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New Hampshire State...
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New Hampshire Counties
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New Hampshire Counties
There are currently 10 counties in the state of New Hampshire. Five of the counties were
created in 1769, when New Hampshire was still an English colony and not a state, during the first subdivision of
the state into counties. The last counties created were Belknap County and Carroll County, in 1840. The majority
of New Hampshire's counties were named for prominent British or American people or geographic locations and
features. Only one county's name originates in a Native American language; Coos County, named for a Native
American word meaning crooked and referring to a bend in the Connecticut River. |
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Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Cheshire County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Ossipee
Year Organized: 1840
Square Miles: 934
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Court House: PO Box 152
County Administration Building
Ossipee, NH 03864-0152
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Cheshire County, New Hampshire: Cheshire is named for the English county of Cheshire.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Cheshire County is located in the Monadnock region of southwestern New Hampshire with a total area of over 736 square miles. With 19 square miles of inland waterways, 83% forested, the county remains relatively rural in character. The county population is
72,182 with the city of Keene (population 22,872) serving as the geographical and social-economic center of the county. The town of Swanzey (population 6,653) and Jaffrey (population 5,431) are the next largest communities in Cheshire. The remaining 52% of the population resides in relatively rural
settings in the remaining 20 towns with populations ranging from 250 - 4,200. The split between those who were born in New Hampshire and those who have immigrated is about 50/50.
Cheshire County has a mix of rural villages, urban settings, forest and agricultural land, and numerous lakes and streams. The health and vigor of its diverse natural resources is an important attraction. While the economic base is industrial, business, and service oriented, tourism is very
important to the area. Monadnock State Park in Jaffrey (location of Mount Monadnock, the most heavily climbed mountain in New England), the 13,000 acre Pisgah State Park in the southwest corner of the county, and Rhododendron State Park in Fitzwilliam are significant natural attractions to the area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 729 square miles (1,888 km2), of which 707 sq
mi (1,831 km2) is land and 22 sq mi (57 km2) (2.98%) is water. The highest point in Cheshire county is Mount
Monadnock, at 3,165 feet (965 m).
Neighboring Counties:
- Sullivan County (north)
- Hillsborough County (east)
- Worcester County, Massachusetts (southeast)
- Franklin County, Massachusetts (southwest)
- Windham County, Vermont (west)
Cities and Towns:
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- Albany |
town |
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- Bartlett |
town |
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- Brookfield |
town |
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- Chatham |
town |
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- Conway |
town |
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- Eaton |
town |
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- Effingham |
town |
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- Freedom |
town |
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- Hale's |
location |
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- Hart's Location |
town |
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- Jackson |
town |
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- Madison |
town |
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- Moultonborough |
town |
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- Ossipee
(County Seat) |
town |
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- Sandwich |
town |
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- Tamworth |
town |
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- Tuftonboro |
town |
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- Wakefield |
town |
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- Wolfeboro |
town |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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