New Hampshire

From New World Encyclopedia


Template:US state New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America named after the southern English county of Hampshire. 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 the first US state to have its own state constitution, and is the only state with neither a general sales tax nor a personal income tax.[1]

It is internationally famous for the New Hampshire primary, the first primary in the quadrennial U.S. presidential election cycle.

Its license plates carry the 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 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 one US president, Franklin Pierce.

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

Geography

See List of counties in New Hampshire, mountains, lakes, and 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 US coastal state, 18 miles (29 km).

File:New Hampshire State House 2004.JPG
The New Hampshire State House in Concord was designed by Albe Cady. It is the oldest U.S. state capitol where legislators still meet in their original chambers.
New Hampshire, showing roads, rivers and major cities

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

The White Mountains range in New Hampshire spans the north-central portion of the state, with Mount Washington being the highest peak in the northeastern US, and other mountains like Mount Madison and Mount Adams surrounding it. With hurricane-force winds every third day on 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 weather observatory is located on the peak.

In the flatter southwest corner of New Hampshire, the prominent landmark 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.

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; 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 Portsmouth Harbor, with New Hampshire claiming dominion over several islands (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.

New Hampshire is second only to Maine in percentage of land covered by forest. 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. Reforestation was the natural result of migration to the cities by farmers in search of wager-paying jobs.

The northern third of the state is locally referred to as the "north country" or "north of the notches," in reference to White Mountain passes that channel traffic. It contains less than 5% of the state's population, suffers from relatively high poverty rates, and is losing population as 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, has helped to offset economic losses from mill closures.

Climate

New Hampshire experiences a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa in southern areas and Dfb in the north), with warm, humid summers, cold, wet winters, and uniform precipitation all year. The climate of the southeastern part of the state is moderated somewhat by the Atlantic Ocean and averages relatively milder and wetter weather, while the north and interior experience relatively cooler temperatures and lower humidity. Winters are cold and snowy throughout the state, and are especially severe in the northern and mountainous areas. Average annual snowfall ranges from 60" (1524 mm) to over 100" (2540 mm) across the state.[3]

Average daytime highs are generally in the mid 70s°F to low 80s°F (around 24-28 °C) throughout the state in July, with overnight lows in the mid 50s°F to low 60s°F (13-15 °C). January temperatures range from an average high of 34 °F (1 °C) on the coast to overnight lows below 0 °F (-18 °C) in the far north and at high elevations. Average annual precipitation statewide is roughly 40" (1016 mm) with some variation occurring in the White Mountains due to differences in elevation and annual snowfall.

Extreme snow events are often associated with a nor'easter, such as the Blizzard of '78 and the Blizzard of 1993, when several feet of snow accumulated across part of the state over 24 to 48 hours. Lighter snowfall accumulations of several inches occur frequently throughout the winter months, often associated with an Alberta Clipper, fast moving cold fronts originating in the Canadian plains.

New Hampshire, on occasion, is affected by hurricanes and tropical storms; by the time they reach the state they are often extratropical, with most storms striking the southern New England coastline and moving inland or passing offshore in the Gulf of Maine. Most of New Hampshire averages fewer than 20 days of thunderstorms per year and an average of about 2 tornadoes occur annually statewide.[4]

The National Arbor Day Foundation plant hardiness zone map depicts zones 3, 4, 5, and 6 occurring throughout the state[5] and indicates the transition from a relatively cooler to warmer climate as one travels southward across New Hampshire.


History

Lake Winnepesaukee.

The earliest inhabitants of New Hampshire have been traced to 7000 - 1000 B.C.E., during the Archaic Period. Native Americans traveled seasonally around the region that became New Hampshire to live, follow the hunt, gather, and fish. During the Woodland Period (1000 B.C.E. to 1600), the Native Americans of different Algonquian tribes established villages and developed trade networks, leaving behind evidence of ceramics, and bow and arrow technology. http://www.shgresources.com/nh/timeline/

Europeans explored New Hampshire in 1600–1605, sailing the coastline from the Chesapeake to Buzzards Bay up to the southern Maine coast. Captain John Smith made forays into the region, claiming it as Noth Virginial later re-named "New England" by King James I. The first permanent European settlement was made at Dover in 1623. http://www.nh.gov/nhinfo/history.html

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, a permanent underclass of day laborers, mariners, indentured servants, and even slaves developed. 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. 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 Hampshire patriots who stored the powder in their homes until it was transported elsewhere for use in revolutionary activities.

The first public library in the US opened in Peterborough in 1833. New Hampshire was a Jacksonian stronghold in the early part of the 1800s; the state sent Franklin Pierce to the White House in the election of 1852. In 1869, the first cog-wheel railway in the US was built, to the top of Mt. Washington. http://www.nh.gov/nhinfo/history.html New Hampshire College, then located in Hanover, admitted its first women students in 1890. (The College would later re-locate to Durham and in the 1930s, become the University of New Hampshire.) http://www.izaak.unh.edu/archives/history/hanover/chronology.shtml

Law and government

Concord, New Hampshire State House, built by Stuart J. Park from local granite. Construction began 1816 and was completed in 1819. Image by Jared C. Benedict© Dec. 2004.

Concord is the capital city of New Hampshire and the county seat of Merrimack County. Settled between 1725 and 1727 by Captain Ebenezer Eastman and others from Haverhill, Massachusetts, it was incorporated as Rumford. Following a bitter boundary dispute between Rumford and the town of Bow, it was renamed Concord in 1765 by Governor Benning Wentworth. In the years following the American Revolution, Concord's central geographical location made it a logical choice for the state capital, particularly after Samuel Blodget in 1807 opened a canal and lock system to allow vessels passage around the Amoskeag Falls downriver, connecting Concord with Boston by way of the Middlesex Canal. In 1808, Concord was named the official seat of state government. The State House was built in 1819, and still stands, making New Hampshire's legislature the oldest state government in the US to meet in its original chambers.

State and local government

New Hampshire has a bifurcated executive branch, consisting of the Governor and a five-member Executive Council that 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 third-largest legislative body in the English speaking world with 400 members. Only the United States House of Representatives and the British House of Commons are larger.[6] Presumably because the position pays just $100 per year plus mileage, members are more likely to be retired citizens. 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. [1] 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 US$100 million from the sale and distribution of liquor.[7] The state also leads the country in per capita sales of all forms of alcohol.[8]

On May 31, 2007, Governor Lynch signed HB 437, a civil union bill, into law, which will grant all the rights associated with marriage in the state to same-sex couples effective January 1, 2008.[9]

Politics

Since 1952, New Hampshire has 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 other states' politicians to change the rules.)

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. The few dozen residents of Dixville Notch, in Coos County, and Hart's Location, in Carroll County, 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. Traditionally these are the first towns in both New Hampshire and the US to vote in presidential primaries and elections.

In the past, New Hampshire has often voted Republican. The founding of the Republican party has been sometimes traced to the town of Exeter in 1853. The state is considered to be the most conservative state in the Northeast. However, the state supported Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996; prior to that strayed from the Republican Party for only three candidates—Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

In recent years, however, in both national and local elections it became a swing state. New Hampshire gave its four electoral votes to George W. Bush in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004 with 50.2% of the vote. The change from voting Republican was solidified by the 2006 midterm elections, in which both Congressional seats were won by Democrats. 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 took both houses of the State Legislature for the first time since 1911. Democrats now hold both the legislature and the governorship for the first time since 1874. [2] 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.[10]

Economy

New Hampshire state quarter

Industrialization in New Hampshire took the form of numerous textile mills that attracted large flows of immigrants from Quebec (the "French Canadians") and Ireland. New Hampshire has few natural resources other than forest lands,and many rivers providing hydropower for the early mill economy. The northern parts of the state produced lumber and the mountains provided tourist attractions.

New Hampshire experienced a significant shift in its economic base during the last century. Historically, the base was composed 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 percent for textiles, 2 percent for leather goods, and 9 percent for machining of the state's total manufacturing dollar value [11] The sharp decline was due to obsolete plants and the lure of cheaper wages in the South. After 1960, the textile industry collapsed, but the economy rebounded as a center of high technology and a service provider.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Hampshire's total state product in 2003 was US$49 billion. Per capita personal income in 2005 was $37,835, 6th 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. [12]

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. 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. [13] 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.

Education

Education in New hampshire is overseen by Commissioner heading the State Department of Education and a State Board of Education. New Hampshire has more than 150 public high schools, many of which serve more than one town. The largest is Pinkerton Academy in the city of Derry, 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 percent of the statewide cost of an adequate education. [14]

Colleges and universities

There are several prestigious universities and colleges, private and public in New Hampshire, Dartmouth College, the University of New Hampshire system, St. Amselm and Daniel Webster College among them.

  • Antioch University New England
  • Chester College of New England
  • Colby-Sawyer College
  • Daniel Webster College
  • Dartmouth College
  • Franklin Pierce University
  • Franklin Pierce Law Center
  • Hesser College
  • Lebanon College
  • McIntosh College
  • New England College
  • New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges

  • New Hampshire Institute of Art
  • New Hampshire Technical Institute
  • Rivier College
  • Saint Anselm College
  • Southern New Hampshire University
  • The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
  • University System of New Hampshire:
    • University of New Hampshire
    • Granite State College
    • Keene State College
    • Plymouth State University
    • University of New Hampshire at Manchester

Demographics

New Hampshire Population Density Map

As of 2005, New Hampshire had an estimated population of 1,309,940, which was an increase of 10,771, or 0.8 percent, from the prior year and an increase of 74,154, or 6.0 percent, 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.

Ancestry groups

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. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 3.41 percent of the population aged 5 and over speak French at home, while 1.60 percent speak Spanish [15]

The fastest population growth is along the southern border, which is within commuting range of Boston and other Massachusetts cities. People of old colonial ("Yankee") ancestry live throughout most of New Hampshire.

Miscellaneous

In the spring, New Hampshire's many sap houses hold sugaring off open houses. In summer, New Hampshire is home to many county fairs, the largest being the Hopkinton State Fair, in Contoocook. New Hampshire's lake region is home to many summer camps, especially around Lake Winnipesaukee, and is a popular tourist destination. In the fall, New Hampshire hosts 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. The fall foliage peaks in mid October. In the winter, New Hampshire's ski areas attract visitors from a wide area, and New Hampshire has more miles of snowmobile trails than roads.[16] After the lakes freeze over they become dotted with ice fishing ice houses, known locally as bobhouses.

Notes

  1. NH has a room and meals sales tax and a business profits income tax. Alaska does not have a statewide sales or income tax, but many Alaska towns have a sales tax. No New Hampshire towns have a sales tax.
  2. NH Department of Resources and Economic Development - State Facts
  3. Dellinger, Dan (2004-06-23). Snowfall - Average Total In Inches. NOAA. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  4. Annual average number of tornadoes 1953-2004. NOAA. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  5. 2006 arborday.org Hardiness Zone Map. National Arbor Day Foundation. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  6. http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/memberlookup.aspx
  7. State of New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services - Monthly Revenue Focus (FY 2005)
  8. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - SURVEILLANCE REPORT #73: APPARENT PER CAPITA ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION: NATIONAL, STATE, AND REGIONAL TRENDS, 1977–2003
  9. Office of the Governor of the State of New Hampshire (2007-05-31). Governor Signs Law Establishing Civil Unions in New Hampshire. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
  10. "State Vote 2006: Partisan Composition of State Legislatures: New Hampshire" National Conference of State Legislatures, retrieved November 17, 2006.
  11. U.S. Census Bureau. 1997 Economic Census Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  12. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. State at a Glance - New Hampshire Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  13. Tax Foundation. April 4, 2007. New Hampshire's State and Local Tax Burden, 1970-2007
  14. NewsMax.com. March 23, 2007. New Hampshire May Pay Half of Education Costs. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  15. MLA Language Map Data Center. Most spoken languages in New Hampshire . Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  16. It's Time for Winter Fun

References
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External links


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