Alstead, New Hampshire
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Alstead is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 1,944 at the 2000 census. Alstead is home to Feuer State Forest.
History
The town began in 1735 as "Number Four" in a line of nine forts intended to protect southwestern New Hampshire from Indian attack. It was granted as "Newton" in 1752 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth, but would be incorporated in 1763 as "Alstead." It was named for Johann Heinrich Alsted, who compiled an early encyclopedia that was popular at Harvard College. Alstead was one of the towns that wavered in its allegiance after the Revolutionary War. It decided to join Vermont in April of 1781, but returned to New Hampshire authority early the next year.
Alstead is the location of the state's first paper mill, established in 1793 on the Cold River by Ephraim and Elisha Kingsbury. While Alstead was basically an agricultural community, its streams and ponds once powered a variety of small mills. A turbine water mill at East Alstead is probably the last of its type anywhere in the region.
Shedd-Porter Memorial Library, built in 1910 in the Beaux-Arts style, was a gift to Alstead and Langdon by native son John G. Shedd, an associate of Marshall Field's department store in Chicago, Illinois. Another native-son philanthropist, Charles M. Vilas, gave a large public recreation area, school building and the only carillon in Cheshire County.
On October 9, 2005, parts of Alstead were devastated by a severe flood. Heavy rain in Cheshire County caused the Cold River and its tributaries to swell, washing away homes, cars and 4 miles of Route 123. Four residents of the town were killed.
Notable Inhabitants:
- Marion Nicholl Rawson, chronicler of U.S. arts and crafts
- Alstead Historical Society Museum, in a former Universalist Church (1844)
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 102.0 km² (39.4 mi²). 100.8 km² (38.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (1.19%) is water. Alstead is drained by the Cold River. Lake Warren is in the east. The highest point in Alstead is Smith Hill (1,795 feet / 547 meters above sea level).Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 1,944 people, 771 households, and 534 families residing in the town. The population density was 19.3/km² (50.0/mi²). There were 941 housing units at an average density of 9.3/km² (24.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.20% White, 0.21% African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.51% Asian, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.
There were 771 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,191, and the median income for a family was $47,311. Males had a median income of $35,481 versus $23,785 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,444. About 3.5% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- [Official web site]
- * [New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile]
- * [Pictures of the 2005 Flooding from CBS 4 in Boston]
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