Peterborough, New Hampshire

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Peterborough
Town House, built in 1918
Town House, built in 1918
Seal of Peterborough
seal
Location in county and New Hampshire
Hillsborough Peterborough NH.png
Basic data
Foundation : 1760
State : United States
State : New Hampshire
County : Hillsborough County
Coordinates : 42 ° 52 ′  N , 71 ° 57 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 52 ′  N , 71 ° 57 ′  W
Time zone : Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 )
Residents : 6,284 (as of 2010)
Population density : 64.3 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 98.7 km 2  (approx. 38 mi 2 ) of
which 97.7 km 2  (approx. 38 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 219 m
Postal code : 03458
Area code : +1 603
FIPS : 33-60580
GNIS ID : 0873697
Website : www.townofpeterborough.com

Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County , New Hampshire in the United States. At the time of the 2010 United States Census , Peterborough had 6,284 residents. The central village had 3103 inhabitants at the time. It is defined as the Peterborough Census-designated place (CDP) and is located on the Contoocook River , where US Highway 202 and New Hampshire Route 101 intersect.

geography

According to the United States Census Bureau , Peterborough has a total area of ​​98.7 km², of which 97.7 km² is land and 1.0 km² (= 1.08%) is water. Peterborough is drained by Nubanusite Brook and Contoocook River . The highest point is the South Pack Monadnock Mountain in Miller State Park , which reaches a height of 698  m .

The center of Peterborough is formed by the census-designated place of the same name, in which more than half of the residents live. It has an area of ​​12.4 km², of which 12.3 km² are land and 0.1 km² (= 0.42%) consist of water. Other localities in Peterborough are Drury, Happy Valley, MacDowell Colony, Noone, North Village and West Peterborough.

history

Bird's-eye view from 1907

The town, approved by Massachusetts in 1737 , was first permanently settled in 1749. During the French and Indian wars was repeatedly attacked the city, but in 1759 lived 50 families in the area, the Governor Benning Wentworth on January 17, 1760 incorporated was gradually Lieutenant Peter Prescott (1709-1784) of Concord , Massachusetts , a known Land speculators, was named.

Its location on the Contoocook River and Nubanusit Brook with numerous locations for watermills made Peterborough a prosperous city. In 1810 the first cotton processing factory was established. In 1859, when the population had exceeded 2200, there were four more cotton factories, a wool mill, two paper mills , an ironworks , a machine factory, a carriage factory, a basket factory, a manufacturer of straps and supports, a factory for boots and shoes , seven sawmills and three flour mills .

Demographics

At the time of the United States Census 2000, Peterborough was inhabited by 5883 people. The population density was 60.2 people per km ². There were 2509 housing units at an average of 25.7 per km ². Peterborough's population was 96.97% White , 0.63% Black or African American , 0.15% Native American , 1.29% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.27% of other races belong to and 0.65% named two or more races. 0.83% of the population declared to be Hispanic or Latinos of any race.

The residents of Peterborough were distributed to 2346 households out of which 32.6% had children under 18 years of age. 51.5% of households were married, 11.2% had a female head of household without a husband, and 34.7% were not families. 28.8% of households were made up of individuals and someone lived in 11.9% of all households aged 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.94.

The population was divided into 25.1% minors, 5.0% 18–24 year olds, 24.8% 25–44 year olds, 24.3% 45–64 year olds and 20.7% aged 65 and over or more. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 women there were 84.0 men. For every 100 women over 18, there were 77.7 men.

The median household income in Peterborough was 47,381 US dollars and the median family income reached the amount of 54,375 US dollars. The median income for men was $ 42,178 compared with $ 27,422 for women. The per capita income was $ 26,154. 9.1% of the population and 6.4% of families had an income below the poverty line , including 17.0% of minors and 4.7% of those aged 65 and over.

Peterborough CDP

Main Street around 1906

At the time of the United States Census 2000, Peterborough CDP had 2,944 people. The population density was 239.8 people per km ². There were 1289 housing units at an average of 105 per km². The Peterborough CDP population was 97.62% White , 0.41% Black or African American , 0.24% Native American , 0.88% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.17% stated others Belonging to races and 0.65% named two or more races. 0.78% of the population declared to be Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The residents of Peterborough CDPs were distributed to 1,225 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18. 43.8% of households were married, 12.3% had a female head of the household without a husband, and 41.3% were not families. 34.5% of households were made up of individuals and someone lived in 14.4% of all households aged 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88 people.

The population was divided into 22.7% minors, 5.5% 18–24 year olds, 25.3% 25–44 year olds, 22.1% 45–64 year olds and 24.3% aged 65 and over or more. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 women there were 79.7 men. For every 100 women over 18, there were 72.0 men.

The median household income in Peterborough CDP was 45,313 US dollars and the median family income reached the amount of 53,409 US dollars. The median income for men was $ 41,533 versus $ 28,333 for women. The per capita income was $ 26,091. 11.1% of the population and 7.6% of families had an income below the poverty line , including 23.7% of minors and 8.5% of those aged 65 and over.

education

The public schools are part of the Contoocook Valley School District, which consists of a total of eleven schools and a center for applied technology. In Peterborough are:

  • Contoocook Valley Regional High School , built in 1970 for about 1,350 students.
  • South Meadow School , founded in 1989 , originally called Peterborough Middle School.
  • the Peterborough Elementary School for about 300 students
  • The Well School , the only private school founded in 1967 for around 200 students from preschool to 12th grade

economy

Peterborough is home to one of the oldest surviving basket manufacturers in the United States. The Peterboro Basket Company has been operating since 1854. The company Eastern Mountain Sports , which trades in outdoor clothing and equipment, is also based here.

Culture

Town Library in 1906

In 1907 Edward MacDowell founded the MacDowell Colony , an artists' colony , in a rural part of Peterborough .

The Peterborough Town Library is the oldest tax- supported library in the United States. It was founded on April 9, 1833 by the Unitarian pastor Abiel Abbot. The original collection consisted of 100 volumes and, like the post office, was housed in Smith and Thompson's General Store . It later moved to the town hall and was given its own building in 1893, which the recognized bridge engineer George Shattuck Morison planned. The library currently has more than 50,000 volumes.

Moses Cheney's home in Peterborough was the Underground Railroad station in the mid-19th century . Frederick Douglass stayed here for a while. Moses Cheney's son Oren B. Cheney founded Bates College in 1855 and his son C. Cheney was a US Senator .

The Peterborough Players have appeared since 1933, with James Whitmore and Sam Huntington , among others, also active.

New Hampshire's oldest continuously active vigilantes held today in Lyndeborough Headquartered Lafayette Artillery Company , was established in 1804 in Peterborough. The Amoskeag Veterans, originally educated in Manchester , have been based in Peterborough since the beginning of the 20th century .

The city served alongside Jaffrey and Dublin as a model for the play Our Little City by the playwright Thornton Wilder , which he wrote when he was in the MacDowell Colony. The name of the fictional town Grover's Corners was obviously inspired by Peterborough's Grove Street.

The film The Sensation of Sight was shot entirely in Peterborough.

Personalities

Sons and daughters

Other notable residents

Unitarian Church in 1906. Built in 1825 from plans by Asher Benjamin

Web links

Commons : Peterborough, New Hampshire  - Collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b United States Census Bureau, American FactFinder , 2010 Census. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  2. ^ A b Austin J. Coolidge, John B. Mansfield: A History and Description of New England . AJ Coolidge, Boston, Massachusetts 1859, ISBN 1-4369-8768-7 , pp. 613-615.
  3. ↑ Library ( English ) In: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001-07 . Bartleby.com. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  4. ^ American Libraries. April 2008; Vol. 39, no. 4, p. 24.