New Hampshire
The small state of New Hampshire attracts much attention every four years when it holds the earliest of the United States presidential primary elections. Reporters travel around the state with the candidates as they speak to voters. Many people think that the election results in New Hampshire can predict whom the Democrats and the Republicans will choose to run in the national election.
Residents of New Hampshire take pride in their national political role. They also are proud of their strong New England Yankee heritage. New Hampshire was the first of the 13 American colonies to declare independence from England. In 1788 New Hampshire became the ninth state to approve the United States Constitution, giving the document the number of votes necessary for the new federal government to begin functioning. The state capital is Concord.
New Hampshire is located in the northeastern part of the United States. It is bordered on the north by the Canadian province of Quebec, on the west by Vermont, on the south by Massachusetts, and on the east by Maine and the Atlantic Ocean.
New Hampshire has an area of 9,279 square miles (24,032 square kilometers). It is a mountainous state with many woods and lakes. The White Mountains, which are part of the Appalachian system, cover the northern third of the state. In this range is the state's highest point, Mount Washington at 6,288 feet (1,917 meters). Most of the southern two thirds of the state is a region of low mountains, lakes, and fertile river valleys. In the southeastern corner, along the Atlantic Ocean, is a narrow strip of coastal plain. Several miles offshore are rocky islands called the Isles of Shoals, which New Hampshire shares with Maine.
New Hampshire's climate is typical of New England. The winters are long and often very cold. The summers are pleasantly warm, especially in the southern part of the state.
More than 80 percent of New Hampshire is covered with forests. Beech, birch, elm, maple, and oak trees can be found in the state. The most valuable tree is the white pine. Wildflowers such as black-eyed Susans, goldenrods, and violets grow throughout New Hampshire. The state's animals include white-tailed deer, moose, black bears, and beavers. Rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, and mink are common. Bird life includes grouse, woodcocks, pheasant, and ducks.
The first people to live in New Hampshire were Native American tribes of the Algonquian group. The earliest European settlers came from England. Scots-Irish settlers began to arrive in about 1719. During the 19th and 20th centuries waves of immigrants came into the state from Central and Eastern Europe. French Canadians began arriving immediately after the American Civil War (1861–65), seeking work in the industrial cities.
Today only a small number of New Hampshire's residents are nonwhite. Hispanics make up about 2 percent of the population. The Asian and African American populations are even smaller.
About 60 percent of New Hampshire's people live in urban areas. The state's three largest cities—Manchester, Nashua, and Concord, the capital—are located on the Merrimack River. Portsmouth is a seaport at the mouth of the Piscataqua River.
New Hampshire is a favorite destination for tourists. The scenic White Mountains are popular for both winter and summer recreation. The Atlantic coast has many good beaches and waterside resorts. The state operates more than 40 state parks.
New Hampshire has had public schools since 1647. The first public high school was opened in 1830. The state-supported University of New Hampshire was founded in Hanover in 1866. It was moved to Durham in 1893.
New Hampshire also has many private educational institutions. The first private schools known as academies were opened in the late 18th century. Two of the most famous are Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter and St. Paul's School in Concord. The best-known private college is Dartmouth, founded in Hanover in 1769.
The economy of New Hampshire is based mainly on manufacturing and services. During the 19th century New Hampshire became known for its woodworking, shoemaking, and textile and clothing industries. Since the 1950s these traditional industries have been mostly replaced by the production of industrial machinery and electrical and electronic equipment. The state's forests support a strong paper and wood products industry. The leading service industries include tourism and health care.
The amount of land covered by farms in New Hampshire greatly declined in the 20th century. The leading sources of agricultural income are dairy products and nursery and greenhouse crops such as flowers and shrubs. Poultry, eggs, cattle, and a variety of fruits and vegetables are also important. Unlike its New England neighbors, New Hampshire does not have much commercial fishing.
New Hampshire is known as the Granite State because of its many granite quarries. Sand and gravel are the state's most valuable mineral products.
About 3,000 Algonquian-speaking Native Americans lived in the New Hampshire region before European settlers arrived. The most powerful tribe was the Pennacook.
The first European settlement was established by the English in 1623. It was a fishing and trading village near Portsmouth. In 1629 the name New Hampshire, after the English county of Hampshire, was given to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers. Dover, Exeter, and Hampton were the next settlements to be established.
In 1641 New Hampshire came under the control of the colonial government of Massachusetts. In 1679 it became a royal province by order of King Charles II of England. Boundary disagreements with Massachusetts were finally settled in 1740. In the following year the first governor of New Hampshire was appointed.
In 1774 New Hampshire patriots captured the British military post at Fort William and Mary. This took place several months before the start of the American Revolution (1775–83). The arms and powder the colonists seized were later used at the battle of Bunker Hill in Boston.
New Hampshire declared itself independent from Britain several weeks before the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. New Hampshire approved the federal Constitution on June 21, 1788.
In the 19th century New Hampshire became a manufacturing state. Industry grew quickly as many new immigrants arrived. Manchester developed into a center of the textile industry, and Portsmouth became known for shipbuilding.
The city of Portsmouth drew international attention in 1905 when the treaty ending a war between Russia and Japan was signed there. Soldiers from New Hampshire played important roles in World Wars I and II and in the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. The shipbuilding and naval facilities at Portsmouth were highly valuable during these wars. New Hampshire's first nuclear power plant, in Seabrook, began commercial operation in 1990. Population (2000 census), 1,235,786.
