Manchester, New Hampshire

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Manchester, New Hampshire
Official seal of Manchester, New Hampshire
Seal


Nickname: "Queen City"
Location in Hillsborough County
Location in Hillsborough County
Coordinates: 42°59′27″N, 71°27′49″W
Country United States
State New Hampshire
County Hillsborough County
Incorporated 1751
Mayor Frank Guinta (R)
Area  
 - City 90.4 km²  (34.9 sq mi)
 - Land 85.5 km²  (33.0 sq mi)
 - Water 4.9 km² (1.9 sq mi)  5.44%
Elevation 64 m  (210 ft)
Population  
 - City (2000) 109,691
 - Density 1,251.6/km² (3,241.4/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
Website: www.manchesternh.gov

Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the largest city of northern New England, an area composed of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It is in Hillsborough County on the banks of the Merrimack River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,007, and in 2005 the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning estimated the population to be nearly 110,000.[1] Manchester is the center of the Manchester, NH, New England City and Town Metropolitan Area (NECTA MA), with a population in 2000 of 176,663[2], and is near the northern end of the BosWash megalopolis.

Contents

[edit] History

Mills on Merrimack River and the West Side of Manchester
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Mills on Merrimack River and the West Side of Manchester

Pennacook Indians called the area Namoskeag, meaning "good fishing place" -- a reference to the Amoskeag Falls in the Merrimack River. In 1722, John Goffe settled on land beside Cohas Brook, where several years later he built a dam and sawmill. The community was called Old Harry's Town. In 1735, the Province of Massachusetts Bay granted it as Tyngstown to settlers from Massachusetts. A decade following the separation of New Hampshire from Massachusetts, Governor Benning Wentworth in 1751 chartered the town as Derryfield.

In 1807, Samuel Blodgett opened a canal and lock system to allow vessels passage around the falls. He envisioned here a great industrial center, "the Manchester of America," like the Industrial Revolution's Manchester, in England. Sure enough, in 1809, Benjamin Prichard and others built a cotton spinning mill operated by water power on the western bank of the Merrimack. Following Blodgett's suggestion, Derryfield was renamed Manchester in 1810, the year the mill was incorporated as the Amoskeag Cotton & Woolen Manufacturing Company. It would be purchased in 1825 by entrepreneurs from Massachusetts, expanded to 3 mills in 1826, and then incorporated in 1831 as the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company.

Elm Street in c. 1905
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Elm Street in c. 1905

On the eastern bank, Amoskeag engineers and architects planned a model company town, founded in 1838 with Elm Street as its main throughfare. Incorporated as a city in 1846, Manchester would become home to the largest cotton mill in the world -- Mill No. 11, stretching 900 feet long by 103 feet wide, and containing 4000 looms. Other products made in the community included shoes, cigars and paper. The Amoskeag foundry made rifles, sewing machines, textile machinery, fire engines, and locomotives in a division called the Amoskeag Locomotive Works (later, the Manchester Locomotive Works). The rapid growth of the mills demanded a large influx of workers, resulting in a flood of immigrants, particularly French Canadians. Many current residents descend from these workers. The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company went out of business in 1935, although its red brick mills have been renovated for other uses. Indeed, the mill town's 19th century affluence left behind some of the finest Victorian commercial, municipal and residential architecture in the state.

Manchester is nicknamed the Queen City. In 1998, it was named the "Number One Small City in the East" by Money magazine. The Mall of New Hampshire, on Manchester's southern fringe, is the city's main retail center.


[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 90.4 km² (34.9 mi²). 85.5 km² (33.0 mi²) of it is land and 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²) of it is water, comprising 5.44% of the town. Manchester is drained by the Merrimack River, Piscataquog River and Cohas Brook. Massabesic Lake is on the eastern border. The highest point in Manchester is its extreme northwest corner, where the elevation reaches 560 feet (171 meters) above sea level.

[edit] Demographics

City Hall Plaza
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City Hall Plaza
City of Manchester
Population by year [1][2]
1767 - 230

1773 - 279
1775 - 285
1786 - 338
1790 - 362
1800 - 557
1810 - 615
1820 - 761
1830 - 877
1840 - 3,235
1850 - 13,932
1860 - 20,107
1870 - 23,536
1880 - 32,630
1890 - 44,126
1900 - 56,987
1910 - 70,063
1920 - 78,384
1930 - 76,834
1940 - 77,685
1950 - 82,732
1960 - 88,282
1970 - 87,754
1980 - 90,936
1990 - 99,332
2000 - 107,006
2004 - 109,761 (estimate)

As of the census of 2000, there were 107,006 people, 44,247 households, and 26,105 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,251.6/km² (3,241.4/mi²). There were 45,892 housing units at an average density of 536.8/km² (1,390.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.75% White (this includes a large Bosnian population) 2.10% African American, 0.30% Native American, 2.32% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.76% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. 4.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Manchester is a national refugee relocation center.

There were 44,247 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.00.

West Side neighborhood
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West Side neighborhood

In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,774, and the median income for a family was $50,039. Males had a median income of $34,287 versus $26,584 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,244. 10.6% of the population and 7.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.6% are under the age of 18 and 11.7% are 65 or older.

The city is a refugee resettlement center. More than 10% of the city's population is currently foreign-born.

[edit] Media

The city is served by four newspapers: New Hampshire Union Leader (daily), the Manchester Daily Express (a daily newspaper published by Hippo Press), The Hippo (weekly) and the Manchester Mirror (a weekly produced by the New Hampshire Union Leader).

In addition to several commercial AM and FM radio stations, Manchester is also served by local cable television and one commercial television station:

Manchester is part of the Boston television market, although it has two major stations of its own.

[edit] Education

Weston Observatory in 1906
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Weston Observatory in 1906
Pearl Street School in c. 1910
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Pearl Street School in c. 1910

Manchester's public school system is run by the Manchester School District.

[edit] High schools

Manchester School District has four public high schools:

Manchester is served by three private high schools:

[edit] Elementary schools

Manchester School District has fourteen Elementary Schools:

  • Bakersville Elementary School
  • Beech Street School
  • Gossler Park School
  • Green Acres Elementary School
  • Hallsville Elementary School
  • Highland-Goffe's Falls Elementary School
  • Jewett Street School
  • McDonough Elementary School
  • Northwest Elementary School
  • Parker-Varney School
  • Smyth Road School
  • Webster School
  • Weston School
  • Henry Wilson School

[edit] Middle schools

Manchester School District has four Middle schools:

  • Hillside Middle School
  • Henry J. McLaughlin Middle School
  • Middle School at Parkside
  • Southside Middle School

[edit] Post-secondary schools

Area institutions of higher education, together enrolling more than 8,000 students, include:

[edit] Culture

Old Library in 1908
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Old Library in 1908

Cultural landmarks include the Palace Theater, home to the New Hampshire Symphony and the Opera League of New Hampshire, the Currier Museum of Art, the New Hampshire Institute of Art, the Manchester Historic Association Millyard Museum, the Massabesic Audubon Center, the Amoskeag Fishways Learning and Visitors Center, the Lawrence L. Lee Scouting Museum and Max I. Silber Library, and the SEE Science Center. Valley Cemetery, since 1841 the resting place of numerous prominent citizens, is an early example of a garden style burial ground.

The Verizon Wireless Arena is a civic center that hosts a variety of events, from sports such as hockey and arena football to concerts and fairs. It opened in November, 2001. [3] The John F. Kennedy Memorial Coliseum is another, smaller venue located in Manchester. It was completed in 1963, and serves as home ice for Manchester Central and Memorial High School hockey teams, and is home of the Southern New Hampshire Skating Club. [4]

[edit] Sports

Manchester is home to four professional sports teams:

[edit] Transportation

Union Station in c. 1910
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Union Station in c. 1910

The city is served by Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation, and fourth largest in New England. It is the secondary airport serving Boston, Massachusetts.

Interstates 93 and 293 and US Highway 3 connect the area to Concord and the White Mountains to the north and Nashua and Boston to the south. NH 101 is a four-lane freeway eastbound from Manchester to Hampton, connecting the city with the southeastern part of the state and the seacoast, as well as Maine and Massachusetts' North Shore via Interstate 95. West of Manchester, NH 101 is a two lane highway serving as the main route to Keene and the Monadnock region.

Public transportation is provided by the Manchester Transit Authority, which runs several bus routes throughout the city and surrounding areas.

Concord Trailways runs commuter services to Boston and other parts of the state. Vermont Transit Lines (affiliated with Greyhound) has lines to Montreal.

With the planned expansion of Interstate 93 to eight lanes from Salem to Manchester, space will be reserved in the median for potential future commuter rail service along this corridor.[3]

[edit] Economy

Amoskeag Bank in 1913
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Amoskeag Bank in 1913

Manchester is northern New England's largest city, and its metropolitan area is the fastest growing in New England. On top of this, Manchester is one of New England's best places for finding a job. Its economy has changed greatly, as Manchester was a textile mill town just about 20 years ago.

[edit] Downtown

Manchester has a thriving downtown area, with more restaurants and stores being established all the time.

City Hall Plaza, northern New England's tallest building, is located in downtown Manchester. Other notable downtown buildings include the New Hampshire headquarters of Citizens Bank and Bank of America.

The Verizon Wireless Arena has become the centerpiece of downtown Manchester. It is a 10,000 seat arena for concerts and sporting events. The Verizon is also home to the Manchester Monarchs, the local AHL affiliate of the LA Kings. The Merchantsauto.com Stadium (formerly Fishercats Park) is a baseball park located on the Merrimack River in downtown Manchester and is home to the local AA baseball affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, the New Hampshire Fishercats.

Enlarge

The Red Arrow, one of the top 10 diners in the United States [citation needed], is located downtown.

Recent years have seen an influx of downtown residents buying the historic row houses originally built for Amoskeag Mill workers. Rents spiked as a result, but have largely levelled out in recent years.

[edit] Shopping

Manchester has two main retail-oriented areas, downtown Manchester and South Willow Street. The Mall of New Hampshire is located on South Willow Street, and has more than 125 stores.

[edit] Trivia

Gen. Stark House in 1906
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Gen. Stark House in 1906
  • Manchester's main street, Elm Street, is believed to be the only main street in the country ending in two dead-ends.[citation needed]
  • The city is the hometown of fictional President Jed Bartlet and his family on the American television series, The West Wing.
  • "The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company and Manchester, New Hampshire, the city it had planned and developed starting in 1837, were products of the new industrial order launched in New England by a closely knit group of Boston-based entrepreneurs. The newly created town, strategically located by the Amoskeag Falls on the Merrimack River, was deliberately named after Manchester, England, already famous as the world's largest textile city." --Tamara K. Hareven, Amoskeag: Life and Work in an American Factory City
  • Manchester is the hometown of comedian Adam Sandler, race car driver Jamie Aube, and Rock Star: Supernova contestant Josh Logan. It was home to General John Stark, Rene Gagnon, a US Marine who helped raise the flag over Iwo Jima, and birthplace of Grace Metalious, author of Peyton Place.
  • Segway and iBOT inventor Dean Kamen's company, DEKA, is based in Manchester.
  • An alternate nickname for the city is ManchVegas, a name that has become widely used in recent years.

[edit] Sister Cities

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Manchester: A Brief record of its Past and a Picture of its Present (1876) 598pponline
  1. ^ "2005 Population Estimates of New Hampshire Cities and Towns", NH Office of Energy and Planning, July 2006
  2. ^ "Population in Combined New England City and Town Areas (CNECTAs) and Their Component NECTAs in Alphabetical Order and Numerical and Percent Change: 1990 and 2000", U.S. Census Bureau, December 2003
  3. ^ http://www.rebuildingi93.com/content/faq/

[edit] External links

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