Franklin, New Hampshire

City of Franklin
—  City  —
Bird's-eye view c. 1912

Seal
Location within New Hampshire
Coordinates:
Country United States
State New Hampshire
County Merrimack
Settled 1764
-Town 1828
-City 1895
Government
 • Mayor Ken Merrifield
 • City Manager Elizabeth Dragon
 • Legislative body City Council
Area
 • Total 29.1 sq mi (75.4 km2)
 • Land 27.3 sq mi (70.7 km2)
 • Water 1.9 sq mi (4.8 km2)  6.31%
Elevation 310 ft (94 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 8,477
 • Density 291.2/sq mi (112.4/km2)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 03235
Area code(s) 603
FIPS code 33-27380
GNIS feature ID 0873290
Website www.franklinnh.org

Franklin is a city in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,477,[1] the lowest of any of New Hampshire's 13 cities. Franklin includes the village of West Franklin.

Contents

History

Situated at the junction of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers to form the Merrimack River, the town was settled in 1764 and originally known as Pemigewasset Village. It was taken from portions of Salisbury, Andover, Sanbornton and Northfield. The name Franklin was adopted in 1820 in honor of Benjamin Franklin. Water power from the falls helped it develop as a mill town.[2] It would incorporate as a town in 1828, and then as a city in 1895. More recently, Franklin has been experiencing a renaissance, as commuters from Concord discover the city's quality of life and affordable housing.

Daniel Webster was born in a section of Franklin that was then part of Salisbury. There is a state historic site located off Route 127 that preserves the famous orator's childhood home. As an adult, Webster owned "The Elms", a farm near the Merrimack River along present-day Route 3. In 1943, the Army Corps of Engineers created the Franklin Falls Reservoir above Franklin by constructing the Franklin Falls Dam for flood control on the Pemigewasset River.

Geography

Franklin is located at (43.446956, -71.656966).[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.1 square miles (75.4 km2), of which 27.3 square miles (70.7 km2) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) is water, comprising 6.31% of the town.[4] It is drained by the Winnipesaukee, Pemigewasset and Merrimack rivers. Webster Lake is in the north. The highest point in Franklin is an unnamed summit near the northwestern corner of the city limits, where the elevation reaches approximately 1,370 feet (420 m) above sea level. Franklin lies fully within the Merrimack River watershed.[5]

The city is served by U.S. Route 3 and state routes 11, 127 and 3A.

Demographics

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 8,405 people, 3,319 households, and 2,193 families residing in the city. The population density was 304.9 people per square mile (117.7/km²). There were 3,676 housing units at an average density of 133.4 per square mile (51.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.10% White, 0.38% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.

There were 3,319 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1850 1,251
1860 1,600 27.9%
1870 2,301 43.8%
1880 3,265 41.9%
1890 4,085 25.1%
1900 5,846 43.1%
1910 6,132 4.9%
1920 6,318 3.0%
1930 6,576 4.1%
1940 6,749 2.6%
1950 6,552 −2.9%
1960 6,742 2.9%
1970 7,292 8.2%
1980 7,901 8.4%
1990 8,304 5.1%
2000 8,405 1.2%
2010 8,477 0.9%

The median income for a household in the city was $34,613, and the median income for a family was $41,698. Males had a median income of $32,318 versus $25,062 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,155. About 8.9% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Sites of interest

Notable inhabitants

References

  1. ^ United States Census Bureau, American FactFinder, 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  2. ^ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. pp. 497–499. http://books.google.com/books?id=OcoMAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA9&dq=coolidge%20mansfield%20history%20description%20new%20england%201859&pg=PA497#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
  4. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001) - Franklin city, New Hampshire". U.S. Census Bureau American Factfinder. http://factfinder2.census.gov. Retrieved November 14, 2011. 
  5. ^ Foster, Debra H.; Batorfalvy, Tatianna N.; and Medalie, Laura (1995). Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers. U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey. http://nh.water.usgs.gov/Publications/nh.intro.html. 
  6. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links