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Facts about New Hampshire

History | Symbols | Interesting Facts | Famous People

Demographics
Statehood:  June 21, 1788, the 9th state

Capital:  Concord

Total Area:  44th among states, 24,217 sq km (9,350 sq mi)

Water Area:  813 sq km (314 sq mi)

Highest Point:  Mount Washington, 1,917 m (6,288 ft)

Total Population:   42nd among states
2010 census -  1,316,470

Population Density in 2010:  147 people per sq mi

Distribution in 2000:  57.8% Urban, 42.2% Rural

Economy:  
 Gross State Product - $61.6 billion (2010)
Personal income per Capita - $42,831 (2009)

Largest cities in 2010: 
 Manchester:  109,565
Nashua:  86,494
Concord:  42,695

  • The first U.S. public library is founded in Peterborough. 
     

  • The first potato grown in the United States was planted at Londonderry Common Field (now Derry) in 1719. 
     

  • The Brattle organ in St. John’s Church in Portsmouth is the oldest pipe organ in the United States.  Still played on special occasions, it dates back to 1708. 
     

  • The highest wind speed recorded at ground level was on April 12, 1934 at Mt. Washington.  The winds were three times as fast as those in most hurricanes. 
     

  • The longest covered bridge, the 460-foot Cornish-Windsor Bridge, crosses the Connecticut River. 
     

  • The first act of revolution against the British occurred when rebels seized the fort at New Castle.  Because of this, New Hampshire delegates received the honor of being the first to vote for the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. 
     

  • New Castle is the smallest town in New Hampshire covering .8 square miles. 
     

  • New Hampshire’s State House is the oldest state capitol in which a legislature still meets in its original chambers.
     

  • New Hampshire cast the decisive vote on June 21, 1788, that put the Constitution into effect.
     

  • In 1952 New Hampshire introduced the nation's first presidential primary election.
     

  • The first recorded visit to New Hampshire took place in 1603, when an English sea captain, Martin Pring, explored the shoreline and a small part of the interior.