Gorham, New Hampshire

Gorham, New Hampshire
Town
Buildings along Main Street
Nickname(s): Switzerland of America^[1]
Location in Coos County, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 44°23′16″N 71°10′23″W / 44.38778°N 71.17306°W / 44.38778; -71.17306Coordinates: 44°23′16″N 71°10′23″W / 44.38778°N 71.17306°W / 44.38778; -71.17306
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Coos
Incorporated	1836
Government
• Board of Selectmen	Terry Oliver, Chair Patrick Lafebvre Michael Waddell
• Town Manager	Robin L. Frost
Area
• Total	32.3 sq mi (83.7 km²)
• Land	31.9 sq mi (82.6 km²)
• Water	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km²) 1.27%
Elevation	794 ft (242 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,848
• Density	88/sq mi (34/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	03581
Area code(s)	603
FIPS code	33-30260
GNIS feature ID	0873607
Website	www.gorhamnh.org

Gorham is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,848 at the 2010 census.^[2] Gorham is located in the White Mountains, and parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the south and northwest. Moose Brook State Park is in the west. The town is crossed by the Appalachian Trail. Tourism is a principal business. It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The primary settlement in Gorham, where 1,600 people resided at the 2010 census,^[2] is defined as the Gorham census-designated place and is located between the two intersections of US 2 and NH 16, along the Androscoggin River.

History

Construction of the Cascade Mill began in 1904, by the Brown Company.

The community was first chartered in 1770 by Colonial Governor John Wentworth as a part of Shelburne, called Shelburne Addition. Gorham was first settled about 1802, by Robert Sargent and others,^[3] but for years it contained little more than rocky farms, small logging operations, and a few stores and stables. When incorporated in 1836, the town had only 150 inhabitants. It was named Gorham at the suggestion of Lot Davis, a resident from Gorham, Maine, and a relative of the Gorham family which incorporated that town in 1764.

The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (later the Grand Trunk Railway) arrived in 1851.^[3] Located halfway between Montreal and the New England seacoast, Gorham developed into a railroad town, with a major locomotive yard and repair facility. With trains came tourists, and the Mount Madison House, Alpine House, Gorham House and Willis House opened.^[4] Crowds went from Boston and the seacoast to White Mountain Station, and from there to the Glen House in Pinkham Notch and Mount Washington. In 1861, travelers made the first trek up the Mount Washington Carriage Road, winding 8 miles (13 km) to the summit of the 6,288-foot (1,917 m) mountain. "The Road to the Sky" was an engineering feat of its day, advertised as "the first man-made attraction in the United States." It would be renamed the Mount Washington Auto Road, and remains popular today.

View of Gorham from Mt. Hayes, 2016

Railroads benefited local industries as well, hauling freight for mills run by water power from the Androscoggin River. Logging flourished, with boards and building timber manufactured by the Libby and the Peabody lumber companies. That business would eventually decline, as would railroads. In 1973, the town's train depot, built in 1907, was scheduled for demolition. The Gorham Historical Society saved the building, which now serves as a headquarters and museum. It features displays on area history, with a collection including locomotives, boxcars and a caboose.

Panoramic view in 1888
Exchange Street in 1908
The Mount Madison House c. 1912
View from Mount Madison House c. 1912
Main Street c. 1908

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.3 square miles (84 km²), of which 31.9 sq mi (83 km²) is land and 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km²) is water, comprising 1.27% of the town. The town center (census-designated place) has a total area of 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²), of which approximately 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²) is land and approximately 0.1 sq mi (0.26 km²) is water.

Gorham is drained by the Androscoggin, Peabody, and Moose rivers, and the smaller Moose Brook. Gorham lies fully within the Androscoggin River watershed.^[5]

The highest point in Gorham is along its western border, on a spur of Mount Madison, where the elevation reaches 3,030 feet (920 m) above sea level. While Gorham itself is surrounded by larger mountains, a small prominent peak within the town is 2,400-foot (730 m) high Pine Mountain.

Rivers

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	156		—
1850	224		43.6%
1860	907		304.9%
1870	1,167		28.7%
1880	1,383		18.5%
1890	1,710		23.6%
1900	1,797		5.1%
1910	2,155		19.9%
1920	2,734		26.9%
1930	2,763		1.1%
1940	2,597		−6.0%
1950	2,639		1.6%
1960	3,039		15.2%
1970	2,998		−1.3%
1980	3,322		10.8%
1990	3,173		−4.5%
2000	2,895		−8.8%
2010	2,848		−1.6%
Est. 2015	2,657	^[6]	−6.7%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7]

Gorham Common, with the restored train depot on the left and Gorham Town Hall on the right

As of the census^[8] of 2000, there were 2,895 people, 1,293 households, and 801 families residing in the town. The population density was 90.7 people per square mile (35.0/km²). There were 1,482 housing units at an average density of 46.4 per square mile (17.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.34% White, 0.07% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.

There were 1,293 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.84.

Cascade Mill c. 1920

In the town, the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,250, and the median income for a family was $41,008. Males had a median income of $34,659 versus $20,278 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,649. About 3.9% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Town center

Gorham Fire Department, 2009

As of the census^[8] of 2000, there were 1,773 people, 799 households, and 488 families residing in the town center, or census-designated place (CDP). The population density was 2,073.5 people per square mile (796.0/km²). There were 912 housing units at an average density of 1,066.6 per square mile (409.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.18% White, 0.06% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.23% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population.

There were 799 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the CDP, the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $31,813, and the median income for a family was $39,400. Males had a median income of $32,217 versus $22,708 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,910. About 4.7% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

William Hatch, New Hampshire politician
Dr. Albert C. Johnston, an African-American doctor who, along with his wife and children, hid their racial identity. William Lindsay White later published a book, Lost Boundaries, about the family, which became a film in 1949.

Education

Gorham High School

Sites of interest

References

↑ The Androscoggin River Valley, gateway to the White Mountains, D.B. Wright and C.E. Tuttle, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1967 .
1 2 United States Census Bureau, American FactFinder, 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
1 2 "Some Highlights of Gorham History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 14, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
↑ "Gorham Historical Society & Railroad Museum". Retrieved July 17, 2012.
↑ Foster, Debra H.; Batorfalvy, Tatianna N.; Medalie, Laura (1995). Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers. U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.
↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gorham, New Hampshire.

Municipalities and communities of Coös County, New Hampshire, United States
County seat: Lancaster
City	Berlin
Towns	Carroll Clarksville Colebrook Columbia Dalton Dummer Errol Gorham Jefferson Lancaster Milan Northumberland Pittsburg Randolph Shelburne Stark Stewartstown Stratford Whitefield
Townships	Atkinson and Gilmanton Academy Grant Bean's Grant Bean's Purchase Cambridge Chandler's Purchase Crawford's Purchase Cutt's Grant Dix's Grant Dixville Erving's Location Green's Grant Hadley's Purchase Kilkenny Low and Burbank's Grant Martin's Location Millsfield Odell Pinkham's Grant Sargent's Purchase Second College Grant Success Thompson and Meserve's Purchase Wentworth's Location
CDPs	Colebrook Gorham Groveton Lancaster West Stewartstown Whitefield
Other communities	Beatties Bretton Woods Cascade Dixville Notch North Stratford Paris Tinkerville Twin Mountain

Androscoggin River watershed
Tributaries	Alder River Bear River Cathance River Chickwolnepy Stream Clear Stream Concord River Cupsuptic River Dead Cambridge River Dead Diamond River Dead River (ME) Dead River (NH) Dead River (Sabattus) East Branch Cupsuptic River East Branch Dead Diamond River East Branch Nezinscot River East Branch Pleasant River East Branch Swift River Ellis River First East Branch Magalloway River Kennebago River Little Androscoggin River Little Dead Diamond River Little East Branch Cupsuptic River Little Magalloway River Little River Magalloway River Middle Branch Dead Diamond River Middle Branch Little Magalloway River Mollidgewock Brook Moose Brook Moose River Muddy River Nezinscot River Peabody River Pleasant River Rangeley River Rapid River Rattle River Sabattus River Sanborn River Second East Branch Magalloway River South Branch Little Dead Diamond River South Branch Sunday River Sunday River Swift Cambridge River Swift Diamond River Swift River Third East Branch Magalloway River Webb River West Branch Dead Diamond River West Branch Ellis River West Branch Little Dead Diamond River West Branch Little Magalloway River West Branch Magalloway River West Branch Nezinscot River West Branch Peabody River West Branch Pleasant River West Branch Swift River Wild River
Lakes	Akers Pond Androscoggin Lake Lake Auburn Aziscohos Lake Echo Lake Greenough Pond Kennebago Lake Mooselookmeguntic Lake Parker Pond Parmachenee Lake Pontook Reservoir Range Ponds Rangeley Lake Richardson Lakes Sabattus Pond Success Pond Thompson Lake Tripp Pond Umbagog Lake Webb Lake
Towns	Albany Andover Auburn Berlin Bethel Bowdoin Brunswick Buckfield Byron Cambridge Canton Carthage Chesterville Dixfield Dummer Durham Errol Fayette Gilead Gorham Greene Greenwood Hanover Hartford Hebron Jay Leeds Lewiston Lisbon Livermore Livermore Falls Mechanic Falls Mexico Minot Monmouth Mount Vernon Newry Norway Otisfield Oxford Paris Peru Pittsburg Poland Randolph Rangeley Readfield Roxbury Rumford Sabattus Shelburne Sumner Topsham Turner Upton Vienna Wales Wayne Weld Wentworth's Location West Paris Woodstock
Landmarks	Brown Company Maine Central Railroad Old Speck Mountain Range Ponds State Park Rumford Mill St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad White Mountains

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