Belknap County, New Hampshire

Belknap County, New Hampshire
Map of New Hampshire highlighting Belknap County
Location in the U.S. state of New Hampshire
Map of the United States highlighting New Hampshire
New Hampshire's location in the U.S.
Founded 1840
Named for Jeremy Belknap
Seat Laconia
Largest city Laconia
Area
 • Total 469 sq mi (1,215 km2)
 • Land 400 sq mi (1,036 km2)
 • Water 68 sq mi (176 km2), 15%
Population
 • (2010) 60,088
 • Density 150/sq mi (58/km²)
Congressional districts 1st, 2nd
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.belknapcounty.org

Belknap County (/ˈbɛlnæp/) is one of ten counties in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,088.[1] The county seat is Laconia.[2] It is located in New Hampshire's Lakes Region, slightly southeast of the state's geographic center.

Belknap County comprises the Laconia, NH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area.

History

Belknap County was organized in 1840 by removing parts of northeastern Merrimack County and northwestern Strafford County.[3] It is named for Dr. Jeremy Belknap, a renowned preacher, historian, and author of The History of New Hampshire. The first County Court was held within the town of Meredith, at a village known as Meredith Bridge on the Winnipesaukee River. In 1855, the town of Laconia was separated from Meredith.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 469 square miles (1,210 km2), of which 400 square miles (1,000 km2) is land and 68 square miles (180 km2) (15%) is water.[4] It is the second-smallest county in New Hampshire by area. Most of the county's water area is part of Lake Winnipesaukee.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
185017,721—
186018,5494.7%
187017,681−4.7%
188017,9481.5%
189020,32113.2%
190019,526−3.9%
191021,3099.1%
192021,178−0.6%
193022,6236.8%
194024,3287.5%
195026,6329.5%
196028,9128.6%
197032,36712.0%
198042,88432.5%
199049,21614.8%
200056,32514.4%
201060,0886.7%
Est. 201560,641[5]0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2013[1]

2000 census

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 56,325 people, 22,459 households, and 15,496 families residing in the county. The population density was 140 people per square mile (54/km²). There were 32,121 housing units at an average density of 80 per square mile (31/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.61% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.2% were of English, 13.6% Irish, 13.3% French, 12.2% French Canadian, 8.5% American, 6.9% Italian and 5.7% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.0% spoke English, 2.7% French and 1.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 22,459 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 3% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 26.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,605, and the median income for a family was $50,510. Males had a median income of $34,741 versus $25,445 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,758. About 4.50% of families and 6.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.60% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 60,088 people, 24,766 households, and 16,609 families residing in the county.[11] The population density was 150.1 inhabitants per square mile (58.0/km2). There were 37,386 housing units at an average density of 93.4 per square mile (36.1/km2).[12] The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 1.2% Asian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population.[11] In terms of ancestry, 20.8% were English, 20.7% were Irish, 8.5% were Italian, 8.0% were German, 7.1% were French Canadian, and 6.6% were American.[13]

Of the 24,766 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.9% were non-families, and 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 44.7 years.[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $54,929 and the median income for a family was $64,875. Males had a median income of $46,378 versus $34,690 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,517. About 5.2% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.[14]

Politics

Belknap County vote
by party in presidential elections
Year Democratic Republican
2012 46.9% 15,890 51.9% 17,571
2008 50.0% 16,796 48.8% 16,402
2004 43.6% 14,080 55.5% 17,920
2000 40.0% 10,719 55.2% 14,799
1996 43.8% 10,345 45.2% 10,685
1992 33.5% 8,405 42.2% 10,578
1988 31.0% 6,603 67.9% 14,454
1984 24.9% 4,743 74.6% 14,200
1980 23.5% 4,365 65.1% 12,077
1976 37.8% 6,143 60.8% 9,876
1972 28.3% 4,610 70.7% 11,536
1968 35.1% 4,942 61.4% 8,642
1964 57.6% 8,024 42.4% 5,908
1960 38.1% 5,630 61.9% 9,156

The Republican party is the majority political party in Belknap County, holding all 20 seats in the state legislature as of 2012. In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, George W. Bush carried Belknap by an 11.9% margin over John Kerry, with Kerry winning statewide by 1.4%. But in 2008, the county voted for Barack Obama by a 1.2% margin over John McCain, with Obama carrying the Granite State by 9.6% over McCain.[15] No Democrat has won a majority of the county since 1964, with Obama only receiving 49.97% in 2008.

Communities

There are ten towns and one city in Belknap County.

City

Towns

Census-designated places

Villages

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ "COUNTY LIST - New Hampshire Genealogy and History AT SEARCHROOTS". searchroots.com.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  5. ↑ "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  11. 1 2 3 "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  12. ↑ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  13. ↑ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  14. ↑ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  15. ↑ David Leip. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Belknap County, New Hampshire.
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Merrimack County

Coordinates: 43°31′N 71°25′W / 43.52°N 71.42°W / 43.52; -71.42

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