle of Bunker Hill, transported there by Major Demerit, who was one of several NH patriots who stored the powder in their homes until it was transported elsewhere for use in revolutionary activities.
New Hampshire was a Jacksonian stronghold; the state sent
Franklin Pierce to the White House in the election of 1852. Industrialization took the form of numerous textile mills, which in turn attracted large flows of immigrants from Quebec and Ireland. The northern parts of the state produced lumber and the mountains provided tourist attractions. After 1960, the textile industry collapsed, but the economy rebounded as a center of high technology and a service provider.
Since 1952, New Hampshire gained national and international attention for its presidential primary held early in every presidential election year. It immediately became the most important testing grounds for candidates for the Republican and Democratic nominations. The media give New Hampshire about half of all the attention paid to all states in the primary process, magnifying the state's decision power
Demographics
| Historical populations |
|---|
| Year | Population |
|
|---|
| 1790 | 141,885 |
| 1800 | 183,858 |
| 1810 | 214,460 |
| 1820 | 244,161 |
| 1830 | 269,328 |
| 1840 | 284,574 |
| 1850 | 317,976 |
| 1860 | 326,073 |
| 1870 | 318,300 |
| 1880 | 346,991 |
| 1890 | 376,530 |
| 1900 | 411,588 |
| 1910 | 430,572 |
| 1920 | 443,083 |
| 1930 | 465,293 |
| 1940 | 491,524 |
| 1950 | 533,242 |
| 1960 | 606,921 |
| 1970 | 737,681 |
| 1980 | 920,610 |
| 1990 | 1,109,252 |
| 2000 | 1,235,786 |
As of 2005, New Hampshire has an estimated population of 1,309,940, which is an increase of 10,771, or 0.8%, from the prior year and an increase of 74,154, or 6.0%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 23,872 people and an increase due to net migration of 51,968 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 11,107 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 40,861 people.
As of 2004, the population includes 64,000 foreign-born .
The five largest ancestry groups in New Hampshire are:
French or French Canadian ,
Irish , British ,
German .
People of old colonial ancestry live throughout most of New Hampshire. The large
Irish American and French-Canadian populations are descended largely from mill workers, and many still live in the former mill towns, like Manchester. New Hampshire has the highest percentage of residents of French/French-Canadian ancestry of any state. The fastest growth is along the southern border, which is within commuting range of Boston and other Massachusetts cities.
Religion
The religious affiliations of the people of New Hampshire are :
- Christian – 80%
- Protestant – 43%
- Roman Catholic – 35%
- Other Christian – 2%
- Jewish – <1%
- Muslim – <1%
- Other Religions – 1%
- Non-Religious – 19%
- See also List of people from New Hampshire
Economy
estimates that New Hampshire's total state product in 2003 was $49 billion. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $35,140, 7
th in the nation. Its agricultural outputs are dairy products, nursery stock, cattle, apples, and eggs. Its industrial outputs are machinery, electric equipment, rubber and plastic products, and tourism.
New Hampshire experienced a significant shift in its economic base during the last century. Historically, the base was comprised of the traditional New England manufactures of textiles, shoe-making, and small machining shops drawing upon low-wage labor from nearby small farms and from parts of Quebec. Today, these sectors contribute only 2% for textiles, 2% for leather goods, and 9% for machining of the state's total manufacturing dollar value . They experienced a sharp decline due to obsolete plants and the lure of cheaper wages in the South.
The state has no sales tax, no personal income tax and the legislature has exercised fiscal restraint, thereby attracting commuters, light industry, specialty horticulture, retail customers and service firms from other jurisdictions with higher tax policies, notably from neighboring
Massachusetts,
Vermont and
Maine . Efforts to diversify the state's general economy have been ongoing.
Additionally, New Hampshire's lack of a broad-based tax system has resulted in the state's local communities having some of the nation's highest property taxes. Overall, New Hampshire remains ranked 49th among states in combined average state and local tax burden . Nevertheless, ongoing efforts from unhappy homeowners for property tax relief continues. They have argued that residents of Massachusetts and other neighboring states are shopping in New Hampshire tax free, and New Hampshire homeowners are paying them for the privilege.
- See also State income tax, List of states without personal income tax
...
.
Metropolitan Areas
Micropolitan NECTAs Lebanon, NH-VT
Berlin, NH
Keene, NH
Claremont, NH
Concord, NH
Laconia, NH
Franklin, NH
Metropolitan NECTAs Manchester, NH
Portsmouth, NH-ME
Rochester-Dover, NH-ME
From Law and government
The governor of New Hampshire is
John Lynch . New Hampshire's two U.S. senators are
Judd Gregg and John E. Sununu .
New Hampshire has a bifurcated executive branch, consisting of the governor and a five-member
Executive Council which votes on state contracts over $5,000 and "advises and consents" to the governor's nominations to major state positions such as department heads and all judgeships and pardon requests. New Hampshire does not have a
Lieutenant Governor; the Senate President serves as "Acting Governor" whenever the governor is unable to perform the duties.
The
New Hampshire General Court is a bicameral legislative body, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is the fourth-largest legislative body in the English speaking world with 400 members. Only the US House, the British House of Commons and the Indian Parliament are larger. Presumably because the position pays just $100 per year plus mileage, members are more likely to be retired. A survey published by the
Associated Press in 2005 found that nearly half the members of the House are retired, with an average age close to 60. The General Court meets in the
New Hampshire State House.
The state's sole appellate court is the
New Hampshire Supreme Court. The
Superior Court is the court of general jurisdiction and the only court which provides for jury trials in civil or criminal cases. The other state courts are the
Probate Court,
District Court, and the
Family Division.
The New Hampshire State Constitution is the supreme law of the state, followed by the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated. The State Constitution is the nation's only state constitution which allows the right of revolution, and one of the few that does not expressly mandate the provision of a public school system.
New Hampshire is also the only state with no mandatory seatbelt law for adults, and also has no motorcycle helmet law for adults nor mandatory vehicle insurance for automobiles. Although the state retains the
death penalty for limited crimes, the last execution was conducted in 1939. New Hampshire is the only state that does not mandate public
kindergarten, partly out of frugality and lack of funding, and partly out of belief in
local control, a philosophy under which towns and cities, not the state, make as many decisions as possible. As of 2005, all but two dozen communities in the state provided public kindergarten.
New Hampshire is a
"Dillon Rule" state, meaning that powers not specifically granted to municipalities are retained by the state government. Even so, there is within the state's legislature a strong sentiment favoring so-called "local control," particularly with regard to land use regulations. Traditionally, local government in New Hampshire is conducted by
town meetings, but in 1995, municipalities were given the option of using an official ballot to decide local electoral and budgetary questions, as opposed to the more open and public town meeting.
New Hampshire is an
Alcoholic Beverage Control state, and through the State Liquor Commission it takes in $100 million from the sale and distribution of liquor. The state also leads the country in per capita sales of all forms of alcohol.
Politics
New Hampshire is internationally famous for the New Hampshire primary, the first primary in the quadrennial American presidential election cycle. The primary draws more attention by far than all other primaries, and has often been decisive in shaping the national contest. Critics from other states have tried repeatedly but failed to reduce the state's primary clout. In
Dixville Notch, the few dozen residents of Dixville Notch all stay awake until after midnight to vote. State law grants that a town where all registered citizens have voted may close early and announce their results. It is traditionally the first city or town in the U.S. to vote in presidential primaries and elections.
New Hampshire has historically been dominated by the Republican Party, and is still considered to be the most conservative state in the Northeast; but in national elections it has become a
swing state. It was the only U.S. state to give its electoral votes to
George W. Bush in the
2000 election but switch sides to the Democrats in the
2004 election . New Hampshire most recently gave its four electoral votes to
John Kerry in 2004 with 50.2% of the vote. The state supported
Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, but prior to that had only strayed from the Republican Party for three candidates—
Woodrow Wilson,
Franklin D. Roosevelt and
Lyndon B. Johnson.
Unlike other northeastern states, Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of the
New Hampshire General Court. Republicans hold both U.S. Senate and House of Representative seats, and control both houses of the state legislature. However, in 2004, Democrat
John Lynch defeated one-term governor Republican Craig Benson. Democratic strength is greatest in Strafford, Cheshire, Grafton and Merrimack counties, as well as in
Berlin,
Portsmouth,
Durham and parts of
Nashua and
Manchester.
New Hampshire has a
Libertarian-like political tradition that ostensibly values individual freedom and limited exercise of state governmental powers. The state has the highest per capita elected and appointed Libertarians and the highest density of Libertarian Party members in the nation, however the Libertarian Party does not perform well in the state relative to the rest of the country. The
Free State Project selected New Hampshire as its destination due to its "Live Free or Die" libertarian-esque heritage.
Education
High schools
New Hampshire has more than 150 public high schools, many of which serve more than one town. The largest is
Pinkerton Academy in
Derry, which is owned by a private non-profit organization but serves as the public high school of a number of neighboring towns.
New Hampshire has several private high schools, including:
Colleges and universities
