Grafton County, New Hampshire

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Grafton County, New Hampshire
File:Grafton County Courthouse 5.JPG
Grafton County Courthouse in Haverhill
Map of New Hampshire highlighting Grafton County
Location in the U.S. state of New Hampshire
Map of the United States highlighting New Hampshire
New Hampshire's location in the U.S.
Founded 1769
Named for Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton
Seat Haverhill
Largest city Lebanon
Area
 • Total 1,750 sq mi (4,532 km2)
 • Land 1,709 sq mi (4,426 km2)
 • Water 41 sq mi (106 km2), 2.3%
Population
 • (2010) 89,118
 • Density 52/sq mi (20/km²)
Congressional districts 1st, 2nd
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.co.grafton.nh.us

Grafton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 89,118.[1] Its county seat is North Haverhill,[2] which is a village within the town of Haverhill. Until 1972, the county courthouse and other offices were located in downtown Woodsville, a larger village within the town of Haverhill.

Grafton County is part of the Claremont-Lebanon, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The county is the home of Dartmouth College and Plymouth State University. Progressive Farmer rated Grafton County fourth in its list of the "Best Places to Live in Rural America" in 2006[citation needed], citing low unemployment (despite slow economic growth), a favorable cost of living, and the presence of White Mountain National Forest, the state's only national forest.

History

Grafton was one of the five counties originally identified for New Hampshire in 1769. It was named for Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton,[3] who had been a supporter of American causes in Parliament, and who was serving as British Prime Minister at the time. The county was organized at Woodsville in 1771, and originally included the entire northern frontier of New Hampshire, including a number of towns that are now in Vermont. In 1803, the northern area was removed for the formation of Coos County. The three counties to the south were Strafford, Hillsborough and Cheshire, and the eastern edge bordered the "District of Maine". In 1797, the county contained 50 townships and 17 locations, and had a population of 23,093.[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,750 square miles (4,500 km2), of which 1,709 square miles (4,430 km2) is land and 41 square miles (110 km2) (2.3%) is water.[5] It is the second-largest county in New Hampshire by area.

Grafton County is heavily rural. About half of its total area is in the White Mountain National Forest. Squam Lake, featured in the film On Golden Pond, and the Old Man of the Mountain landmark are located here, as are Dartmouth College and the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. Many of the 4,000-foot mountains of New Hampshire are within the county. The Appalachian Trail passes through parts of at least ten towns in the county.

Adjacent counties

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National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 13,468 —
1800 23,093 71.5%
1810 28,462 23.2%
1820 32,989 15.9%
1830 38,682 17.3%
1840 42,311 9.4%
1850 42,343 0.1%
1860 42,260 −0.2%
1870 39,103 −7.5%
1880 38,788 −0.8%
1890 37,217 −4.1%
1900 40,844 9.7%
1910 41,652 2.0%
1920 40,572 −2.6%
1930 42,816 5.5%
1940 44,645 4.3%
1950 47,923 7.3%
1960 48,857 1.9%
1970 54,914 12.4%
1980 65,806 19.8%
1990 74,929 13.9%
2000 81,743 9.1%
2010 89,118 9.0%
Est. 2014 89,658 [6] 0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[1]

2000 census

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 81,743 people, 31,598 households, and 20,254 families residing in the county. The population density was 48 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 43,729 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.76% White, 1.73% Asian, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.0% were of English, 12.9% Irish, 11.1% French, 7.8% American, 7.5% German, 6.8% French Canadian and 5.5% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.1% spoke English, 1.5% French and 1.3% Spanish as their first language.

There were 31,598 households out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.90% were non-families. 27.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.90% under the age of 18, 13.50% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,962, and the median income for a family was $50,424. Males had a median income of $31,874 versus $25,286 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,227. About 5.10% of families and 8.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.60% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 89,118 people, 35,986 households, and 22,074 families residing in the county.[12] The population density was 52.2 inhabitants per square mile (20.2/km2). There were 51,120 housing units at an average density of 29.9 per square mile (11.5/km2).[13] The racial makeup of the county was 93.6% white, 3.0% Asian, 0.9% black or African American, 0.4% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 23.6% were English, 18.7% were Irish, 10.9% were German, 6.6% were Italian, 5.8% were Scottish, 5.8% were French Canadian, and 5.0% were American.[14]

Of the 35,986 households, 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.7% were non-families, and 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age was 41.2 years.[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $53,075 and the median income for a family was $66,253. Males had a median income of $43,566 versus $33,535 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,170. About 5.1% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.[15]

Politics and government

Grafton County vote
by party in presidential elections
Year GOP DEM
2012 37.2% 18,208 60.9% 29,826
2008 35.5% 17,687 63.0% 31,446
2004 43.2% 20,277 55.7% 26,180
2000 46.7% 18,092 47.3% 18,326
1996 38.9% 13,543 50.3% 17,476
1992 37.0% 13,450 42.3% 15,389
1988 62.0% 19,033 37.4% 11,484
1984 67.6% 18,451 32.1% 8,757
1980 56.3% 15,273 26.8% 7,282
1976 60.3% 14,430 37.6% 8,996
1972 65.6% 16,605 33.1% 8,388
1968 59.8% 12,881 36.2% 7,813
1964 40.2% 8,461 59.8% 12,566
1960 64.9% 14,454 35.1% 7,821

In the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, Al Gore narrowly defeated George W. Bush, taking 47.31% of the vote to Bush's 46.71%. Other candidates got a combined 5.98%. In 2004 John Kerry defeated George Bush by a wider margin: Kerry received 55.74% of the vote, while Bush received 43.17%. In 2008, Barack Obama carried Grafton by a landslide, receiving 63.03% of the vote to John McCain's 35.45%. It was Obama's highest percentage by county in New Hampshire.[16]

County Commission

The executive power of Grafton County's government is held by three county commissioners, each representing one of the three commissioner districts within the county.

District Name Hometown Party
District 1 Michael J. Cryans Hanover, NH Democratic
District 2 Linda Lauer Bath, NH Democratic
District 3 Martha B. Richards Holderness, NH Democratic

In addition to the County Commission, there are also five directly-elected officials: they include County Attorney, Register of Deeds, County Sheriff, Register of Probate, and County Treasurer.

Office Name
County Attorney Lara Saffo (D)[17]
Register of Deeds Kelley Monahan (D)
County Sheriff Doug Dutile (R)
Register of Probate Michael Wopinski (I) [18]
County Treasurer Bonnie Parker (D)

Legislative branch

The legislative branch of Grafton County is made up of all of the members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the county. In total, as of December 2012 there are 27 members from 17 different districts.

Affiliation Members Voting share
  Democratic Party 21 77.8%
  Republican Party 6 22.2%
Total 27 100%

Members

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Further information: New Hampshire House of Representatives

Media

(Compiled from Radiostationworld.com)

Communities

City

Towns

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Township

Census-designated places

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Villages

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See also

References

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  4. ↑ Morse, Jedidiah: "The American Gazetteer", Thomas & Andrews, 1810
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  16. ↑ U.S. Election Atlas
  17. ↑ Also nominated by the Democratic Party in the most recent election.
  18. ↑ http://sos.nh.gov/Elections/Election_Information/2014_Elections/General_Election/County_Offices_-_2014_General_Election.aspx?id=8589941849

External links

 Caledonia County, Vermont Essex County, Vermont Coos County
Orange County, Vermont Carroll County
  Grafton County, New Hampshire  
Windsor County, Vermont Merrimack County and Sullivan County Belknap County

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