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Grafton County, New Hampshire facts for kids

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Grafton County
Grafton County Courthouse in Haverhill
Grafton County Courthouse in Haverhill
Map of New Hampshire highlighting Grafton County
Location within the U.S. state of New Hampshire
Map of the United States highlighting New Hampshire
New Hampshire's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  New Hampshire
Founded 1769
Named for Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton
Seat Haverhill
Largest city Lebanon
Area
 • Total 1,749.7 sq mi (4,532 km2)
 • Land 1,708.6 sq mi (4,425 km2)
 • Water 41.1 sq mi (106 km2)  2.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 91,118
 • Estimate 
(2022)
91,126 Increase
 • Density 53.3/sq mi (20.6/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 1st, 2nd

Grafton County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,118. Its county seat is the town of Haverhill. In 1972, the county courthouse and other offices were moved from Woodsville, a larger village within the town of Haverhill, to North 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, 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, 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 Haverhill in 1771, and originally included the entire northern frontier of New Hampshire, including several towns 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 had 50 townships, 17 locations, and a population of 23,093.

Geography

According to the United States 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) are land and 41 square miles (110 km2) (2.3%) are water. It is the second-largest county in New Hampshire by area.

Grafton County is heavily rural. About half of its 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 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

National protected area

  • White Mountain National Forest (part)


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%
2020 91,118 2.2%
2022 (est.) 91,126 2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 89,118 people, 35,986 households, and 22,074 families in the county. The population density was 52.2 inhabitants per square mile (20.2 inhabitants/km2). There were 51,120 housing units at an average density of 29.9 units per square mile (11.5 units/km2). The county's racial makeup 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. 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.

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.

The median household income was $53,075 and the median family income 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.

Media

  • WPNH - 1300 AM, Plymouth
  • WTSL - 1400 AM, Hanover - News/Talk
  • WLTN - 1400 AM, Littleton - Oldies - "Oldies 1400"
  • WUVR - 1490 AM, Hanover - Talk
  • W217BH - 91.3 FM, Littleton - New Hampshire Public Radio - Simulcast of WEVO in Concord, New Hampshire
  • WEVH - 91.3 FM, Hanover - New Hampshire Public Radio
  • WPCR - 91.7 FM, Plymouth - Plymouth State University
  • WGXL - 92.3 FM, Hanover - Hot Adult Contemporary - "The Valley's Hit Music"
  • W231BW - 94.1 FM, Littleton - Classic rock - "The Outlaw" - Simulcast of WOTX in Groveton
  • W237CR - 95.3 FM, Littleton - Eclectic Music Mix (Hot AC/Rock/Dance) - "Kiss 102.3" - Simulcast of WXXS in Lancaster
  • W240AK - 95.9 FM, Lebanon - Religious - "Alive Radio" - Simulcast of WBAR in Lake Luzerne, New York
  • WLTN-FM - 96.7 FM, Lisbon - 1970s-1990s Adult Contemporary - "Mix 96.7"
  • W245AF - 96.9 FM, Ashland - "New Hampshire Gospel Radio" - Simulcast of WVNH in Concord, New Hampshire
  • W247AO - 97.3 FM, Plymouth - New Hampshire Public Radio - Simulcast of WEVO in Concord, New Hampshire
  • W249AW - 97.7 FM, Lebanon - Religious - "Alive Radio" - Simulcast of WBAR in Lake Luzerne, New York
  • WFRD - 99.3 FM, Hanover - Active Rock - "99 Rock"
  • WPNH - 100.1 FM, Plymouth - "The Planet"
  • WXXK - 100.5 FM, Lebanon - Country - "Kixx Country"
  • WYKR-FM - 101.3 FM, Haverhill - Country
  • W272AU - 102.3 FM, Hanover - Classic rock - "Champ 101.3 & 102.1" - Simulcast of WVXR in Randolph, Vermont
  • W280CS - 103.9 FM, Hanover - Vermont Public Radio Classical Channel - Simulcast of WVPR in Burlington, Vermont
  • WLKC - 105.7 FM, Campton - "The River" - Simulcast of WXRV in Andover, Massachusetts
  • WMTK - 106.3 FM, Littleton - Classic rock - "The Notch"
  • W294AB - 106.7 FM, Hanover - Classic rock - "Q106" - Simulcast of WHDQ in Claremont, New Hampshire
  • W299AM - 107.7 FM, Lebanon - Christian contemporary - "K-Love" - Simulcast of WZKC in Royalton, Vermont

(Compiled from Radiostationworld.com)

Communities

City

Towns

Township

Census-designated places

Villages

Education

School districts include:

Unified (K-12):

  • Benton School District
  • Ellsworth School District
  • Haverhill Cooperative School District
  • Lebanon School District
  • Lincoln-Woodstock School District
  • Lisbon Regional School District
  • Littleton School District
  • Mascoma Valley Regional School District
  • Newfound Area School District
  • Rivendell Interstate School District

Secondary:

  • Dresden School District
  • Profile School District
  • Pemi-Baker Regional School District

Elementary:

  • Ashland School District
  • Bath School District
  • Bethlehem School District
  • Campton School District
  • Hanover School District
  • Holderness School District
  • Lafayette Regional School District
  • Landaff School District
  • Lyme School District
  • Monroe School District
  • Piermont School District
  • Plymouth School District
  • Rumney School District
  • Thornton School District
  • Warren School District
  • Waterville Valley School District
  • Wentworth School District

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Grafton para niños

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