Somersworth, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia : S : SO : SOM : Somersworth, New Hampshire
| Somersworth, NH
| |
|---|---|
 | |
| Classification | City |
| State | New Hampshire |
| Area | 9.8 mi² |
| Population | |
| Total | 11,786 (2003 census estimate) |
| Rank | 25th in New Hampshire |
| Density | 1181.0/mi² |
Somersworth is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 11,477 at the 2000 census.
History
Somersworth, originally called Sligo after a county in Ireland, was settled before 1700 as a part of Dover. It was organized as the parish of Summersworth in 1729, and then incorporated as a separate town in 1754. A clerical error at the incorporation contracted the name to Somersworth. It would be incorporated as a city in 1893.Situated on the Salmon Falls River, Somersworth became a mill town, beginning with early gristmills and sawmills. Larger development began after 1820 when Isaac Wendell acquired water rights along the "Great Falls" for textile milling, and throughout the 19th century big brick mill buildings, manufacturing cottons and woolens, were erected beside the Salmon Falls River. Berwick, ME is directly across the river but connected by bridge. Despite its size, Somersworth is technically a "city", and is one of only 13 communities in the entire state with a "city" form of government. The city's heyday was during the mill periods, when immigrants from Ireland and later Quebec, came to work in the mills.
Notable Inhabitants:
- John Sullivan, Revolutionary War general
Geography
Somersworth is located at (43.253783, -70.875499)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.9 km² (10.0 mi²). 25.3 km² (9.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (2.30%) is water. The highest point in Somersworth is Prospect Hill rising just west of the city center, on which the city reservoir is built. The hill's elevation is approximately 310 feet (94 meters) above sea level.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 11,477 people, 4,687 households, and 3,079 families residing in the city. The population density was 453.1/km² (1,173.4/mi²). There were 4,841 housing units at an average density of 191.1/km² (494.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.17% White, 0.58% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.
There were 4,687 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,739, and the median income for a family was $47,933. Males had a median income of $36,585 versus $25,804 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,592. About 6.3% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- [Official web site]
- * [Somersworld.com] The Independent voice of Somersworth, NH
- * [Somersworth Chamber of Commerce]
- * [Somersworth Main Street] Somersworth, NH is a part of the [New Hampshire Main Street program].
- [New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile]
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