New Hampshire

The State of New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state ranks 44th in land area, 46th in total area of the 50 states, and 41st in population. It was one of the original Thirteen Colonies and became the ninth state to ratify the United States Constitution. New Hampshire was also the first U.S. state to have its own state constitution.

It is internationally famous for the New Hampshire primary, the first primary in the quadrennial American presidential election cycle. The primary draws more attention by far than all other primaries and has often been decisive in shaping the national contest.

Its license plates carry the famous state motto: "Live Free or Die." The state nickname is "The Granite State", in reference both to its geology and to its tradition of self-sufficiency. Several other official nicknames exist but are rarely if ever used.^[2]

A number of famous individuals come from New Hampshire, such as Senator Daniel Webster, editor Horace Greeley, founder of the Christian Science religion Mary Baker Eddy, and comedian Adam Sandler. New Hampshire also produced one president, Franklin Pierce.

New Hampshire's recreational attractions include skiing and other winter sports, observing the spectacular fall foliage, summer cottages along many lakes, motor sports at the New Hampshire International Speedway, home of NASCAR events and the Loudon Classic, and Bike Week, a popular motorcycle rally associated with the Loudon Classic, held in Laconia in June.

[edit] Geography

See List of counties in New Hampshire , List of mountains in New Hampshire, List of lakes in New Hampshire, List of New Hampshire rivers

New Hampshire is part of the New England region. It is bounded by Quebec, Canada to the north and northwest; Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east; Massachusetts to the south; and Vermont to the west. New Hampshire's major regions are the Great North Woods, the White Mountains, the Lakes Region, the Seacoast, the Merrimack Valley, the Monadnock Region, and the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee area. New Hampshire has the shortest ocean coastline of any U.S. state, with a length of 18 miles (29 km).

State Capitol in Concord.

New Hampshire, showing roads, rivers and major cities

New Hampshire was home to the famous rock formation called the Old Man of the Mountain, a face-like profile in Franconia Notch, until May 2003, when the formation, an icon of the state, fell apart.

The White Mountains range in New Hampshire spans the north-central portion of the state, with Mount Washington being the tallest in the northeastern U.S., and other mountains like Mount Madison and Mount Adams surrounding it. With hurricane-force winds every third day on the average, over 100 recorded deaths among visitors, and conspicuous krummholz (dwarf, matted trees much like a carpet of bonsai trees), the upper reaches of Mount Washington claim the title of having the "worst weather on earth." A non-profit observatory is located on the peak for the purposes of observing the harsh environmental conditions.

In the flatter southwest corner of New Hampshire, another feature, the prominent landmark and tourist attraction of Mount Monadnock, has given its name to a general class of earth-forms—a monadnock signifying, in geomorphology, any isolated resistant peak rising from a less resistant eroded plain.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail passes through New Hampshire, and the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site is located in Cornish.

Major rivers include the 110-mile (177-km) Merrimack River, which bisects the lower half of the state north-south and ends up in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Its major tributaries include the Contoocook River, Pemigewasset River, and Winnipesaukee River. The 410-mile (670-km) Connecticut River, which starts at New Hampshire's Connecticut Lakes and flows south to Connecticut, defines the western border with Vermont. Oddly, the state border is not in the center of that river, as is usually the case, but lies at the low-water mark on the Vermont side; so New Hampshire actually owns the entire river where it runs adjacent to Vermont. The "northwesternmost headwaters" of the Connecticut also define the Canadian border with New Hampshire.

The Piscataqua River and its several tributaries form the state's only significant ocean port where they flow into the Atlantic at Portsmouth. The Salmon Falls River and the Piscataqua define the southern portion of the border with Maine. The state has an ongoing boundary dispute with Maine in the area of Portsmouth Harbor, with New Hampshire claiming dominion over several islands (now known as Seavey Island) that include the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as well as to the Maine towns of Kittery and Berwick.

The largest lake is Lake Winnipesaukee, which covers 72 square miles (186 km²) in the east-central part of New Hampshire.

Hampton Beach is a popular local summer destination. About 10 miles (16 km) offshore are the Isles of Shoals, nine small islands (4 belonging to the state) best known as the site of a 19th century art colony founded by poet Celia Thaxter, as well as the alleged location of one of the buried treasures of the pirate Blackbeard.

It is the second-most-forested state in the country, after Maine, in terms of percentage of land covered by woods. This change was caused by the abandonment of farms during the 20th century as many farmers took wage jobs in urban areas or moved to more productive areas. The return of woodlands from open fields forms the subject of many poems by Robert Frost.

The northern third of the state is locally referred to as "north of the notches" in reference to White Mountain passes that channel traffic, or as "the north country". It contains less than 5% of the state's population, suffers from relatively high poverty rates, and is losing population as the logging and paper industries decline. However, the tourist industry, in particular visitors who go to northern New Hampshire to take advantage of the winter skiing season, have helped to offset economic losses from mill closures.

[edit] Metropolitan Areas

Metropolitan areas in the New England region are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs). The following is a list of NECTAs in New Hampshire:

[edit] Micropolitan NECTAs

Berlin, NH
Claremont, NH
Concord, NH
Franklin, NH
Keene, NH
Laconia, NH
Lebanon, NH-VT

[edit] Metropolitan NECTAs

Manchester, NH
Nashua, NH Metropolitan Division (part of Boston metropolitan area)
Portsmouth, NH-ME
Rochester-Dover, NH-ME

From The New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau

[edit] History

Main article: History of New Hampshire

Various Algonquian tribes inhabited the area prior to European settlement. Europeans explored New Hampshire in 1600-1605 and settled in 1623. By 1631, the Upper Plantation comprised modern-day Dover, Durham and Stratham; in 1679, it became the "Royal Province."

It was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. By the time of the American Revolution, New Hampshire was a divided province. The economic and social life of the Seacoast revolved around sawmills, shipyards, merchant's warehouses, and established village and town centers. Wealthy merchants built substantial homes, furnished them with the finest luxuries, and invested their capital in trade and land speculation. At the other end of the social scale, there developed a permanent class of day laborers, mariners, indentured servants, and even slaves. It was the first state to declare its independence, but the only battle fought there was the raid on Fort William and Mary, December 14, 1774 in Portsmouth Harbor, which netted the rebellion sizable quantities of gunpowder, small arms, and cannon (General Sullivan, leader of the raid, described it as, "remainder of the powder, the small arms, bayonets, and cartouch-boxes, together with the cannon and ordnance stores") over the course of two nights. This raid was preceded by a warning to local patriots the previous day, by Paul Revere on December 13, 1774 that the fort was to be reinforced by troops sailing from Boston. This raid is widely regarded (outside Massachusetts) as the first battle of the Revolutionary War. According to unverified accounts, the gunpowder was later used at the Battle of Bunker Hill, transported there by Major Demerit, who was one of several New Hamphire patriots who stored the powder in their homes until it was transported elsewhere for use in revolutionary activities.

Lake Winnepesaukee.

New Hampshire was a Jacksonian stronghold; the state sent Franklin Pierce to the White House in the election of 1852. Industrialization took the form of numerous textile mills, which in turn attracted large flows of immigrants from Quebec (the "French Canadians") and Ireland. The northern parts of the state produced lumber and the mountains provided tourist attractions. After 1960, the textile industry collapsed, but the economy rebounded as a center of high technology and a service provider.

Since 1952, New Hampshire gained national and international attention for its presidential primary held early in every presidential election year. It immediately became the most important testing grounds for candidates for the Republican and Democratic nominations. The media give New Hampshire (and Iowa) about half of all the attention paid to all states in the primary process, magnifying the state's decision power (and spurring repeated efforts by out-of-state politicians to change the rules.)

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	141,885	–
1800	183,858	29.6%
1810	214,460	16.6%
1820	244,161	13.8%
1830	269,328	10.3%
1840	284,574	5.7%
1850	317,976	11.7%
1860	326,073	2.5%
1870	318,300	-2.4%
1880	346,991	9.0%
1890	376,530	8.5%
1900	411,588	9.3%
1910	430,572	4.6%
1920	443,083	2.9%
1930	465,293	5.0%
1940	491,524	5.6%
1950	533,242	8.5%
1960	606,921	13.8%
1970	737,681	21.5%
1980	920,610	24.8%
1990	1,109,252	20.5%
2000	1,235,786	11.4%

As of 2005, New Hampshire has an estimated population of 1,309,940, which is an increase of 10,771, or 0.8%, from the prior year and an increase of 74,154, or 6.0%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 23,872 people (that is 75,060 births minus 51,188 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 51,968 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 11,107 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 40,861 people.

The center of population of New Hampshire is located in Merrimack County, in the town of Pembroke [1].

Demographics of New Hampshire (csv)
By race	White	Black	AIAN	Asian	NHPI
_{AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native - NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander}
2000 (total population)	97.56%	1.05%	0.64%	1.56%	0.06%
2000 (Hispanic only)	1.50%	0.13%	0.04%	0.02%	0.01%
2005 (total population)	96.97%	1.29%	0.63%	2.04%	0.07%
2005 (Hispanic only)	2.04%	0.18%	0.04%	0.03%	0.01%
Growth 2000-2005 (total population)	5.36%	30.39%	3.96%	38.30%	13.91%
Growth 2000-2005 (non-Hispanic only)	4.76%	29.02%	3.69%	38.47%	20.29%
Growth 2000-2005 (Hispanic only)	43.91%	39.72%	7.81%	26.49%	-25.23%

New Hampshire Population Density Map

As of 2004, the population includes 64,000 foreign-born (4.9%).

[edit] Ancestry Groups

The largest ancestry groups in New Hampshire are:[2]

26.6% French or French Canadian
21.1% Irish
20.1% English
10.3% German
10.4% Italian
7.8% Scottish or Scots-Irish

People of old colonial ("Yankee") ancestry live throughout most of New Hampshire.

The large Irish American, French-Canadian and Italian-American populations are descended largely from mill workers, and many still live in the former mill towns, like Manchester. New Hampshire has the highest percentage of residents of French/French-Canadian ancestry of any U.S. state. The fastest growth is along the southern border, which is within commuting range of Boston and other Massachusetts cities.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 3.41% of the population aged 5 and over speak French at home, while 1.60% speak Spanish [3].

[edit] Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of New Hampshire are (due to rounding the total percent is greater than 100):

Christian – 80%
- Protestant – 43%
  - Congregational/United Church of Christ – 7%
  - Baptist – 7%
  - Episcopal – 4%
  - Methodist – 3%
  - Other Protestant – 22%
- Catholic – 35%
- Other Christian – 2%
Jewish – <1%
Muslim – <1%
Other Religions – 1%
Non-Religious – 19%

[edit] Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Hampshire's total state product in 2003 was $49 billion. Per capita personal income in 2005 was $37,835, 6^th in the nation and 110 percent of the national average, $34,495. Its agricultural outputs are dairy products, nursery stock, cattle, apples, and eggs. Its industrial outputs are machinery, electric equipment, rubber and plastic products, and tourism.

New Hampshire experienced a significant shift in its economic base during the last century. Historically, the base was comprised of the traditional New England manufactures of textiles, shoe-making, and small machining shops drawing upon low-wage labor from nearby small farms and from parts of Quebec. Today, these sectors contribute only 2% for textiles, 2% for leather goods, and 9% for machining of the state's total manufacturing dollar value (Source: U.S. Economic Census for 1997, Manufacturing, New Hampshire). They experienced a sharp decline due to obsolete plants and the lure of cheaper wages in the South.

The state has no general sales tax, no personal income tax (the state does tax, at a 5 percent rate, income from dividends and interest) and the legislature has exercised fiscal restraint, thereby attracting commuters, light industry, specialty horticulture, retail customers and service firms from other jurisdictions with higher tax policies, notably from neighboring Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine (and to a lesser extent, New York). Efforts to diversify the state's general economy have been ongoing.

Additionally, New Hampshire's lack of a broad-based tax system (aside from the controversial state-wide property tax) has resulted in the state's local communities having some of the nation's highest property taxes. Overall, New Hampshire remains ranked 49th among states in combined average state and local tax burden.^[3] Nevertheless, ongoing efforts from unhappy homeowners for property tax relief continues. They have argued that residents of Massachusetts and other neighboring states are shopping in New Hampshire tax-free, and New Hampshire homeowners are paying them for the privilege. See tax-free shopping.

See also State income tax.

[edit] Law and government

State line on NH Rt. 111 in Hollis

Main article: Government of New Hampshire

The governor of New Hampshire is John Lynch (Democrat). New Hampshire's two U.S. senators are Judd Gregg (Republican) and John E. Sununu (Republican).

New Hampshire has a bifurcated executive branch, consisting of the governor and a five-member Executive Council which votes on state contracts over $5,000 and "advises and consents" to the governor's nominations to major state positions such as department heads and all judgeships and pardon requests. New Hampshire does not have a Lieutenant Governor; the Senate President serves as "Acting Governor" whenever the governor is unable to perform the duties.

The New Hampshire General Court is a bicameral legislative body, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is the fourth-largest legislative body in the English speaking world with 400 members. Only the US House, the British House of Commons and the Indian Parliament are larger. Presumably because the position pays just $100 per year plus mileage, members are more likely to be retired. A survey published by the Associated Press in 2005 found that nearly half the members of the House are retired, with an average age close to 60.[4] The General Court meets in the New Hampshire State House.

The state's sole appellate court is the New Hampshire Supreme Court. The Superior Court is the court of general jurisdiction and the only court which provides for jury trials in civil or criminal cases. The other state courts are the Probate Court, District Court, and the Family Division.

The New Hampshire State Constitution is the supreme law of the state, followed by the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated. The State Constitution is the nation's only state constitution which acknowledges the right of revolution, and one of the few that does not expressly mandate the provision of a public school system.

New Hampshire is also the only state with no mandatory seatbelt law for adults, and also has no motorcycle helmet law for adults nor mandatory vehicle insurance for automobiles. Although the state retains the death penalty for limited crimes, the last execution was conducted in 1939. New Hampshire is the only state that does not mandate public kindergarten, partly out of frugality and lack of funding, and partly out of belief in local control, a philosophy under which towns and cities, not the state, make as many decisions as possible. As of 2005, all but two dozen communities in the state provided public kindergarten.

New Hampshire is a "Dillon Rule" state, meaning that powers not specifically granted to municipalities are retained by the state government. Even so, there is within the state's legislature a strong sentiment favoring local control, particularly with regard to land use regulations. Traditionally, local government in New Hampshire is conducted by town meetings, but in 1995, municipalities were given the option of using an official ballot to decide local electoral and budgetary questions, as opposed to the more open and public town meeting.

New Hampshire is an Alcoholic Beverage Control state, and through the State Liquor Commission it takes in $100 million from the sale and distribution of liquor.^[4] The state also leads the country in per capita sales of all forms of alcohol.^[5]

[edit] Politics

New Hampshire is internationally famous for the New Hampshire primary, the first primary in the quadrennial American presidential election cycle. The primary draws more attention by far than all other primaries, and has often been decisive in shaping the national contest. Critics from other states have tried repeatedly but failed to reduce the state's primary clout. In Dixville Notch in Coos County and Hart's Location in Carroll County, the few dozen residents of these small towns vote at midnight the Tuesday the primary is being held. State law grants that a town where all registered citizens have voted may close early and announce their results. These are traditionally the first towns in both New Hampshire and the U.S. to vote in presidential primaries and elections.

New Hampshire has historically been dominated by the Republican Party (indeed some sources trace the founding of the Republican party to the town of Exeter in 1853) and is considered to be the most conservative state in the Northeast. The state supported Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, but prior to that had only strayed from the Republican Party for three candidates—Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson.

In recent years, however, in both national and local elections it has become a swing state. It was the only U.S. state to give its electoral votes to George W. Bush in the 2000 election but then go Democratic in the 2004 election. New Hampshire gave its four electoral votes to John Kerry in 2004 with 50.2% of the vote. The change from GOP domination was solidified by the 2006 midterm elections, in which both Congressional seats were won by Democrats (Charlie Bass was defeated by Paul Hodes, and Jeb Bradley was defeated by Carol Shea-Porter); Democratic Governor John Lynch was re-elected in an historic landslide with 74% of the vote; Democrats gained a majority on the Executive Council; and Democrats took both houses of the State Legislature for the first time since 1911. [5] Republicans hold both U.S. Senate seats, which were not up for a vote in 2006. Prior to the 2006 elections, New Hampshire was the only New England state in which Republicans held majorities in both legislative chambers.^[6]The New Hampshire General Assembly is the largest among state legislatures in the U.S., with 400 members, and has the most representatives per capita (approximately one for every 3,200 citizens). New Hampshire has been known for a Libertarian-like political tradition that values individual freedom and limited exercise of state governmental powers. The Free State Project selected New Hampshire as its destination due to its "Live Free or Die" libertarian-esque heritage.^[7]

[edit] Education

[edit] High schools

New Hampshire has more than 150 public high schools, many of which serve more than one town. The largest is Pinkerton Academy in Derry, which is owned by a private non-profit organization but serves as the public high school of a number of neighboring towns. In March 2007 Gov. John Lynch and lawmakers proposed a constitutional amendment that would require the state to provide at least 50% of the statewide cost of an adequate education. ^[8]

N.H. public schools with a Web presence

New Hampshire has many private high schools, including:

Bishop Brady High School, Concord
Bishop Guertin High School, Nashua
Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro
Cardigan Mountain School, Canaan
Derryfield School, Manchester
Dublin School, Dublin
High Mowing School, Wilton
Holderness School, Holderness
Holy Family Academy, Manchester
Kimball Union Academy, Meriden

[edit] Colleges and universities

[edit] Media

[edit] Daily newspapers

Berlin Daily Sun
Concord Monitor
Conway Daily Sun
Eagle Times of Claremont
Eagle Tribune (Lawrence, Massachusetts, area, including southern NH)
Foster's Daily Democrat of Dover
Keene Sentinel

Laconia Citizen
Laconia Daily Sun
New Hampshire Union Leader of Manchester
The Portsmouth Herald
Telegraph of Nashua
Valley News of West Lebanon

[edit] Other publications

The Baysider
The Bedford Bulletin
The Bow Times
Milford Cabinet, part of The Cabinet Press (also Hollis, Brookline, Bedford, Merrimack)
Carriage Towne News (Kingston area)
The Carroll County Independent
The Clock - Plymouth State University student newspaper
The Coös County Democrat
The Exeter News-Letter
The Goffstown News
Hippo Press (Manchester, Nashua and Concord editions)
The Hooksett Banner
Keene Free Press
The Littleton Courier
The Londonderry Times
The New Hampshire - University of New Hampshire student newspaper
New Hampshire Bar Journal
New Hampshire Bar News
New Hampshire Business Review
The New Hampshire Gazette Portsmouth alternative biweekly, claims to be the oldest newspaper in America
New Hampshire magazine
The Nutfield News (Derry)
The Record Enterprise of Plymouth
The Salem Observer
The Tri-Town Times (Hampstead, Sandown, Chester)

[edit] Television stations

ABC affiliate: WMUR, Channel 9, Manchester
PBS affiliates in Durham, Keene and Littleton (New Hampshire Public Television)
MyNetworkTV affiliate: WZMY, Channel 50, Derry (also serves the Boston area)

[edit] Culture

[edit] Professional sports teams

Minor league baseball teams

Minor league hockey team

Manchester Monarchs

Arena football team

Manchester Wolves

Minor league soccer team

New Hampshire Phantoms

[edit] Movie theaters

In New Hampshire, the locally-owned Spinelli Cinemas chain has theaters in seven different towns,^[9] while several national chains have multiplex operations. Several other independent theaters exist, including the IOKA Theater in Exeter,^[10] the Wilton Town Hall Theater,^[11] and The Music Hall in Portsmouth.^[12] Three drive-in movie theaters still operate in the state, in Laconia, Milford, and Hinsdale.

[edit] In fiction

New Hampshire is the home state of fictional United States President Josiah Bartlet on the television drama series The West Wing.
Peterborough is the inspiration for the town of Grover's Corners, in Thornton Wilder's play Our Town.
The novel Peyton Place was inspired by Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
Bob Montana, the original artist for Archie, attended Manchester Central High School for a year, and may have based Riverdale High School in part on Central.
Although many colleges claim to be the inspiration for the film Animal House, Dartmouth College has the strongest claim, because one of the scriptwriters, Chris Miller, went there.
Al Capp, creator of the comic strip Li'l Abner, used to joke that Dogpatch, the setting for the strip, was based on Seabrook, where he would vacation with his wife. ^[13]
John Knowles based the Devon School in A Separate Peace on the Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter. The prep school in John Irving's The World According to Garp was also based on the Phillips Exeter Academy. Irving's stepfather was a faculty member at the school, and Irving himself is an alumnus.
Joyce Maynard grew up in Durham, New Hampshire and based several novels on life in the Granite State, most notably To Die For, which is loosely based on the Pamela Smart murder case.
Portions of the Robin Williams movie Jumanji were filmed in Keene, New Hampshire, most notably the animal stampede scene.
Most of the independent film Live Free or Die was filmed in Claremont, New Hampshire.
Gravesend Academy, from the book A Prayer for Owen Meany, was based on the Phillips Exeter Academy. The book's author John Irving attended the school, as well as the University of New Hampshire.

[edit] Notable residents or natives

Main article: List of people from New Hampshire

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

See List of New Hampshire-related topics

In Charlestown there is the reconstructed Fort at Number 4 from the 1740s and 1750s.
New Hampshire is host to the New Hampshire Highland Games. New Hampshire has also registered an official tartan with the proper authorities in Scotland, used to make kilts worn by the State Police while they serve during the games.
New Hampshire is the healthiest state in the nation, tied with Minnesota, as ranked by the United Health Foundation, 2003.
New Hampshire has the only piece of Interstate highway that is two-lane (a single northbound lane and a single southbound lane) with a cobblestone median. This was done to preserve Franconia Notch, the site of the Old Man of the Mountain, a former rock formation visible from Interstate 93 in Franconia.
Its license plates boast the famous state motto: "Live free or die."
New Hampshire was the last of the New England states to observe Fast Day, a day of prayer for a bountiful harvest. It was a legal holiday until 1991, when it was replaced by Civil Rights Day, which was later renamed "Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Day", becoming the second to last state to have a "Martin Luther King" day. [6]
In 2003, it gained international attention for having the first openly gay bishop of a large mainline Christian church, Gene Robinson, within the Anglican Communion (the Episcopal Church in the United States of America).
New Hampshire's recreational attractions include skiing and other winter sports; "leaf-peeping" or observing the spectacular fall foliage; summer cottages along many lakes; and the New Hampshire International Speedway, home of the Loudon Classic, the longest-running motorcycle race in the United States.
USS New Hampshire was named in honor of this state.
Killington, Vermont has twice voted to secede from Vermont and join New Hampshire—a largely symbolic act, since secession would require the agreement of both states' legislatures and the U.S. Congress. Supporters of secession note that almost all Vermont towns were first chartered by New Hampshire and point out that the two states already have some unusual cross-border links, including two of the rare interstate school districts in the United States (a third is shared by Oregon and Nevada).
Keene held the world record for the most jack-o’-lanterns in one place (28,952) until 2006, when it was beaten by Boston (30,128).

[edit] Granite State firsts

From New Hampshire's official folklife website: http://www.nh.gov/folklife/

On January 5, 1776 at Exeter, the Provincial Congress of New Hampshire ratified the first independent state constitution, free of British rule.
On June 12, 1800, Fernald's Island in the Piscataqua River became the first government-sanctioned US Navy shipyard.
Started in 1822, Dublin's Juvenile Library was the first free public library.
In 1828, the first women's strike in the nation took place at Dover's Cocheco Mills.
In 1845, the machine shop of Nashuan John H. Gage was considered the first shop devoted to the manufacture of machinists' tools.
On August 29, 1866, Sylvester Marsh demonstrated the first mountain-climbing "cog" railway.
Finished on June 27, 1874, the first trans-Atlantic telecommunications cable between Europe and America stretched from Balinskelligs Bay, Ireland, to Rye Beach, New Hampshire.
On February 6, 1901, a group of nine conservationists founded the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, the first forest conservation advocacy group in the US.
In 1908, Monsignor Pierre Hevey organized the nation's first credit union, in Manchester, to help mill workers save and borrow money.
In July 1944, the Bretton Woods Agreement, the first fully-negotiated system intended to govern monetary relations among independent nation-states, was signed at the Mount Washington Hotel.
On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard Jr. of Derry rode a Mercury spacecraft and became the first American in space.
In 1963, New Hampshire's legislature approved the nation's first legal state lottery.
In 1966, Ralph Baer of Sanders Associates, Inc., Nashua, recruited engineers to develop the first home video game.
Christa McAuliffe of Concord became the first private citizen selected to venture into space. She perished with her six space shuttle Challenger crewmates in January 28, 1986.

[edit] See also

New Hampshire Portal

[edit] References

Michael Sletcher. New England. Westport, CT, 2004.

^ ^a ^b Elevations and Distances in the United States. U.S Geological Survey (29 April 2005). Retrieved on November 6, 2006.
^ New Hampshire Division of Travel & Tourism Development - State Facts
^ The Tax Foundation - New Hampshire's State and Local Tax Burden, 1970-2006
^ State of New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services - Monthly Revenue Focus (FY 2005)
^ National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - SURVEILLANCE REPORT #73: APPARENT PER CAPITA ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION: NATIONAL, STATE, AND REGIONAL TRENDS, 1977–2003
^ "State Vote 2006: Partisan Composition of State Legislatures: New Hampshire" National Conference of State Legislatures, retrieved November 17, 2006.
^ "Free State Project: State Vote Results"
^ New Hampshire May Pay Half of Education Costs. March 23, 2007.
^ Spinelli Cinemas. Retrieved on 2007-03-30
^ Ioka Theater and Nightclub. Retrieved on 2007-03-30
^ The Town Hall Theater. Retrieved on 2007-03-30
^ The Music Hall. Retrieved on 2007-03-30
^ Susan Morse, "Last of the Yankees", Portsmouth Herald, July 4, 2004.

[edit] External links

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Preceded by South Carolina	List of U.S. states by date of statehood Ratified Constitution on June 21, 1788 (9th)	Succeeded by Virginia

	State of New Hampshire Concord (capital)
Topics	Constitution \| General Court \| Executive Council \| Governor \| Supreme Court
Regions	Dartmouth‑Lake Sunapee \| Great North Woods \| Lakes Region \| Merrimack Valley \| Monadnock \| Seacoast \| White Mountains
Counties	Belknap \| Carroll \| Cheshire \| Coos \| Grafton \| Hillsborough \| Merrimack \| Rockingham \| Strafford \| Sullivan
Cities	Berlin \| Claremont \| Concord \| Dover \| Franklin \| Keene \| Laconia \| Lebanon \| Manchester \| Nashua \| Portsmouth \| Rochester \| Somersworth
Towns	Acworth \| Albany \| Alexandria \| Allenstown \| Alstead \| Alton \| Amherst \| Andover \| Antrim \| Ashland \| Atkinson \| Auburn \| Barnstead \| Barrington \| Bartlett \| Bath \| Bedford \| Belmont \| Bennington \| Benton \| Bethlehem \| Boscawen \| Bow \| Bradford \| Brentwood \| Bridgewater \| Bristol \| Brookfield \| Brookline \| Campton \| Canaan \| Candia \| Canterbury \| Carroll \| Center Harbor \| Charlestown \| Chatham \| Chester \| Chesterfield \| Chichester \| Clarksville \| Colebrook \| Columbia \| Conway \| Cornish \| Croydon \| Dalton \| Danbury \| Danville \| Deerfield \| Deering \| Derry \| Dorchester \| Dublin \| Dummer \| Dunbarton \| Durham \| East Kingston \| Easton \| Eaton \| Effingham \| Ellsworth \| Enfield \| Epping \| Epsom \| Errol \| Exeter \| Farmington \| Fitzwilliam \| Francestown \| Franconia \| Freedom \| Fremont \| Gilford \| Gilmanton \| Gilsum \| Goffstown \| Gorham \| Goshen \| Grafton \| Grantham \| Greenfield \| Greenland \| Greenville \| Groton \| Hampstead \| Hampton \| Hampton Falls \| Hancock \| Hanover \| Harrisville \| Hart's Location \| Haverhill \| Hebron \| Henniker \| Hill \| Hillsborough \| Hinsdale \| Holderness \| Hollis \| Hooksett \| Hopkinton \| Hudson \| Jackson \| Jaffrey \| Jefferson \| Kensington \| Kingston \| Lancaster \| Landaff \| Langdon \| Lee \| Lempster \| Lincoln \| Lisbon \| Litchfield \| Littleton \| Londonderry \| Loudon \| Lyman \| Lyme \| Lyndeborough \| Madbury \| Madison \| Marlborough \| Marlow \| Mason \| Meredith \| Merrimack \| Middleton \| Milan \| Milford \| Milton \| Monroe \| Mont Vernon \| Moultonborough \| Nelson \| New Boston \| New Castle \| New Durham \| New Hampton \| New Ipswich \| New London \| Newbury \| Newfields \| Newington \| Newmarket \| Newport \| Newton \| North Hampton \| Northfield \| Northumberland \| Northwood \| Nottingham \| Orange \| Orford \| Ossipee \| Pelham \| Pembroke \| Peterborough \| Piermont \| Pittsburg \| Pittsfield \| Plainfield \| Plaistow \| Plymouth \| Randolph \| Raymond \| Richmond \| Rindge \| Rollinsford \| Roxbury \| Rumney \| Rye \| Salem \| Salisbury \| Sanbornton \| Sandown \| Sandwich \| Seabrook \| Sharon \| Shelburne \| South Hampton \| Springfield \| Stark \| Stewartstown \| Stoddard \| Strafford \| Stratford \| Stratham \| Sugar Hill \| Sullivan \| Sunapee \| Surry \| Sutton \| Swanzey \| Tamworth \| Temple \| Thornton \| Tilton \| Troy \| Tuftonboro \| Unity \| Wakefield \| Walpole \| Warner \| Warren \| Washington \| Waterville Valley \| Weare \| Webster \| Wentworth \| Westmoreland \| Whitefield \| Wilmot \| Wilton \| Winchester \| Windham \| Windsor \| Wolfeboro \| Woodstock
Unincorporated	Atkinson and Gilmanton Academy Grant \| Bean's Grant \| Bean's Purchase \| Cambridge \| Chandler's Purchase \| Crawford's Purchase \| Cutt's Grant \| Dix's Grant \| Dixville \| Erving's Location \| Green's Grant \| Hadley's Purchase \| Hale's Location \| Kilkenny \| Livermore \| Low and Burbank's Grant \| Martin's Location \| Millsfield \| Odell \| Pinkham's Grant \| Sargent's Purchase \| Second College Grant \| Success \| Thompson and Meserve's Purchase \| Wentworth's Location

v • d • e Political divisions of the United States
States	Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
Federal District	Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia)
Territories	American Samoa · Guam · Northern Mariana Islands · Puerto Rico · U.S. Virgin Islands
Outlying Islands	Baker Island · Howland Island · Jarvis Island · Johnston Atoll · Kingman Reef · Midway Atoll · Navassa Island · Palmyra Atoll · Wake Island

Coordinates: 44° N 71.5° W

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Categories: New Hampshire | New England | 1788 establishments | Former British colonies