Familypedia
Register
Advertisement
This article is based on the corresponding article in another wiki. For Familypedia purposes, it requires significantly more historical detail on phases of this location's development. The ideal article for a place will give the reader a feel for what it was like to live at that location at the time their relatives were alive there. Also desirable are links to organizations that may be repositories of genealogical information..
Please help to improve this page yourself if you can.


Belknap County, New Hampshire
Laconia District Court
Laconia District Court on Academy Square in Laconia
Map of New Hampshire highlighting Belknap County
Location in the state of New Hampshire
Map of the U.S
New Hampshire's location in the U.S.
Founded 1840
Named for Jeremy Belknap
Seat Laconia
Largest city Laconia
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

470.0 sq mi (1,217 km²)
401.8 sq mi (1,041 km²)
68.2 sq mi (177 km²), 14.5
Population
 -  Density


Congressional districts 1st, 2nd
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.belknapcounty.org

Belknap County ( /ˈbɛlnæp/) is a county 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 in turn constitutes a portion of 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) are land and 68 square miles (180 km2) (15%) are 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 populations
Census Pop.
1850 17,721
1860 18,549 4.7%
1870 17,681 −4.7%
1880 17,948 1.5%
1890 20,321 13.2%
1900 19,526 −3.9%
1910 21,309 9.1%
1920 21,178 −0.6%
1930 22,623 6.8%
1940 24,328 7.5%
1950 26,632 9.5%
1960 28,912 8.6%
1970 32,367 12.0%
1980 42,884 32.5%
1990 49,216 14.8%
2000 56,325 14.4%
2010 60,088 6.7%
Est. 2019 61,303 [5] 8.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2018[1]

2000 census

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 56,325 people, 22,459 households, and 15,496 families living 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. 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 living 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 and government

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, though Obama narrowly edged McCain in 2008, receiving 49.97% of the popular vote.

County Commission

The executive power of Belknap County's government is held by three county commissioners, each representing one of the three commissioner districts within the county.[17]

Districts Name Hometown Party
District 1 David DeVoy II Sanbornton, NH Republican
District 2 Glen Waring (Vice Chairman) Gilmanton, NH Republican
District 3 Hunter Taylor (Clerk) Alton, NH Republican

In addition to the County Commission, there are five directly-elected officials: they include County Attorney, Register of Deeds, County Sheriff, Register of Probate, and County Treasurer.[18]

Office Name
County Attorney Andrew Livernois (R)
Register of Deeds Judith McGrath (R)
County Sheriff Michael Moyer (R)
Register of Probate Alan Glassman (R)
County Treasurer Michael Muzzey (R)

Legislative branch

The legislative branch of Belknap County is made up of all of the members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the county. In total, as of January 2019 there were 18 members from nine different districts.

Affiliation Members Voting share
Democratic Party 2 11.1%
Republican Party 16 88.9%
Total 18 100%

Communities

There are ten towns and one city in Belknap County.

City

  • Laconia (county seat)

Towns

  • Alton
  • Barnstead
  • Belmont
  • Center Harbor
  • Gilford
  • Gilmanton
  • Meredith
  • New Hampton
  • Sanbornton
  • Tilton

Census-designated places

  • Alton
  • Belmont
  • Meredith
  • New Hampton
  • Tilton Northfield

Villages

  • Alton Bay
  • Center Barnstead
  • Gilmanton Ironworks
  • Glendale
  • Lakeport
  • Lochmere
  • Weirs Beach
  • Winnisquam

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Belknap County, New Hampshire

References

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/33/33001.html. Retrieved September 24, 2013. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved June 7, 2011. 
  3. ^ "COUNTY LIST - New Hampshire Genealogy and History AT SEARCHROOTS". searchroots.com. http://www.nh.searchroots.com/countylist.html. 
  4. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_33.txt. Retrieved December 27, 2014. 
  5. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2018.html. Retrieved May 16, 2019. 
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. Retrieved December 27, 2014. 
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. Retrieved December 27, 2014. 
  8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/nh190090.txt. Retrieved December 27, 2014. 
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. Retrieved December 27, 2014. 
  10. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. Retrieved January 31, 2008. 
  11. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US33001. Retrieved 2016-01-12. 
  12. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US33001. 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. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US33001. Retrieved 2016-01-12. 
  14. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US33001. Retrieved 2016-01-12. 
  15. ^ David Leip. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/. 
  16. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. Retrieved 5 April 2018. 
  17. ^ http://sos.nh.gov/2016CountyGen.aspx?id=8589963664
  18. ^ "Archived copy". http://www.belknapcounty.org/pages/index. 

External links

Commons-logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

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


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Belknap County, New Hampshire. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
Advertisement