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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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Strafford County, New Hampshire
Strafford County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Dover
Year Organized: 1769
Square Miles: 369 |
Court House: P.O. Box 799
County Courthouse
Dover, NH 03821-0799
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Strafford County, named in honor of William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford (8 June 1626 – 16 October 1695) was
a member of England's House of Lords. He was a son of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford and his second wife
Arabella Holles. When his father, Thomas, was executed in 1641, William left the Kingdom of England for several
years. In 1652 he was allowed to return on taking an oath of abjuration. In 1662, the bill of attainder against his
father was reversed by Parliament, and he regained the title of Earl of Strafford.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
Strafford County, named in honor of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, was organized in 1773 as one of the five original counties. The county was originally called Hilton's Point, Cocheco, Dover Point and Dover Neck (depending on the locality).
Strafford's river and ocean access made it an ideal location for sawmills and shipbuilding, two of the strong industries in the 1600s.
The Gonic Woolen Mill was formed in 1811 in Rochester and, in 1827, the Cocheco Manufacturing Company helped establish Dover as a leading producer of cotton goods. Brickmaking and shoemaking were also prominent industries in the latter 1800s. Rochester's combination opera house and city hall was
built in 1908, one of only four such structures built in New England (another was in Dover). Only the Rochester building is still standing. The floor of the building can be raised in the back for viewing the stage or lowered flat for dances or other events.
Strafford is the smallest county in New Hampshire with a total land area of 370 square miles. It is bordered by Maine to the east, separated by the Salmon Falls and the Piscataqua Rivers. Strafford Counties two largest cities are Rochester, pop. 27,254, and Dover, pop. 25,718. The county's total
population is 106,506. Prominent employment sectors are construction, printing and publishing, communication, retail trade, life insurance, computer networking and services.
Strafford County is comprised of three cities - Dover, Rochester and Somersworth; and 10 towns - Barrington, Durham, Farmington, Lee, Madbury, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, Rollinsford, and Strafford.
The University to New Hampshire is located in Durham. Also found in Strafford County are McIntosh College in Dover and the College for Lifelong Learning in Durham. The New Hampshire Farm Museum in Milton offers a glimpse at this important aspect of the state's history and economy, as does a drive
along Dover Point Road which takes you by the Tuttle Farm, established in 1632, the country's oldest family farm. On Route 4 in Durham, another one of the country's oldest family farms, the Emery Farm was established in 1655.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 384 square miles (990 km2), of which 369 sq
mi (960 km2) is land and 15 sq mi (39 km2) (3.95%) is water.
Neighboring Counties:
- Carroll County (north)
- York County, Maine (east)
- Rockingham County (south)
- Merrimack County (west)
- Belknap County (northwest)
Cities and Towns:
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- Barrington |
town |
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- Dover
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Durham |
town |
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- Farmington |
town |
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- Lee |
town |
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- Madbury |
town |
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- Middleton |
town |
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- Milton |
town |
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- New Durham |
town |
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- Rochester |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Rollinsford |
town |
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- Somersworth |
city |
Incorporated Area |
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- Strafford |
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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