Gorham, New Hampshire
Gorham, New Hampshire | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Buildings along Main Street | |
| Nickname: Switzerland of America[1] | |
 Location in Coos County, New Hampshire | |
| Coordinates: 44°23′16″N 71°10′23″W / 44.38778°N 71.17306°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Coos |
| Incorporated | 1836 |
| Government | |
| • Board of Selectmen | Terry Oliver, Chair Patrick Lafebvre Michael Waddell |
| • Town Manager | Robin L. Frost |
| Area | |
| • Total | 32.3 sq mi (83.7 km2) |
| • Land | 31.9 sq mi (82.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2) 1.27% |
| Elevation | 794 ft (242 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,848 |
| • Density | 88/sq mi (34/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP code | 03581 |
| Area code | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-30260 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0873607 |
| Website | www |
Gorham is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,848 at the 2010 census.[2] Gorham is located in the White Mountains, and parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the south and northwest. Moose Brook State Park is in the west. The town is crossed by the Appalachian Trail. Tourism is a principal business. It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The primary settlement in Gorham, where 1,600 people resided at the 2010 census,[2] is defined as the Gorham census-designated place and is located between the two intersections of US 2 and NH 16, along the Androscoggin River.
History
The community was first chartered in 1770 by Colonial Governor John Wentworth as a part of Shelburne, called "Shelburne Addition". Gorham was first settled about 1802, by Robert Sargent and others,[3] but for years it contained little more than rocky farms, small logging operations, and a few stores and stables. When incorporated in 1836, the town had only 150 inhabitants. It was named "Gorham" at the suggestion of Lot Davis, a resident from Gorham, Maine, and a relative of the Gorham family which incorporated that town in 1764.
The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (later the Grand Trunk Railway) arrived in 1851.[3] Located halfway between Montreal and the New England seacoast, Gorham developed into a railroad town, with a major locomotive yard and repair facility. With trains came tourists, and the Mount Madison House, Alpine House, Gorham House and Willis House opened.[4] Crowds went from Boston and the seacoast to White Mountain Station, and from there to the Glen House in Pinkham Notch and Mount Washington. In 1861, travelers made the first trek up the Mount Washington Carriage Road, winding 8 miles (13 km) to the summit of the 6,288-foot (1,917 m) mountain. "The Road to the Sky" was an engineering feat of its day, advertised as "the first man-made attraction in the United States." It would be renamed the Mount Washington Auto Road, and remains popular today.
Railroads benefited local industries as well, hauling freight for mills run by water power from the Androscoggin River. Logging flourished, with boards and building timber manufactured by the Libby and the Peabody lumber companies. That business would eventually decline, as would railroads. In 1973, the town's train depot, built in 1907, was scheduled for demolition. The Gorham Historical Society saved the building, which now serves as a headquarters and museum. It features displays on area history, with a collection including locomotives, boxcars and a caboose.
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Panoramic view in 1888 -
Exchange Street in 1908 -
The Mount Madison House c. 1912 -
View from Mount Madison House c. 1912 -
Main Street c. 1908
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.3 square miles (84 km2), of which 31.9 sq mi (83 km2) is land and 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2) is water, comprising 1.27% of the town.
Gorham is drained by the Androscoggin, Peabody, and Moose rivers, and the smaller Moose Brook. Gorham lies fully within the Androscoggin River watershed.[5]
The highest point in Gorham is along its western border, on a spur of Mount Madison, where the elevation reaches 3,030 feet (920 m) above sea level. While Gorham itself is surrounded by larger mountains, a small prominent peak within the town is 2,400-foot (730 m) high Pine Mountain.
Rivers
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 156 | — | |
| 1850 | 224 | 43.6% | |
| 1860 | 907 | 304.9% | |
| 1870 | 1,167 | 28.7% | |
| 1880 | 1,383 | 18.5% | |
| 1890 | 1,710 | 23.6% | |
| 1900 | 1,797 | 5.1% | |
| 1910 | 2,155 | 19.9% | |
| 1920 | 2,734 | 26.9% | |
| 1930 | 2,763 | 1.1% | |
| 1940 | 2,597 | −6.0% | |
| 1950 | 2,639 | 1.6% | |
| 1960 | 3,039 | 15.2% | |
| 1970 | 2,998 | −1.3% | |
| 1980 | 3,322 | 10.8% | |
| 1990 | 3,173 | −4.5% | |
| 2000 | 2,895 | −8.8% | |
| 2010 | 2,848 | −1.6% | |
| 2015 (est.) | 2,657 | [6] | −6.7% |
As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 2,895 people, 1,293 households, and 801 families residing in the town. The population density was 90.7 people per square mile (35.0/km²). There were 1,482 housing units at an average density of 46.4 per square mile (17.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.34% White, 0.07% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.
There were 1,293 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the town, the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,250, and the median income for a family was $41,008. Males had a median income of $34,659 versus $20,278 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,649. About 3.9% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- William Hatch, New Hampshire politician
- Dr. Albert C. Johnston, an African-American doctor who, along with his wife and children, hid their racial identity. William Lindsay White later published a book, Lost Boundaries, about the family, which became a film in 1949.
Education
Sites of interest
References
- ^ The Androscoggin River Valley, Gateway to the White Mountains, D.B. Wright and C.E. Tuttle, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1967
- ^ a b United States Census Bureau, American FactFinder, 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- ^ a b "Some Highlights of Gorham History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 14, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Gorham Historical Society & Railroad Museum". Retrieved October 10, 2017.
- ^ Foster, Debra H.; Batorfalvy, Tatianna N.; Medalie, Laura (1995). Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers. U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
External links
Places adjacent to Gorham, New Hampshire | |
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Municipalities and communities of Coös County, New Hampshire, United States | ||
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| Other communities | ||