Haverhill, New Hampshire

Haverhill, New Hampshire
Town

Haverhill municipal offices

Seal

Location in Grafton County, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 44°02′03″N 72°03′50″W / 44.03417°N 72.06389°W / 44.03417; -72.06389Coordinates: 44°02′03″N 72°03′50″W / 44.03417°N 72.06389°W / 44.03417; -72.06389
Country United States
State New Hampshire
County Grafton
Incorporated 1763
Government
 • Board of Selectmen Wayne Fortier, Chair
Thomas Friel
Lynn Wheeler
Robert Roudebush
Rick Ladd
 • Town manager Glenn E. English
Area
 • Total 52.1 sq mi (135.0 km2)
 • Land 51.0 sq mi (132.1 km2)
 • Water 1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2)  2.15%
Elevation 640 ft (195 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 4,697
 • Density 90/sq mi (35/km2)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 03765, 03774
Area code(s) 603
FIPS code 33-34820
GNIS feature ID 0873621
Website www.haverhill-nh.com

Haverhill is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,697 at the 2010 census.[1] Haverhill includes the villages of Woodsville, Pike, and North Haverhill, the historic town center at Haverhill Corner, and the district of Mountain Lakes. Located here are Bedell Bridge State Park, Black Mountain State Forest, Kinder Memorial Forest, and Oliverian Valley Wildlife Preserve. It is home to the annual North Haverhill Fair, and to a branch of the New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges. The village of North Haverhill is the county seat of Grafton County.[2]

History

Settled by citizens from Haverhill, Massachusetts, the town was first known as Lower Cohos. It was incorporated in 1763 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth, and in 1773, became the county seat of Grafton County. Haverhill was the terminus of the old Province Road, which connected the northern and western settlements with the seacoast. By 1859, when the town had 2,405 inhabitants, industries included 3 gristmills, 12 sawmills, a paper mill, a large tannery, a carriage manufacturer, an iron foundry, 7 shoe factories, a printing office, and several mechanic shops.[3] The town is home to the oldest documented covered bridge in the country still standing—the Haverhill-Bath Bridge, built in 1829.

The village of Woodsville, named for John L. Woods of Wells River, Vermont, was once a very important railroad center. Woods operated a sawmill on the Ammonoosuc River, and developed a railroad supply enterprise following the establishment of the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad. The village of Pike was settled by future employees of the Pike Manufacturing Company, which was once the world's leading manufacturer of whetstones.

While the village of Haverhill Corner was historically considered to be the major settlement in town, the town's municipal offices are currently located in the village of North Haverhill, with Grafton County's offices and courthouse located just two miles further north along Route 10. Woodsville served as the county seat until 1972, when the administrative offices relocated to rural land halfway between Woodsville and the smaller village of North Haverhill.

The village of Woodsville is now the commercial center of Haverhill and its smaller surrounding towns, including several in Vermont. Woodsville is home to the town's supermarkets, pharmacies, banks (including the headquarters of the regional Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank), state liquor store, and most of its restaurants and chain stores, although a few are located in North Haverhill. The town's elementary and high schools, along with Cottage Hospital, a critical-access hospital serving the area, are all located in Woodsville.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 52.1 square miles (134.9 km2), of which 51.0 square miles (132.1 km2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) is water, comprising 2.15% of the town.[4] Bounded on the west by the Connecticut River, Haverhill is drained by the Ammonoosuc River, in addition to Oliverian Brook and Clark Brook. Haverhill lies fully within the Connecticut River watershed.[5]

The highest point in Haverhill, at 2,320 feet (710 m) above sea level, is on the western slope of Black Mountain, whose 2,830 ft (860 m) summit is in the neighboring town of Benton.

The town is served by six state-maintained routes. New Hampshire Route 10 is the main north-south highway through Haverhill, paralleling the Connecticut River. U.S. Route 302 enters from Vermont and passes east-west through Woodsville in the northern part of town, joining with Route 10 to head northeast to Bath and Littleton. New Hampshire Route 25 enters Haverhill from Piermont while co-signed with Route 10, splitting off by itself to the southeast in Haverhill Corner. New Hampshire Route 116 has its southern terminus at Route 10 in North Haverhill, and New Hampshire Route 135 has its southern terminus at Route 10 just south of Woodsville. A very short section of New Hampshire Route 112 cuts through the northeastern part of town. Haverhill also has easy access to U.S. Route 5 in Vermont via bridges in North Haverhill and Woodsville.

Demographics

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 4,416 people, 1,755 households, and 1,147 families residing in the town. The population density was 86.5 people per square mile (33.4/km²). There were 2,148 housing units at an average density of 42.1 per square mile (16.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.23% White, 0.45% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population.

There were 1,755 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,853, and the median income for a family was $44,816. Males had a median income of $27,100 versus $23,828 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,465. About 6.4% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ United States Census Bureau, American FactFinder, 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, A History and Description of New England; Boston, Massachusetts 1859
  4. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001) - Haverhill town, New Hampshire". U.S. Census Bureau American Factfinder. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  5. ↑ Foster, Debra H.; Batorfalvy, Tatianna N.; Medalie, Laura (1995). Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers. U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.
  6. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  7. ↑ "My Kind of Town". Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  8. ↑ Myers, Bob (Feb 2009). "NASCAR Crew Chief Frank Stoddard". Circle Track. Retrieved 19 January 2011.

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