Jefferson, New Hampshire
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Jefferson is a town located in Coos County, New Hampshire. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,006.
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History
Initially chartered in 1765 as Dartmouth, it was renamed by the legislature and granted a new charter as Jefferson in 1796. Over the years the boundary with the adjacent township of Kilkenny has been moved significantly several times. During the early 1900s Jefferson was a popular summer resort and boasted one of the top five largest of the "Grand Hotels" of the White Mountains, The Wambek, with 450 beds, which was destroyed by fire in 1928. In 1914 Jefferson was well serviced by multiple daily trains from Boston and New York City. It had over 30 hotels at its peak, reached via its five train stops. A number of historical and architecturally interesting cottages and stations remain from that era. In 1885 a terrible landslide on the north side of Cherry Mountain demolished the Stanley farm and mortally wounded one farm worker. Local hotels immediately set up daily excursions to view the scene, now marked by a roadside historical marker.
A local farm boy, named Thaddeus S.C. Lowe, born in 1832 to descendants of Pilgrims, went on to become a world famous inventor of aerostats (dirigibles), among other important devices. He personally consulted with President Lincoln and organized a balloon corps during the Civil War. In 1867 Prof. Lowe invented the ice-making machine, and later invented the water-gas process from which gas lights in hundreds of cities were run for many years. His father, Clovis Lowe, was part owner of the nearby Low and Burbank's Grant in 1832, which contains much of Mount Adams and Mount Madison.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 130.5 km² (50.4 mi²). 129.9 km² (50.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.46% water. Located on U.S. Rt 2 between Lancaster and Randolph, positioned astride a wide valley of the Israels River, much of the town commands remarkable views of the Presidential Range and other peaks of the White Mountains. The popular summit of Mount Starr King (named in honor of Thomas Starr King) is within the town's northern border and is regularly traversed by hikers anxious to attain the top of nearby Mt. Waumbek, one of the 48 peaks above 4,000 feet in New Hampshire (the "four-thousand footers"). Large sections of the town are part of the White Mountain National Forest.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 1,006 people, 407 households, and 295 families residing in the town. The population density is 7.7/km² (20.1/mi²). There are 582 housing units at an average density of 4.5/km² (11.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 98.31% White, 0.00% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 0.10% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 407 households out of which 28.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% are married couples living together, 5.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% are non-families. 20.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.47 and the average family size is 2.84.
In the town the population is spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 32.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 43 years. For every 100 females there are 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 105.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $41,089, and the median income for a family is $42,067. Males have a median income of $27,130 versus $21,382 for females. The per capita income for the town is $19,556. 8.2% of the population and 4.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 12.0% of those under the age of 18 and 9.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
References
Julyan, Robert and Mary (1993). Place Names of the White Mountains (Revised Ed.). Hanover, NH: University Press of New England. ISBN 0-87451-638-2.
Davis, Abner (1888). Jefferson. In (unknown Ed.) History of Coos County (republished 1972 facsimile of original), pp. 399-425. Somersworth, NH: New Hampshire Publishing Company. In Jefferson CD-ROM (2002) from Jefferson Historical Society.
Boston and Maine Railroad (September 21, 1914). Local Time Table, White Mountains Division.
Tolles, Bryant F. (2000). Summer Cottages in the White Mountains: The Architecture of Leisure and Recreation 1870 to 1930. Hanover: University Press of New England. ISBN 0-87451-953-5.
Town of Jefferson (1995). Jefferson, New Hampshire: Before 1996. Littleton: Sherwin Dodge.