9,351 square miles

603

Concord

New Hampshire has a blend of climates, depending on the region and the time of year you are visiting.  The summer months are generally temperate, warm but not necessarily hot.  The average snowfall in the winter is 65 inches.  The coast and mountain regions are generally cooler than the rest of the state.  If you plan on visiting the summit of Mt. Washington it is best to dress for cooler temperatures, as it is at least 10 degrees cooler at the top. Average temperatures throughout the year are (in °F) 20-30 in the winter, 45-70 in the spring, 60-75 in the summer and 25-60 in the fall.

New Hampshire is the birthplace of many well recognized names in the worlds of sports, science,
politics, the arts and general celebrity. Among the long list are
• Alan Shepard, astronaut (first American in space), Derry
• Henry Wilson, U.S. Vice President, Farmington
• Horace Greeley, founder of the New York Tribune, Amherst
• Sarah Josepha Hale, author and journalist (wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”), Newport
• Franklin Pierce, 14th U.S. President, Hillsborough
• John Stark, Revolutionary War general, Londonderry
• Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science Movement, Bow
• Adam Sandler, actor comedian, Manchester
• Dean Kamen, inventor of Segway
• Seth Meyers, SNL actor, Manchester
• Bode Miller, Olympian Skier, Franconia
• Mandy Moore, actress musician, Nashua
• Former US Supreme Court Justice David Souter

1623 - First settled at Odiorne Point (now part of  Rye) by David Thompson
1783 - State Constitution established
1788 - Statehood, ninth state to adopt the U.S. Constitution

The early industrial economy of New Hampshire was dominated by the shoe and textile industries,
including the Amoskeag Mill in Manchester, which was once the largest textile mill in the world.  The production of electrical, light metal and computer products are today a major focus of the economy.  Major manufacturing centers include Manchester, Concord, Nashua, Portsmouth, Claremont, Dover, Keene and Lebanon. Tourism is New Hampshire’s second leading industry today.

• The world’s highest recorded wind speed at ground level is at Mt. Washington on April 12, 1934; Winds were three times as fast a  hurricane-level, reaching 231 mph.
• New Hampshire is the only state ever to play host to the formal conclusion of a foreign war;
 Portsmouth hosted the treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War in 1905.
•  Of the thirteen original colonies, New Hampshire was the first to declare independence from England (1775), six months before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
• New Hampshire was the first state to adopt its own constitution in 1783.
• In 1963, New Hampshire adopted the first legal lottery in the United States.
• The Mount Washington Auto Road at Great Glen is New Hampshire’s oldest man-made tourist
 attraction, opened in 1861.
• New Hampshire’s State House is the oldest state capitol in which a legislature still meets in its
 original chambers.
• The state motto of “Live Free or Die” comes from a statement written by the Revolutionary General  John Stark, hero of the Battle of Bennington.

 

New Hampshire was named for Hampshire, England by Captain John Mason

Approximately 1.30 million (2005 Census)

67

Shop ‘til you drop, as New Hampshire has no sales tax on shopping items!  However, there is an 8% Rooms & Meals tax on lodging stays less than 90 days.  This tax also applies to food served in a restaurant or take-away food costing more than $1.00.

New Hampshire is made up of 13 municipalities, 221 towns and 22 unincorporated places.