New Boston, New Hampshire
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| New Boston, New Hampshire | |||
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | New Hampshire | ||
| County | Hillsborough | ||
| Incorporated | 1763 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Board of Selectmen | Dave Woodbury Christine Quirk Gordon Carlstrom |
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| Area | |||
| - Total | 43.2 sq mi (111.9 km²) | ||
| - Land | 42.8 sq mi (111.0 km²) | ||
| - Water | 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km²) 0.66% | ||
| Elevation | 420 ft (128 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - Total | 4,138 | ||
| - Density | 96.6/sq mi (37.3/km²) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 03070 | ||
| Area code(s) | 603 | ||
| FIPS code | 33-50740 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0873674 | ||
| Website: www2.new-boston.nh.us | |||
New Boston is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,138 at the 2000 census. New Boston is home to the annual Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair.
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[edit] History
The town was first granted in 1736 by Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts, which then held authority over New Hampshire. It was granted to several Boston families, and was to have been called Lanestown or Piscataquog Township. Instead, by 1751 they called it New Boston after their hometown. Not all the grantees took up their claims, and the land was regranted ten years later to settlers from Londonderry. When the town was incorporated in 1763, Governor Benning Wentworth formally recognized the long-used name of New Boston.
In 1820, the town had 25 sawmills, 6 grain mills, 2 clothing mills, 2 carding mills, 2 tanneries, and a bark mill. It also had 14 schoolhouses and a tavern. The Great Village Fire of 1887, which started when a spark from a cooper's shop set a barn on fire, destroyed nearly 40 buildings in the lower village. In 1893, the railroad came to New Boston, and farm produce was sent by rail to city markets. The train line was abandoned in the mid-1970s, and the former rail bed is today a walking path.
The town is home to the 2,800-acre New Boston Air Force Station, which started as an Army Air Corps bombing range in 1942. By 1960, it had become a U.S. Air Force base for tracking military satellites. New Boston was also home to the Gravity Research Foundation from the late 1940s through the mid-1960s.
In 2006, New Boston acquired a new police chief. Police chief Christopher Krajenka was a school resource officer for the high school in Goffstown.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.2 square miles (112 km²), of which 42.8 sq mi (111 km²) is land and 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km²) is water, comprising 0.88% of the town. New Boston is drained by the South Branch Piscataquog River. Joe English Hill, elevation 1,285 feet (392 m) above sea level and the highest point in the town, is in the south.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 4,138 people, 1,434 households, and 1,162 families residing in the town. The population density was 96.6 people per square mile (37.3/km²). There were 1,462 housing units at an average density of 34.1/sq mi (13.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.02% White, 0.36% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population.
There were 1,434 households out of which 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 12.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $66,020, and the median income for a family was $69,458. Males had a median income of $47,173 versus $32,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,488. About 3.1% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
 The Tavern c. 1905 |
 The Creamery c. 1912 |
 Depot c. 1905 |
[edit] Culture
New Boston's fairgrounds are host to several events each year, including the Hillsborough County Fair.
The town's Fourth of July celebration is one of the larger productions in the area, starting with a parade featuring an assortment of floats created by locals, marching bands, and emergency vehicles, winding through the center of town and ending at the fair grounds. The annual firing of the Molly Stark cannon also takes place.
[edit] References
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Town website
- New Boston's First Settler, Thomas Smith
- Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair
- New Boston Historical Society
- New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
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