From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Hampshire (IPA: /nuːˈhæmpʃər/) is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. New Hampshire ranks 44th in land area, 46th in total area of the 50 states, and 41st in population. It became the first post-colonial sovereign nation in the Americas when it broke off from England in January 1776, and was one of the original thirteen States that founded the United States of America six months later. It was the ninth state to ratify the United States Constitution, bringing that document into effect. New Hampshire was the first U.S. state to have its own state constitution, and is the only state with neither a general sales tax nor a personal income tax at either the state or local level.[3] Concord is the state capital, while Manchester is the largest city in the state.
It is known internationally for the New Hampshire primary, the first primary in the quadrennial U.S. presidential election cycle.
Its license plates carry the state motto: "Live Free or Die." The state nickname is "The Granite
State", in reference to its geology and its tradition of
self-sufficiency. Several other official nicknames exist but are rarely
used.[4]
Among prominent individuals from New Hampshire are Senator Daniel Webster, editor Horace Greeley, founder of the Christian Science religion Mary Baker Eddy, poet Robert Frost, author Dan Brown, and comedians Adam Sandler, Sarah Silverman, and Seth Meyers. New Hampshire has produced one president, Franklin Pierce.
New Hampshire's recreational attractions include skiing and other
winter sports, observing the fall foliage, summer cottages along many
lakes, motor sports at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Motorcycle Week, a popular motorcycle rally held in Laconia in June.
Geography
- See List of counties in New Hampshire, mountains, lakes, and rivers
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, showing roads, rivers and major cities
New Hampshire was home to the rock formation called the Old Man of the Mountain, a face-like profile in Franconia Notch, until the formation fell apart in May 2003.
The White Mountains range in New Hampshire spans the north-central portion of the state, with Mount Washington 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 average,
over 100 recorded deaths among visitors, and conspicuous krumholtz (dwarf, matted trees much like a carpet of bonsai
trees), the upper reaches of Mount Washington claim the title of "worst
weather on earth." A non-profit weather observatory is on the peak.
In the flatter southwest corner of New Hampshire, the landmark Mount Monadnock has given its name to a class of earth-forms—a monadnock—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 tributaries include the Contoocook River, Pemigewasset River, and Winnipesaukee River. The 410-mile (660 km) Connecticut River, which starts at New Hampshire's Connecticut Lakes and flows south to Connecticut,
defines the western border with Vermont. The state border is not in the
center of that river, as usually the case, but at the low-water mark on
the Vermont side; so New Hampshire owns the entire river where it runs adjacent to Vermont.[5] 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 (four of which are in New Hampshire) 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 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 the "north
country" or "north of the notches," in reference to White Mountain passes
that channel traffic. It contains less than 5% of the state's
population, suffers relatively high poverty, 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 ski, has helped offset economic losses from mill closures.
Climate
New Hampshire experiences a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa in southern areas and Dfb
in the north), with warm, humid summers, cold, wet winters, and uniform
precipitation all year. The climate of the southeastern portion is
moderated by the Atlantic Ocean
and averages relatively milder and wetter weather, while the northern
and interior portions experience cooler temperatures and lower
humidity. Winters are cold and snowy throughout the state, and
especially severe in the northern and mountainous areas. Average annual
snowfall ranges from 60 inches (150 cm) to over 100 inches (250 cm) across the state.[6]
Average daytime highs are in the mid 70s°F to low 80s°F (around
24-28 °C) throughout the state in July, with overnight lows in the mid
50s°F to low 60s°F (13-15 °C). January temperatures range from an
average high of 34 °F (1 °C) on the coast to overnight lows below 0 °F
(−18 °C) in the far north and at high elevations. Average annual
precipitation statewide is roughly 40 inches (100 cm) with some
variation occurring in the White Mountains due to differences in elevation and annual snowfall.
Extreme snow is often associated with a nor'easter, such as the Blizzard of '78 and the Blizzard of 1993,
when several feet accumulated across portions of the state over 24 to
48 hours. Lighter snowfall of several inches occur frequently
throughout winter, often associated with an Alberta Clipper.
New Hampshire, on occasion, is affected by hurricanes and tropical storms although by the time they reach the state they are often extratropical, with most storms striking the southern New England coastline and moving inland or passing by offshore in the Gulf of Maine.
Most of New Hampshire averages fewer than 20 days of thunderstorms per
year and an average of 2 tornadoes occur annually statewide.[7]
The National Arbor Day Foundation plant hardiness zone map depicts zones 3, 4, 5, and 6 occurring throughout the state[8] and indicates the transition from a relatively cooler to warmer climate as one travels southward across New Hampshire.
Metropolitan areas
Metropolitan areas in the New England region are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs). The following is a list of NECTAs in New Hampshire:
- Berlin, NH
- Claremont, NH
- Concord, NH
- Franklin, NH
- Keene, NH
- Laconia, NH
- Lebanon, NH-Hartland, VT
- Manchester, NH
- Nashua, NH Metropolitan Division (part of Boston metropolitan area)
- Portsmouth, NH-ME
- Rochester-Dover, NH-ME
From The New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau
History
-
Various Algonquian
tribes inhabited the area prior to European settlement. English and
French explorers visited New Hampshire in 1600–1605, and English
fishermen settled at Odiorne's Point in present-day Rye in 1623. The first permanent settlement was at Hilton's Point (present-day Dover). By 1631, the Upper Plantation comprised modern-day Dover, Durham and Stratham; in 1679, it became the "Royal Province."
The
New Hampshire State House
in Concord was designed by Albe Cady. It is the oldest U.S. state
capitol where legislators still meet in their original chambers.
It was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the <
Classical
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