Conway, New Hampshire
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| Conway, New Hampshire | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Carroll County |
| Incorporated | 1765 |
| Government | |
| - Board of Selectmen | Karen Umberger Gary Webster David Weathers Lawrence Martin Mark Hounsell |
| Area | |
| - Town | 71.7 sq mi (185.7 km²) |
| - Land | 69.7 sq mi (180.4 km²) |
| - Water | 2.0 sq mi (5.3 km²) |
| Elevation | 465 ft (142 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Town | 8,604 |
| - Density | 123.5/sq mi (47.7/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| Website: www.conwaynh.org | |
Conway is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 8,604 at the 2000 census. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the west and north. Cathedral Ledge (popular with climbers) and Echo Lake State Park are in the west. Conway includes the villages of North Conway, Center Conway, Intervale, Redstone and Kearsarge. The town has two covered bridges.
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[edit] History
The region was once home to the Pequawket Indians, an Algonquian Abenaki tribe which summered here and spent winters at St. Francis, Quebec. Along the Saco River they fished, hunted or farmed, and lived in wigwams sheltered within stockades. In 1642, explorer Darby Field of Exeter paddled up the Saco in a canoe, and would report seeing "Pigwacket," an Indian community stretching from present-day Conway to Fryeburg, Maine. But when Europeans settled here in 1764, the Pequawket tribe had dwindled from disease, probably smallpox brought from abroad.
In 1765, Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth chartered sixty-five men to establish "Conway," named for Henry Seymour Conway, Commander in Chief of the British Army. To keep his land, a settler had to plant five acres for every fifty in his share, and to do it within five years. The first roads were built in 1766. Construction of the first meetinghouse began at Redstone. Never completed, it could only be used in summer, with services held whenever a minister visited. Eventually, the partly-finished meetinghouse was moved to Center Conway. In 1775, the town raised small sums to build two schoolhouses, one in North Conway. By 1849, however, the town had twenty school districts.
By the middle-1800s, artists had discovered the romantic beauties of the White Mountains, and "Artist Falls Brook" became a favorite setting for landscape paintings. King Edward VII would buy twelve White Mountain paintings to hang in Windsor Castle. Among the artists to work here were Asher B. Durand and Benjamin Champney, the latter known to paint Mount Washington while sitting in the middle of Main Street.
The Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway Railroad entered Conway in 1871. The railroad would be bought by the Boston & Maine, and joined in town by rival Maine Central. They transported freight, mostly wood and wood products, away from Conway, and they brought tourists. Numerous inns and taverns were built in the 19th and 20th centuries, and tourism remains today a principal business. The first ski trail began operating in 1936 at Mount Cranmore, where Hannes Schneider of Austria would provide instruction starting in 1939. In 1959, the Kancamagus Highway opened, connecting Conway with Lincoln. It travels through Kancamagus Pass, named for a Pennacook chief, and at 2,850 feet above sea level is the highest paved through-road in New Hampshire.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 185.7 km² (71.7 mi²). 180.4 km² (69.7 mi²) of it is land and 5.3 km² (2.0 mi²) of it is water, comprising 2.86% of the town. Conway is drained by the Saco and Swift rivers. The highest point in the town is Black Cap (2,369 feet / 722 meters above sea level).
[edit] Demographics
This article describes the town of Conway as a whole. Additional demographic detail is available which describes only the central settlement or village within the town, although that detail is included in the aggregate values reported here. See: Conway (CDP), New Hampshire.
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,604 people, 3,714 households, and 2,243 families residing in the town. The population density was 47.7/km² (123.5/mi²). There were 5,927 housing units at an average density of 32.9 persons/km² (85.1 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.43% White, 0.24% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 0.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,714 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 9.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 39.6% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,873, and the median income for a family was $41,818. Males had a median income of $30,366 versus $21,275 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,673. 10.3% of the population and 8.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 13.3% are under the age of 18 and 13.7% are 65 or older.
[edit] Media
The free daily Conway Daily Sun is published in Conway.
[edit] Sites of Interest
[edit] External links
- Conway, NH Official Website
- Cathedral Ledge Webcam
- Conway Historical Society
- Conway Public Library
- Conway Scenic Railroad
- Echo Lake State Park
- New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
