Comprehensive information and links about New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a U.S. state in northern New England. It is located east of Vermont, north of Massachusetts, south of Quebec, Canada, and west of Maine and the North Atlantic Ocean. The state ranks 46th of the 50 states in land area (23,249 kmsup) and 41st in population (around 1.3 million by a 2003 U.S. Census Bureau estimate). It is internationally famous for the New Hampshire primary, the first primary in the quadrennial American election cycle. The primary draws more attention by far than all other primaries, and has often been decisive in shaping the national contest. Critics from other states have tried repeatedly and failed to reduce the state's primary clout. Its license plates boast the famous state motto: "Live free or die." Antebellum New Hampshire produced numerous youth who went on to become famous national leaders after moving to Boston or New York, including Senator Daniel Webster, editor Horace Greeley, and Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science religion.

The state nicknames of New Hampshire are: "Granite State", "Mother of Rivers", "White Mountain State" and Switzerland of America [2]. However, the state is mainly known by its "Granite State" nickname for its abundance of granite bedrock and symbolicly for the state's tradition of limited government. Its state flower is the purple lilac. Its state bird is the purple finch. Its state tree is the American white birch, also called paper birch or canoe birch.

New Hampshire is home to the highest winds ever recorded (measured by an anemometer) on Earth: 231 mph in 1934, at the Mount Washington weather observatory in the Presidential Range.

In 2003, it gained international attention for having the first openly gay bishop of a large mainline Christian church, Gene Robinson, within the Anglican Communion (the Episcopal Church in the United States of America).

New Hampshire's recreational attractions include skiing and other winter sports; "leaf-peeping" or observing the spectacular fall foliage; summer cottages along many lakes; and the New Hampshire International Speedway, home of the Loudon Classic, the longest-running motorcycle race in the United States.

USS

New Hampshire was explored 1600-1605 and first settled in 1623. By 1631 the Upper Plantation comprised modern-day Dover, Durham and Stratham; in 1679 it became the "Royal Province." Indian raids were a serious problem before 1763. : Province of New Hampshire

It was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. It was the first state to declare its independence, but there were no battles here. New Hampshire was a Jacksonian stronghold; the state sent Franklin Pierce to the White House in the election of 1852. Industrialization took the form of numerous textile mills, which in turn attracted large flows of immigrants from Quebec (the "French Canadians") and Ireland. The northern parts of the state produced lumber and the mountains provided tourist attractions. After 1960 the textile industry collapsed, but the economy rebounded as a center of high technology and a service provider.

Since 1952 New Hampshire gained national and international attention for its presidential primary held early in every presidential election year. It immediately became the most important testing grounds for candidates for the Republican and Democratic nominations. The media give New Hampshire (and Iowa) about half of all the attention paid to all states in the primary process, magnifying the state's decision power (and spurring repeated efforts by out-of-state Democrats to change the rules.)

"Settled in 1623, Portsmouth, New Hampshire is one of the oldest towns in the Granite State and the former Capitol." Settled in 1623, Portsmouth, New Hampshire is one of the oldest towns in the Granite State and the former Capitol.

The New Hampshire state capital is Concord, which has also been known over time by the names Rumford and Penacook. The governor of New Hampshire is John Lynch (Democrat). New Hampshire's two U.S. senators are Judd Gregg (Republican) and John E. Sununu (Republican).

New Hampshire has a bifurcated executive branch, consisting of the Governor and a five-member Executive Council which votes on state contracts over $5,000 and "advises and consents" to the governor's nominations to major state positions such as department heads and all judgeships, and pardon requests. New Hampshire does not have a Lieutenant Governor, the Senate President serves as "acting governor" whenever the governor is unable to perform the duties.

The New Hampshire General Court is the bicameral legislative , consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representative is the third-largest legislative in the world with 400 members. Presumably because the position pays just $100 a year plus mileage, members are more likely to be retired than the general public: A survey published by the Associated Press in 2005 found that nearly half the members of the House are retired, with an average age close to 60. [3] The General Court meets in the New Hampshire State House.

The state's sole appellate court is the New Hampshire Supreme Court. The Superior Court is the court of general jurisdiction and the only which provides for jury trials in civil or criminal cases. The other state courts are the Probate Court, District Court, and Family Division.

The New Hampshire State Constitution is the supreme law of the state, followed by the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated. Although the state retains the death penalty, the last execution was conducted in 1939.

In 2004, the General Court passed the "New Hampshire Parental Notification Prior to Abortion Act" which was declared unconstitutional in U.S. District Court on the ground that it did not contain an exception for abortions to protect the health of a minor. On January 18, 2006, the United States Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision , vacated the ruling and sent the case back to the lower federal courts.

New Hampshire is an Alcoholic Beverage Control state.

Politics

New Hampshire has historically been dominated by the Republican Party, and is still considered to be the most conservative state in the Northeast, but in national elections it has become a swing state. In 2004, New Hampshire narrowly gave its four electoral votes to John Kerry with 50.2% of the vote, while in 2000 it narrowly supported George W. Bush. The state supported Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, but prior to that had only strayed from the Republican party for three candidates—Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Unlike other northeastern states, Republicans dominate local and state offices. Republicans hold both U.S. Senate and House of Representative seats, and control both houses of the state legislature. However, in 2004, Democrat John Lynch defeated one-term governor Republican Craig Benson. Democratic strength is greatest in Strafford, Cheshire, Grafton and Merrimack counties.

New Hampshire has a Libertarian-like political tradition that values individual freedom and weak state governmental powers, although the Libertarian party does not do well in elections when compared to Democrats and Republicans.

Much of the authority in the state is in the hands of municipal governments. In 1995, with the passage of Senate Bill 2, municipalities were able to conduct town meetings the traditional way, or by ballot voting.

Killington, Vermont has twice voted to secede from Vermont and join New Hampshire—a largely symbolic act, since secession would require the agreement of both states' legislatures and the U.S. Congress. Supporters of secession note that almost all Vermont towns were first chartered by New Hampshire, and point out that the two states already have some unusual cross-border links, including two of the rare interstate school districts in the United States (a third is shared by Oregon and Nevada).

New Hampshire is part of the New England region. It is bounded by Quebec, Canada to the north and northwest, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Massachusetts to the south, and Vermont to the west. New Hampshire's major regions are the Great North Woods, the White Mountains, the Lakes Region the Seacoast, the Merrimack Valley, the Monadnock Region, and the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee area.

New Hampshire was home to the famous rock formation called the Old Man of the Mountain, a face-like profile in Franconia Notch, until May 2003, when the formation, a icon of the state, fell apart.

The White Mountains range in New Hampshire spans the north-central portion of the state, with Mount Washington being the tallest in the northeastern U.S., and other mountains like Mount Madison and Mount Quincy Adams surrounding it. With hurricane-force winds every third day (on the average), over 100 recorded deaths among visitors, and conspicuous krummholz (dwarf, matted trees much like a carpet of bonsai trees), the upper reaches of Mount Washington claim the distinction of the "worst weather on earth." In consequence, a non-profit observatory is located on the peak for the purposes of observing the harsh environmental conditions.

In the flatter southwest corner of New Hampshire another feature, the prominent landmark and tourist attraction of Mount Monadnock, has given its name to a general class of earth-forms, a signifying, in geomorphology, any isolated resistant peak rising from a less resistant eroded plain.

Major rivers include the 110-mile (177-km) Merrimack River, which bisects the lower half of the state north-south and ends up in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Its major tributaries include the Souhegan River. The 410-mile (670-km) Connecticut River, which starts at New Hampshire's Connecticut Lakes and flows south to Connecticut, defines the western border with Vermont. Oddly, the state border is not in the center of that river, as is usually the case, but lies at the low-water mark on the Vermont side, so New Hampshire actually owns the whole river, where it runs adjacent to Vermont. The "northwesternmost headwaters" of the Connecticut also define the Canadian border with New Hampshire.

The Piscataqua River and its several tributaries form the state's only significant ocean port where they flow into the Atlantic at Portsmouth. The Salmon Falls River and the Piscataqua define the southern 30 miles or so of the border with Maine. The state has an ongoing boundary dispute with Maine in the area of Portsmouth Harbor, with New Hampshire claiming dominion over several islands (now known as Seavey Island) that include the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as well as to the Maine towns of Kittery and Berwick.

The largest lake is Lake Winnipesaukee, which covers 72 square miles (186km²) in the east-central part of New Hampshire.

New Hampshire has the shortest ocean coastline of any coastal state: 18 miles (29km), by state figures. (Under some federal definitions, Pennsylvania's coast is shorter: See Footnote in "Miscellaneous"). Hampton Beach is a popular local summer destination. About 10 miles (16km) offshore are the Isles of Shoals, nine small islands (4 belonging to the state) best known as the site of a 19th-century art colony founded by poet Celia Thaxter, as well as the alleged location of one of the buried treasures of the pirate Blackbeard.

It is the second-most-forested state in the country, after Maine, in terms of percentage of land covered by woods. This change was caused by the abandonment of farms by owners during the 20th century as many farmers took wage jobs in urban areas or moved to more productive areas. The return of woodlands from open fields forms the subject of many poems by Robert Frost, while the emigration is consistent with the results of New Hampshire native and newspaper legend Horace Greeley's famous advice: "Go west, young man."

The northern third of the state, locally refered to as "north of the notches" in reference to White Mountain passes that channel traffic, contains less than 5% of the state's population, suffers from relatively high poverty rates, and is losing population as the logging and paper industries decline. However, the tourist industry, in particular visitors who go to northern New Hampshire to take advantage of the lengthy ski season in the winter, have brought in revenue that helps to offset the losses from mill closures.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Hampshire's total state product in 2003 was $49 billion. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $35,140, 7sup in the nation. Its agricultural outputs are dairy products, nursery stock, cattle, apples, and eggs. Its industrial outputs are machinery, electric equipment, rubber and plastic products, and tourism.

New Hampshire experienced a significant shift in its economic base during the last century. Historically, the base was composed of the traditional New England manufactures of textiles, shoe-making, and small machining shops drawing upon low-wage labor from nearby small farms and from parts of Quebec. Today, these sectors contribute only 2% for textiles, 2% for leather goods, and 9% for machining of the state's total manufacturing dollar value (Source: U.S. Economic Census for 1997, Manufacturing, New Hampshire). They experienced a sharp decline due to obsolete plants and the lure of cheaper wages in the US South.

The current New Hampshire economy is largely driven by fiscal policy. The state has no sales tax, no personal income tax and advocates a frugal budget, thereby attracting commuters, light industry, specialty horticulture, retail customers and service firms from other jurisdictions with higher tax policies, notably from neighboring Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine (and to a lesser extent, New York). This is a viable fiscal policy for a small, high-income state with limited social service demands, but it has not been one hundred percent successful, and pockets of depressed manufacturing activity still remain. Efforts to diversify the state's general economy have been ongoing.

Additionally, New Hampshire's lack of a broad-based tax system (aside from the controversial state-wide property tax) has resulted in the state's local communities having some of the nation's highest property taxes. Overall, New Hampshire remains ranked 49th among states in combined average state and local tax burden. Nevertheless, ongoing efforts from unhappy homeowners for property tax relief continues. They have argued that Massachusetts (and other neighboring states) residents are shopping in their state tax free, and New Hampshire homeowners are paying them for the privilege.

As of 2005, New Hampshire has an estimated population of 1,309,940, which is an increase of 10,771, or 0.8%, from the prior year and an increase of 74,154, or 6.0%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 23,872 people (that is 75,060 births minus 51,188 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 51,968 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 11,107 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 40,861 people.

As of 2004, the population includes 64,000 foreign-born (4.9%).

The five largest ancestry groups in New Hampshire are: Irish (19.4%), English (18%), French (14.6%), French Canadian (10.6%), German (8.6%). People of old colonial ("Yankee") ancestry live throughout most of New Hampshire. The large Irish American and French-Canadian elements are the children and grand-children of mill workers, and they still live in the former mill towns, like Manchester. New Hampshire has the highest percentage of residents of FrenchFrench-Canadian ancestry of any state. The fastest growth is along the southern border, which is in commuting range of Boston and other Massachusetts cities.

In fiction

New Hampshire is the home state of fictional United States President Josiah Bartlet on the television drama series .

Peterborough is the inspiration for the town of Grover's Corners, in Thornton Wilder's play While Census records may seem to indicate that two separate Census Districts exist for this community, in fact one district is contained entirely within the other.The New Hampshire Constitution is the nation's only state constitution that allows the right to revolution, and one of the few that does not mandate the provision of a public school system.New Hampshire has the highest per capita elected and appointed Libertarians, and the highest density of Libertarian Party members in the nation.New Hampshire was the last of the New England states to observe Fast Day, a day of prayer for a bountiful harvest. It was a legal holiday until 1991, when it was replaced by Civil Rights Day. [4]New Hampshire is the only state that does not mandate public kindergarten, partly out of frugality and lack of funding, and partly out of belief in , a philosophy under which towns and cities, not the state, make as many decisions as possible. As of 2005, all but two dozen communities in the state provided public kindergarten.New Hampshire is host to the New Hampshire Highland Games. New Hampshire has also registered an official tartan with the proper authorities in Scotland, used to make kilts worn by the State Police while they serve during the games.New Hampshire is the healthiest state in the nation, tied with Minnesota, as ranked by the United Health Foundation, 2003.New Hampshire has the only piece of Interstate highway that is two-lane (i.e. a single northbound lane and a single southbound lane) with a cobblestone median. This was done to preserve Franconia Notch, the site of the Old Man of the Mountain, a former rock formation visible from Interstate 93 in Franconia.In northern New Hampshire the town of Dixville Notch is traditionally the first city or town in the U.S. to vote in presidential primaries. The few dozen residents of Dixville Notch all stay awake until after midnight to vote. State law grants that a town where all registered citizens have voted may close early and announce their results.New Hampshire is the only state with no mandatory seatbelt law for adults, no motorcycle helmet law for adults, nor mandatory vehicle insurance for automobiles.Footnote about coastline. Official figures recognize two coastal concepts: the coastline, and the shoreline, which includes offshore islands and other features such as inlets and rivers to the head of a narrow tidewater. Pennsylvania has no saltwater of 89 miles. versus 131 for New Hampshire. Pennsylvania's number apparently comes because a portion of the Delaware River on its southeastern border is tidal. Source: U.S. Dept of Commerce, "U.S. Coastline by States" cited on Page 606 of the 2003 "World Almanac."On January 5, 1776 at Exeter, the Province of New Hampshire ratified the first independent state constitution, free of British rule.On June 12, 1800, Fernald's Island in the Piscataqua River became the first government-sanctioned US Navy shipyard.In 1845, the machine shop of Nashuan John H. Gage was considered the first shop devoted to the manufacture of machinists' tools.Finished on June 27, 1874, the first trans-Atlantic telecommunications cable between Europe and America stretched from Balinskelligs Bay, Ireland, to Rye Beach, New Hampshire.On February 6, 1901, a group of nine conservationists founded the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, the first forest conservation advocacy group in the US.In 1908, Monsignor Pierre Hevey organized the nation's first credit union, in Manchester, to help mill workers save and borrow money.On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard Jr. of Derry rode a Mercury spacecraft and became the first American in space.In 1966, Ralph Baer of Sanders Associates, Inc., Nashua, recruited engineers to develop the first home video game.Christa McAuliffe of Concord became the first private citizen selected to venture into space. She perished with her six space shuttle Challenger crewmates in January 28, 1986.