Strafford County, New Hampshire
| Strafford County, New Hampshire | ||
|---|---|---|
 Strafford County Courthouse | ||
| ||
 Location in the state of New Hampshire | ||
 New Hampshire's location in the U.S. | ||
| Founded | 1771 | |
| Named for | William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford | |
| Seat | Dover | |
| Largest city | Dover | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 384 sq mi (995 km2) | |
| • Land | 369 sq mi (956 km2) | |
| • Water | 15 sq mi (39 km2), 3.9% | |
| Population | ||
| • (2010) | 123,143 | |
| • Density | 334/sq mi (129/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 1st | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website |
www | |
Strafford County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 123,143.[1] Its county seat is Dover.[2] Strafford County was one of the five original counties identified for New Hampshire in 1769. It was named after William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford in the mistaken belief that he was the ancestor of governor John Wentworth. Although they were distantly related, William had no descendants.
The county was organized at Dover in 1771. In 1840 the original size of the county was reduced with the creation of Belknap County.
Strafford County is included in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 384 square miles (990 km2), of which 369 square miles (960 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (3.9%) is water.[3] It is the smallest county in New Hampshire by area.
Adjacent counties
- Carroll County (north)
- York County, Maine (east)
- Rockingham County (south)
- Merrimack County (west)
- Belknap County (northwest)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 23,611 | — | |
| 1800 | 32,614 | 38.1% | |
| 1810 | 41,595 | 27.5% | |
| 1820 | 51,117 | 22.9% | |
| 1830 | 58,910 | 15.2% | |
| 1840 | 61,127 | 3.8% | |
| 1850 | 29,374 | −51.9% | |
| 1860 | 31,493 | 7.2% | |
| 1870 | 30,243 | −4.0% | |
| 1880 | 35,558 | 17.6% | |
| 1890 | 38,442 | 8.1% | |
| 1900 | 39,337 | 2.3% | |
| 1910 | 38,951 | −1.0% | |
| 1920 | 38,546 | −1.0% | |
| 1930 | 38,580 | 0.1% | |
| 1940 | 43,553 | 12.9% | |
| 1950 | 51,567 | 18.4% | |
| 1960 | 59,799 | 16.0% | |
| 1970 | 70,431 | 17.8% | |
| 1980 | 85,408 | 21.3% | |
| 1990 | 104,233 | 22.0% | |
| 2000 | 112,233 | 7.7% | |
| 2010 | 123,143 | 9.7% | |
| Est. 2013 | 124,593 | 1.2% | |
As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 112,233 people, 42,581 households, and 27,762 families residing in the county. The population density was 304 people per square mile (118/km²). There were 45,539 housing units at an average density of 124 per square mile (48/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.29% White, 0.63% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.8% were of English, 14.9% Irish, 14.0% French, 10.5% French Canadian, 7.6% American, 6.3% Italian and 6.2% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 93.7% spoke English and 3.2% French as their first language.
There were 42,581 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.10% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.80% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.70% under the age of 18, 13.60% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,803, and the median income for a family was $53,075. Males had a median income of $36,661 versus $26,208 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,479. About 5.00% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.10% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.
The largest cities in Strafford County are Dover (population) and Rochester (land area) .
Politics
| Year | Democratic | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 56.3% 36,026 | 41.8% 26,729 |
| 2008 | 59.5% 37,990 | 39.2% 25,021 |
| 2004 | 55.6% 32,942 | 43.6% 25,825 |
| 2000 | 51.4% 25,400 | 42.7% 21,108 |
Communities
Cities
- Dover (county seat)
- Rochester
- Somersworth
Towns
Census-designated places
- Durham
- Farmington
- Milton
- Milton Mills
Villages
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Retrieved 2011-06-11.
Further reading
- Robert S. Canney, The Early Marriages of Strafford County, New Hampshire. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1995.
- D. Hamilton Hurd, History of Rockingham and Strafford Counties, New Hampshire: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men. Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis, 1882.
- John Scales, History of Strafford County, New Hampshire and Representative Citizens. Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., 1914.
External links
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Belknap County | Carroll County | | |
| Merrimack County |  |
York County, Maine | ||
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| Rockingham County |
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