Claremont, New Hampshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Claremont, New Hampshire | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Sullivan |
| Settled | 1762 |
| Incorporated | 1764 (town), 1947 (city) |
| Government | |
| - City Manager | Guy A. Santagate |
| - Mayor | Scott Pope |
| - City Council | Christopher Irish Andrew Austin Roger Formidoni Heather Bopp James Neilsen IV Michael Prozzo, Jr Bruce Temple Deborah Cutts |
| Area | |
| - City | 44.1 sq mi (114.2 km²) |
| - Land | 43.1 sq mi (111.7 km²) |
| - Water | 1.0 sq mi (2.5 km²) |
| Elevation | 561 ft (171 m) |
| Population (2003) | |
| - City | 13,355 |
| - Density | 1,274.3/sq mi (492/km²) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| *Year Settled is from the following page | |
| Website: www.claremontnh.com | |
Claremont is a city in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 13,151 at the 2000 census. A successful Main Street program has recently revitalized much of downtown Claremont, and a weekly farmers' market is held there during the summer, as well as band concerts.
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[edit] History
Claremont was named in honor of Thomas Pelham-Holles, Earl of Clare, a cousin of colonial governor Benning Wentworth.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 114.2 km² (44.1 mi²). 111.7 km² (43.1 mi²) of it is land and 2.5 km² (1.0 mi²) of it is water, comprising 2.18% of the town. The Connecticut River forms the western boundary of the city, as well as the boundary between New Hampshire and Vermont. The Sugar River flows from east to west through the center of Claremont and empties into the Connecticut. The highest point in the city is Green Mountain (2,018 feet / 615 meters above sea level).
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 13,151 people, 5,685 households, and 3,428 families residing in the city. The population density was 117.8/km² (305.0/mi²). There were 6,074 housing units at an average density of 54.4/km² (140.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.67% White, 0.31% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.
There was 1 household out of which everyone had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,949, and the median income for a family was $42,849. Males had a median income of $30,782 versus $22,078 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,267. About 5.4% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Claremont is part of New Hampshire's School Administrative Unit 6, or SAU 6. Stevens High School is the city's only public high school, and is located on Broad Street, just a few blocks from City Hall. Claremont Middle School, the city's only public middle school, is located just down the street to the south.
Claremont is home to three elementary schools: Maple Avenue School, Bluff Elementary and Disnard Elementary. Also located in town are St. Mary's School, a private, Catholic school, and the Claremont Christian Academy, a private, parochial school offering education through 12th grade.
Three elementary schools — North Street School, Way Elementary and the West Claremont Schoolhouse — were shut down, Way becoming home to several luxury apartments and North Street turned into offices.
The city's opportunities for higher education include a branch of Granite State College, newly relocated from Newport, a branch of the New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges (NHCTC Claremont) and a Vocational Center. Additionally, Dartmouth College, an Ivy League university, lies approximately 30 miles to the north in Hanover, and Keene State College, one of the major state schools, is located approximately 40 miles to the south. Colby-Sawyer College, Landmark College, Vermont Law School, and branches of the Community College of Vermont are all located within an hour's drive.
Claremont is a city some may consider to have a negative recent history with regard to education. In the 1990s the city initiated a lawsuit against the state for misappropriation of education funds. Subsequently, communities in New Hampshire with higher rates of income were taxed to appropriate portions of their income to Claremont and other relatively lower-earning communities. "The Claremont Decision", as the suit became known, is recent enough in memory state-wide to be a persistent topic of debate.
[edit] Transportation
- See also: Claremont (Amtrak station)
Claremont is the only city within Sullivan County, New Hampshire. The city has a small municipal airport. By highway, it is located 30 minutes south of Interstate 89 in Lebanon, New Hampshire and 5 minutes east of Interstate 91 in Weathersfield, Vermont. Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides daily service through Claremont, operating its Vermonter between Washington, D.C. and St. Albans, Vermont.
[edit] Culture
A random sampling of incoming commercial traffic yields a significant out of state proportion compared to the rest of the city. Mostly this traffic is from Vermont, as Vermont has few Wal-Marts; furthermore, many Vermonters living near the state line make the trip to the Claremont Wal-Mart due to New Hampshire's lack of a general sales tax. This commercial area is known as Washington Street, Claremont's primary commercial district.
Uptown lives the Italian Renaissance-styled City Hall, which faces Broad Street Park, a rotary-style town square. This square connects Washington Street, Broad Street, and Main Street, each branching into different portions of the city. Parallel to Broad Street lies Pleasant Street, which was once a thriving commercial zone.
Claremont continues to struggle with its economic rebirth vision, but because it lacks a major commuter artery, this goal remains difficult to attain. A number of mill buildings dot the city center, along the Sugar River, and several attempts have been made at historic preservation of some of them.
To the north end of the town lies the Valley Regional Hospital, an out-patient resource of the popular Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center of Lebanon, NH.
On the southern artery out of Claremont, Route 12, was the large William H. H. Moody horse-farm, having five large barns (the last of which burned in 2004), which once hosted several hundred imported horses on over 500 acres (2 km²). The Victorian farmhouse still stands at the top of Arch Road. A multi-hundred-acre plot of land was donated by Moody to the city of Claremont for a city park. The park's entrance is located on Maple Avenue, with tennis facilities, and its lone access road leads through a coniferous forest to the top of a hill, maintained as a large field by the city, with a large, open-air stone structure suitable for picnics. The park has several miles of interconnected walking trailways; several of these trails terminate at the Boston and Maine Railroad.
[edit] External links
- Claremont, NH Official Website
- New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
- Interactive Aerial foto
- Claremont Stream Tunnels @ www.thisplaceiknow.com
- Public Domain Photographs of Claremont NH
- Granite State College at Claremont
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
