Berlin, New Hampshire
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| City of Berlin | |||
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| Nickname: "The City That Trees Built" | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | New Hampshire | ||
| County | Coos | ||
| Incorporated | |||
| Town | 1829 | ||
| City | 1897 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Robert A. Danderson | ||
| - City Council | Timothy P. Donovan, Sr. Diana Nelson Richard A Lafleur Marty Danderson Raymond Chagnon Richard Poulin Paul R. Grenier Richard E. Roy |
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| Area | |||
| - Town | 100.5 sq mi (161.8 km²) | ||
| - Land | 99.4 sq mi (159.9 km²) | ||
| - Water | 1.2 sq mi (1.9 km²) | ||
| Elevation | 1,020 ft (311 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - Town | 10,331 | ||
| - Density | 167.4/sq mi (64.6/km²) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| Website: www.ci.berlin.nh.us | |||
Berlin is a city located on the Androscoggin River in north-eastern Coos County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 10,331 at the 2000 census. It includes the village of Cascade. Located on the edge of the White Mountains, the city's boundaries extend into the White Mountain National Forest. Berlin is home to Northern Forest Heritage Park, the Berlin Fish Hatchery, and a New Hampshire Community Technical College.
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[edit] History
First granted in 1771 by Colonial Governor John Wentworth, the town was named Maynesborough Plantation after Sir William Mayne, a West Indies trader. But the grantees did not take up their claims, which disappeared with the Revolution. Instead, Maynesborough was settled in 1781-1782 by William Sessions and others from Maine. Farming was the first industry. With 65 inhabitants in 1829, the town was reincorporated as Berlin by Thomas Wheeler, a selectman formerly of Berlin, Massachusetts.
Situated in a heavily forested region, the community developed early into a center for logging and wood industries. Falls on the Androscoggin River provided water power for sawmills. In 1821, a road was built to Gorham, and in 1851 the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad entered Berlin. Acquiring water, timber and rail rights in the early 1850s, the H. Winslow & Company built a large sawmill at the head of Berlin Falls. In 1868, William Wentworth Brown and Lewis T. Brown bought a controlling interest in the business and changed its name to the Berlin Mills Company. By 1885, the mill town was home to several lumber, pulp and paper mills, including the Forest Fibre Company and White Mountain Pulp & Paper Company. Because of the need for labor, immigrants arrived from Italy, Norway, Sweden, Russia and Ireland. Many others were French Canadians from nearby Quebec.
In 1882, a group of Scandinavians founded here the nation's first ski club, which would be named Nansen Ski Club in honor of Fridtjof Nansen, who in 1888 skied across Greenland. In 1897, Berlin was incorporated as a city, the northernmost in the state. Since entry of the United States into World War I, locals have pronounced the name as "BURR-lun."
The wood and paper industries, however, have been in a long decline. In 1917, the Berlin Mills Company was renamed the Brown Company, which went into receivership during the Great Depression. It survived with governmental help, and was bought and sold several times after World War II. American Tissue filed for bankruptcy in 2001, before which it had stopped paying city taxes. Its facilities were purchased in 2002 by Fraser Papers of Canada. But in March of 2006, Fraser Papers announced the closing of Berlin's last remaining paper mill. On May 6, 2006, 250 employees were displaced, some moving to Cascade's paper finishing mill, but most were left unemployed. The North American Dismantling Corporation of Michigan announced on October 3, 2006 that it had bought the 121-acre defunct pulp mill site of Fraser Paper, and will spend a year demolishing the property to allow redevelopment.
 City Hall in 1916 |
 General View in c. 1920 |
 Main Street in 1914 |
 Mount Forest in c. 1912 |
[edit] Notable residents
- Mike Durant, US Army Night Stalkers pilot shot down and held prisoner after the Battle of Mogadishu
- Earl Silas Tupper (1907 - 1983), inventor of Tupperware
- Bob Whitcher, Boston Braves pitcher who appeared in six games in 1945
[edit] Geography
Berlin is located at (44.478692, -71.191360)GR1. The south edge is bordered by Randolph and Gorham.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 161.8 km² (62.5 mi²). 159.9 km² (61.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²) of it is water, comprising 1.17% of the town. Berlin is situated at the confluence of the Androscoggin and Dead rivers. The Mahoosuc Range is to the southeast. Jericho Lake State Park, created from a city park and from private land in 2005, is west of the city center and features a man-made lake created in the 1970's and a network of ATV trails. The city's highest point is Mount Weeks (3,901 feet / 1,189 meters above sea level).
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 10,331 people, 4,555 households, and 2,901 families residing in the city. The population density was 64.6/km² (167.4/mi²). There were 5,111 housing units at an average density of 32.0/km² (82.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.25% White, 0.18% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.
There were 4,555 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.74.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,647, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $33,190 versus $21,156 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,780. 12.4% of the population and 9.1% of families were below the poverty line. 13.4% of those under the age of 18 and 12.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The population of Berlin rose rapidly from 1880 through 1930. The fastest growth more than doubled the population between 1890 and 1900. A slow decline began after 1930, interrupted only by a temporary increase around 1960.
[edit] Education
- New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges
- Berlin High School
- Berlin Junior High School
[edit] Sites of interest
- Moffett House Museum
- Northern Forest Heritage Park
[edit] External links
- City of Berlin
- New Hampshire Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
- New Hampshire Fish Hatcheries & Visitor Centers
- New Hampshire Community Technical College
- Video - NADC Purchases Pulp Mill in Berlin, New Hampshire
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
| Communities in Coos County, New Hampshire | |
|---|---|
| Atkinson & Gilmanton Academy Grant | Bean's Grant | Bean's Purchase | Berlin | Cambridge | Carroll | Chandler's Purchase | Clarksville | Colebrook | Columbia | Crawford's Purchase | Cutt's Grant | Dalton | Dix's Grant | Dixville | Dummer | Errol | Erving's Location | Gorham | Green's Grant | Groveton | Hadley's Purchase | Jefferson | Kilkenny | Lancaster | Low and Burbank's Grant | Martin's Location | Milan | Millsfield | Northumberland | Odell | Pinkham's Grant | Pittsburg | Randolph | Sargent's Purchase | Second College Grant | Shelburne | Stark | Stewartstown | Stratford | Success | Thompson and Meserve's Purchase | Wentworth's Location | Whitefield |
