New Hampshire State Guide

The State of New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The state ranks 44th in land area and 46th in total area of the 50 states and 41st in population. It was one of the Thirteen Colonies and became the ninth state admitted to the Union. New Hampshire was also the first U.S. state to have its own state constitution.

It is internationally famous for the New Hampshire primary, the first primary in the quadrennial American presidential election cycle. The primary draws more attention by far than all other primaries and has often been decisive in shaping the national contest.

Its license plates carry the famous state motto: "Live free or die." The state nickname is "The Granite State", in reference both to its geology and to its tradition of self-sufficiency. Several other official nicknames exist but are rarely if ever used. Antebellum New Hampshire produced numerous people who went on to become famous national leaders including Senator Daniel Webster, editor Horace Greeley, and Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science religion. New Hampshire also produced one president, Franklin Pierce.

New Hampshire's recreational attractions include skiing and other winter sports; observing the spectacular fall foliage; summer cottages along many lakes; motor sports at the New Hampshire International Speedway, home of NASCAR events and the Loudon Classic; and Bike Week, a popular motorcycle rally associated with the Loudon Classic, held in Laconia in June.

New Hampshire State Guide - Geography

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 has the shortest ocean coastline of any U.S. state, with a length of 18 miles (29 km).

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, an 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 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 title of having the "worst weather on earth." 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 monadnock signifying, in geomorphology, any isolated resistant peak rising from a less resistant eroded plain.

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail passes through New Hampshire, and the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site is located in Cornish.

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 Contoocook River, Pemigewasset River, and Winnipesaukee 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 entire 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 portion 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 (186 km²) in the east-central part of New Hampshire.

Hampton Beach is a popular local summer destination. About 10 miles (16 km) 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 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.

The northern third of the state is locally referred to as "north of the notches" in reference to White Mountain passes that channel traffic, or as "the north country". It 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 winter ski season, have helped to offset economic losses from mill closures.

New Hampshire State Guide - History

Various Algonquian tribes inhabited the area prior to European settlement. Europeans explored New Hampshire in 1600-1605 and 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 and many men, women, and children were scalped during the happenings.

It was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. By the time of the American Revolution, New Hampshire was a divided province. The economic and social life of the Seacoast revolved around sawmills, shipyards, merchant's warehouses, and established village and town centers. Wealthy merchants built substantial homes, furnished them with the finest luxuries, and invested their capital in trade and land speculation. At the other end of the social scale, there developed a permanent class of day laborers, mariners, indentured servants, and even slaves. It was the first state to declare its independence, but the only battle fought there was the raid on Fort William and Mary, December 14, 1774 in Portsmouth Harbor, which netted the rebellion sizable quantities of gunpowder, small arms, and cannon (General Sullivan, leader of the raid, described it as, "remainder of the powder, the small arms, bayonets, and cartouch-boxes, together with the cannon and ordnance stores") over the course of two nights. This raid was preceded by a warning to local patriots the previous day, by Paul Revere on December 13, 1774 that the fort was to be reinforced by troops sailing from Boston. This raid is widely regarded (outside Massachusetts) as the first battle of the Revolutionary War. According to unverified accounts, the gunpowder was later used at the Battle of Bunker Hill, transported there by Major Demerit, who was one of several New Hamphire patriots who stored the powder in their homes until it was transported elsewhere for use in revolutionary activities.

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 politicians to change the rules.)

New Hampshire State Guide - Demographics

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.

The center of population of New Hampshire is located in Merrimack County, in the town of Pembroke.

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

The five largest ancestry groups in New Hampshire are: French or French Canadian (25.2%), Irish (19.4%), English (18%), and German (8.6%), and Italian (8.5%). People of old colonial ("Yankee") ancestry live throughout most of New Hampshire. The large Irish American, French-Canadian and Italian-American populations are descended largely from mill workers, and many still live in the former mill towns, like Manchester. New Hampshire has the highest percentage of residents of French/French-Canadian ancestry of any U.S. state. The fastest growth is along the southern border, which is within commuting range of Boston and other Massachusetts cities.

New Hampshire State Guide - Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Hampshire's total state product in 2003 was $49 billion. Per capita personal income in 2005 was $37,835, 6th in the nation and 110 percent of the national average, $34,495. 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 comprised 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 South.

The state has no sales tax, no personal income tax (the state does tax, at a 5 percent rate, income from dividends and interest) and the legislature has exercised fiscal restraint, 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). 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 residents of Massachusetts and other neighboring states are shopping in New Hampshire tax free, and New Hampshire homeowners are paying them for the privilege.

New Hampshire State Guide - Law and Government

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 a bicameral legislative body, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is the fourth-largest legislative body in the English speaking world with 400 members. Only the US House, the British House of Commons and the Indian Parliament are larger. Presumably because the position pays just $100 per year plus mileage, members are more likely to be retired. 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. 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 court which provides for jury trials in civil or criminal cases. The other state courts are the Probate Court, District Court, and the Family Division.

The New Hampshire State Constitution is the supreme law of the state, followed by the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated. The State Constitution is the nation's only state constitution which acknowledges the right of revolution, and one of the few that does not expressly mandate the provision of a public school system.

New Hampshire is also the only state with no mandatory seatbelt law for adults, and also has no motorcycle helmet law for adults nor mandatory vehicle insurance for automobiles. Although the state retains the death penalty for limited crimes, the last execution was conducted in 1939. 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 local control, 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 a "Dillon Rule" state, meaning that powers not specifically granted to municipalities are retained by the state government. Even so, there is within the state's legislature a strong sentiment favoring local control, particularly with regard to land use regulations. Traditionally, local government in New Hampshire is conducted by town meetings, but in 1995, municipalities were given the option of using an official ballot to decide local electoral and budgetary questions, as opposed to the more open and public town meeting.

New Hampshire is an Alcoholic Beverage Control state, and through the State Liquor Commission it takes in $100 million from the sale and distribution of liquor. The state also leads the country in per capita sales of all forms of alcohol.

New Hampshire State Guide - Politics

New Hampshire is internationally famous for the New Hampshire primary, the first primary in the quadrennial American presidential 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 but failed to reduce the state's primary clout. In Dixville Notch in Coos County and Hart's Location in Carroll County, the few dozen residents of these small towns vote at midnight the Tuesday the primary is being held. State law grants that a town where all registered citizens have voted may close early and announce their results. These are traditionally the first towns in both New Hampshire and the U.S. to vote in presidential primaries and elections.

New Hampshire has historically been dominated by the Republican Party (indeed some sources trace the founding of the Republican party to the town of Exeter in 1853) and is considered to be the most conservative state in the Northeast. In recent years, however, in both national and local elections it has become a swing state. It was the only U.S. state to give its electoral votes to George W. Bush in the 2000 election but then go Democratic in the 2004 election. New Hampshire gave its four electoral votes to John Kerry in 2004 with 50.2% of the vote. 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. New Hampshire's swing state status has been further solidified by the 2006 midterm election results with both Congressional seats now held by Democrats (Charlie Bass was defeated by Paul Hodes and Jeb Bradley defeated by Carol Shea-Porter); Democratic Governor John Lynch was re-elected in an historic landslide with 74% of the vote. Republicans hold both U.S. Senate seats, which were not up for a vote in 2006.

Prior to the 2006 elections, New Hampshire was the only New England state in which Republicans held majorities in both legislative chambers. Following the 2006 elections, both chambers of the New Hampshire General Court have Democratic Party majorities.[6] The New Hampshire General Assembly is the largest among state legislatures in the U.S., with 400 members, and has the most representatives per capita (approximately one for every 3,200 citizens). Democratic party strength is greatest in Cheshire, Grafton, Merrimack and Strafford counties, as well as in Berlin, Portsmouth, the college towns of Durham, Hanover, Keene, and Plymouth and parts of Nashua and Manchester.

New Hampshire has been known for a Libertarian-like political tradition that values individual freedom and limited exercise of state governmental powers. In addition to the lack of sales and income taxes, the state has the highest per capita elected and appointed Libertarians and the highest density of Libertarian Party members in the nation. However, the Libertarian Party does not perform well in the state relative to the rest of the country. The Free State Project selected New Hampshire as its destination due to its "Live Free or Die" libertarian-esque heritage.

New Hampshire State Guide - Colleges and Universities

* Antioch New England
* Chester College of New England
* Colby-Sawyer College
* Granite State College
* Daniel Webster College
* Dartmouth College
* Franklin Pierce College
* Franklin Pierce Law Center
* Hesser College
* Lebanon College
* McIntosh College
* New England College
* New Hampshire Community Technical College
* New Hampshire Institute of Art
* Southern New Hampshire University
* Rivier College
* Saint Anselm College
* The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
* University System of New Hampshire:
   o University of New Hampshire
   o Keene State College
   o Plymouth State University
   o University of New Hampshire at Manchester

New Hampshire State Guide - Sport Teams

Minor league baseball teams:

* Nashua Pride
* New Hampshire Fisher Cats
* Concord Quarry Dogs

Hockey team:

* Manchester Monarchs

Arena football teams:

* Manchester Wolves
* Manchester SeaMonsters

Soccer team:

* New Hampshire Phantoms

New Hampshire State Guide - Miscellaneous Topics

* In Charlestown there is the reconstructed Fort at Number 4 from the 1740s and 1750s.
* 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 (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.
* 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.
* 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, which was later renamed "Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Day", becoming the second to last state to have a "Martin Luther King" day.
* 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 named in honor of this state.
* 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).
* Keene held the world record for the most jack-o’-lanterns in one place (28,952) until 2006, when it was beaten by Boston (30,128).

New Hampshire State Guide - State Firsts

* On January 5, 1776 at Exeter, the Provincial Congress 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.
* Started in 1822, Dublin's Juvenile Library was the first free public library.
* In 1828, the first women's strike in the nation took place at Dover's Cocheco Mills.
* In 1845, the machine shop of Nashuan John H. Gage was considered the first shop devoted to the manufacture of machinists' tools.
* On August 29, 1866, Sylvester Marsh demonstrated the first mountain-climbing "cog" railway.
* 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.
* In July 1944, the Bretton Woods Agreement, the first fully-negotiated system intended to govern monetary relations among independent nation-states, was signed at the Mount Washington Hotel.
* On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard Jr. of Derry rode a Mercury spacecraft and became the first American in space.
* In 1963, New Hampshire's legislature approved the nation's first legal state lottery.
* 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.

Article Source: Wikipedia