Bedford, New Hampshire

Bedford, New Hampshire
—  Town  —
Town Hall
Seal
Location in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 42°56′47″N 71°30′57″W
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Hillsborough
Incorporated	1750
Government
• Manager	Russell Marcoux
• Council	Bill Dermody, Chairman Chris Bandazian Normand Longval Jim Scanlon Ken Peterson Bill Jean Mac McMahan
Area
• Total	33.1 sq mi (85.8 km2)
• Land	32.8 sq mi (85.0 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)  0.85%
Elevation	308 ft (94 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	21,203
• Density	Bad rounding here640/sq mi (Bad rounding here250/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	03110
Area code(s)	603
FIPS code	33-04500
GNIS feature ID	0873541
Website	www.ci.bedford.nh.us

Bedford, founded in 1750, is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 21,203 at the 2010 census. Bedford is a suburb of Manchester, the largest city in the state.

History

Established in 1730 as Narragansett Number 5 for the benefit of soldiers who fought against the Narragansett Indians in Rhode Island, it was regranted first as Souhegan East, then as Bedford in 1750. The town was named for Lord John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (1748–51), and a close friend of Governor Benning Wentworth, whose first wife, Diana Spencer, was cousin to the Duke of Marlborough. The first settlers in Bedford were Robert and James Walker III. A monument dated 1737 stands on what is now known as Hawthorne Drive, marking the first settlement. Bedford's first moderator was Mayor John Goffe, son of Colonel John Goffe, for whom Goffstown was named.

Like much of southeastern New Hampshire, Bedford has grown rapidly over the last fifty years. The 2000 population of 18,274 was over eight times the population in 1950 of 2,176. Every decade has had a substantial rate of growth, ranging from 33 percent between 1980-1990 to a 67 percent increase between 1950-60. The 2005 population estimate by the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning was 20,738 residents, which ranked 13th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 33.1 square miles (86 km²), of which 32.8 sq mi (85 km²) is land and 0.3 sq mi (0.78 km²) is water, comprising 0.85% of the town. The largest body of water other than the Merrimack River is Sebbins Pond, which is connected to smaller, neighboring bodies of water by Sebbins Brook. Bedford is bordered by the town of Goffstown and the city of Manchester to the north, by Manchester to the east across the Merrimack River, by the town of Merrimack to the south, and by the towns of Amherst and New Boston to the west.

A rock formation called Pulpit Rock (originally the Devil's Pulpit) is located in the northwest part of the town on New Boston Road and is the feature of the town-owned Pulpit Rock Conservation Area. The highest point in Bedford is Holbrook Hill, at 845 feet (258 m) above sea level, located in the extreme northwest corner of town. Bedford lies fully within the Merrimack River watershed.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1990	12,563		—
2000	18,274		45.5%
2010	21,203		16.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 21,203 people, 7,364 households, and 5,834 families residing in the town. The population density was 646.4 people per square mile (249.4/km²). There were 7,634 housing units at an average density of 232.7 per square mile (89.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.5% White, 0.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.9% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.

There were 7,364 households out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.8% were headed by married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.3 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

For the period 2006-2010, the median income for a household in the town was $116,299 (in 2010 dollars), and the median income for a family was $127,589. Full-time male workers had median earnings of $99,366 versus $53,286 for females. The per capita income for the town was $50,952. About 2.7% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over. Bedford had the fifth highest average personal income in the state between 2006 and 2010.

Politics

Politically, Bedford votes solidly Republican, not having elected a Democrat to the state legislature since 1932.^{[citation needed]}

Education

There are six schools in Bedford: Memorial, Peter Woodbury and Riddle Brook are neighborhood schools and accommodate grades K through 4. McKelvie Intermediate School accommodates grades 5 and 6. In 2007, Lurgio Middle School (grades 7 and 8) and Bedford High School (grades 9 through 12) opened.

Lurgio Middle School and Bedford High School comprise one 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m²) building. This was done to support economies of scale (shared kitchen, auditorium, security), but they operate as separate schools with different entrances, bus schedules, start times and end times. Additionally, key-controlled access is required to move between schools.

Some of the campus of Saint Anselm College is located in Bedford.

Notable people

• Silas Aiken (1799-1869), minister and author
• David Atwood, (1815–1889), newspaperman and the US congressman from Wisconsin; born in Bedford
• Chris Carpenter, pitcher with the St Louis Cardinals^{[citation needed]}
• John Goffe, colonial soldier
• Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway HT and the iBOT; owner of Manchester-based DEKA Corporation
• Josh Meyers, actor and comedian
• Seth Meyers, comedian (Saturday Night Live)
• Patricia Racette, opera singer
• Steven Sills, screenwriter
• Laura Silverman, actress
• Sarah Silverman, comedian
• John E. Sununu, US senator (2003–2009)^{[citation needed]}
• Peter Woodbury, judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

External links

• Town of Bedford official website
• Bedford Historical Society
• New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile