Bethlehem, New Hampshire | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Bethlehem, NH, from the southwest | |
| Motto: Star of the White Mountains | |
 Location inGrafton County,New Hampshire | |
| Coordinates:44°16′49″N71°41′17″W / 44.28028°N 71.68806°W /44.28028; -71.68806 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Grafton |
| Incorporated | 1799 |
| Villages |
|
| Government | |
| • Select Board |
|
| • Town Administrator | Mary Moritz |
| Area | |
• Total | 91.0 sq mi (235.6 km2) |
| • Land | 90.6 sq mi (234.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.35 sq mi (0.9 km2) 0.39% |
| Elevation | 1,427 ft (435 m) |
| Population (2020)[2] | |
• Total | 2,484 |
| • Density | 27/sq mi (10.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP code | 03574 |
| Area code | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-05460 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0873546 |
| Website | www |
Bethlehem is a hillside town inGrafton County,New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,484 at the2020 census.[2] It is home to Cushman and Strawberry Hill state forests. The eastern half of the town is within theWhite Mountain National Forest. TheAppalachian Trail crosses a small portion of the town in the south.
The main village of the town, where 826 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as theBethlehem census-designated place (CDP), and is located at the junction ofU.S. Route 302 withNew Hampshire Route 142. The town also includes the villages of Maplewood and Pierce Bridge.
Granted as "Lloyd's Hills" in 1774 bycolonial GovernorJohn Wentworth, the town was named for James Lloyd ofBoston. It was the last of the provincial grants in New Hampshire. In the aftermath of theRevolutionary War, the original grant could not be found. Lack of documentation deterred settlement until 1787, when the first permanent houses were built. Dropping its homage to Lloyd, aLoyalist, the town was incorporated as "Bethlehem" on December 27, 1799, the name having been selected onChristmas Day. There were just 33 families, withagriculture the only industry.
By 1850, the population had grown to 950, and the town contained agristmill, five largesawmills, and twostarch factories. In 1867, therailroad came to Bethlehem Junction. With it traveled tourists from Boston,New York and elsewhere, many to avoid respiratory ailments in the lowpollen count environment of "the highest town in New Hampshire" (as claimed on a present-day sign in the village). Others were attracted by the paintings of theWhite Mountain artists. Conveniently located nearMount Washington and other attractions of theWhite Mountains, Bethlehem developed into aGilded Age resort for the rich and famous.
In 1873, at the beginning of a building boom, GovernorHenry Howard ofRhode Island built Howard House. Eventually, over 30 hotels would line Bethlehem's streets. Seven trains arrived daily, some direct fromGrand Central Terminal, stopping at Bethlehem's five depots. Patrons included PresidentsGrant,Hayes,Roosevelt,Taft andHarding, as well as authorThornton Burgess and poetRobert Frost. Entertainments included strolling Main Street on a two and a half mile raisedboardwalk,carriage rides in the countryside,croquet games, or simply lounging about the hotels' sweepingpiazzas.
On the hills and thoroughfares were built large summer "cottages", including that of theWoolworth family. Beginning in 1887, an annual Coaching Parade was held, with prizes awarded for lavishly decorated horse-drawn carriages. Ornamentations cost as much as $5,000, prompting visitorPhineas T. Barnum to proclaim it "theSecond Greatest Show on Earth."
But the rise of theautomobile would bring the decline of grand hotels. Tourists could now explore regions beyond the limits of rail service. Beginning about 1916,Jewish families began arriving in town, often seeking relief fromhay fever symptoms. In fact, an organization named the Hebrew Hay Fever Relief Association, which was organized in the 1920s, existed in Bethlehem for many years.[3][4] For a town in northern New Hampshire, contemporary Bethlehem has a sizeable Jewish community (and a number ofsynagogues), a legacy of its hay-fever-relief experience.
It was at Bethlehem that the National Hay Fever Relief Association was founded.World War II gave the hotels a second life, as tourists avoided war-ravagedEurope and stayed closer to home. By the 1950s, however, hotel attendance had dwindled. Many would close and be demolished. Today, the town is known for its special Christmas postal cancellation stamp. Every year, people from all over the world sendChristmas cards to the Bethlehempost office to have them postmarked. In 2000, it handled 56,000 Christmas cards.
Bethlehem has experienced a continuing controversy, beginning in the 1980s. Casella Waste Systems ofRutland, Vermont, through its subsidiary North Country Environmental Services, purchased the town dump and created alandfill. The company has made efforts to expand the landfill. Town residents have tried to terminate the landfill, but Casella has repeatedly challenged the residents in court.[4]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 91.0 square miles (235.6 km2), of which 90.6 square miles (234.7 km2) are land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km2) are water, comprising 0.39% of the town.[5] Bethlehem is drained by theAmmonoosuc,Gale,Zealand andLittle rivers, together with Tuttle, Baker and Haystack brooks. Mount Cleveland, elevation 2,397 feet (731 m), andMount Agassiz, 2,378 ft (725 m), rise to the south of the center of town. Town boundaries contain several of the famous4,000-footers of New Hampshire:North Twin Mountain (the highest point in Bethlehem at 4,761 ft (1,451 m)),Mount Hale,Mount Tom,Mount Field, andMount Willey. Bethlehem lies almost fully within theConnecticut Riverwatershed, though a tiny portion of the southeastern corner of the town is in theMerrimack River watershed, and an even smaller portion on the eastern side of the Willey Range is in theSaco River watershed.[6]
| Climate data for Bethlehem 2, NH (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–1991) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) | 61 (16) | 80 (27) | 89 (32) | 91 (33) | 94 (34) | 96 (36) | 95 (35) | 90 (32) | 85 (29) | 75 (24) | 62 (17) | 96 (36) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.8 (−2.3) | 30.4 (−0.9) | 39.7 (4.3) | 53.4 (11.9) | 67.4 (19.7) | 75.7 (24.3) | 80.2 (26.8) | 78.8 (26.0) | 71.7 (22.1) | 58.2 (14.6) | 44.7 (7.1) | 33.1 (0.6) | 55.1 (12.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 15.6 (−9.1) | 17.3 (−8.2) | 27.1 (−2.7) | 40.4 (4.7) | 53.2 (11.8) | 61.8 (16.6) | 66.4 (19.1) | 64.5 (18.1) | 56.8 (13.8) | 45.3 (7.4) | 34.1 (1.2) | 22.3 (−5.4) | 42.1 (5.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 3.4 (−15.9) | 4.1 (−15.5) | 14.4 (−9.8) | 27.3 (−2.6) | 39.0 (3.9) | 47.9 (8.8) | 52.7 (11.5) | 50.2 (10.1) | 42.0 (5.6) | 32.4 (0.2) | 23.5 (−4.7) | 11.6 (−11.3) | 29.0 (−1.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −36 (−38) | −34 (−37) | −22 (−30) | −4 (−20) | 20 (−7) | 28 (−2) | 36 (2) | 33 (1) | 22 (−6) | 8 (−13) | −9 (−23) | −34 (−37) | −36 (−38) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.59 (66) | 2.04 (52) | 2.56 (65) | 3.15 (80) | 3.69 (94) | 4.24 (108) | 4.63 (118) | 4.16 (106) | 3.58 (91) | 3.97 (101) | 3.04 (77) | 3.34 (85) | 40.99 (1,041) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 21.3 (54) | 21.5 (55) | 16.7 (42) | 5.4 (14) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1.6 (4.1) | 7.1 (18) | 26.9 (68) | 100.9 (256) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 16.0 | 12.1 | 13.8 | 12.6 | 15.5 | 16.6 | 14.7 | 13.0 | 11.4 | 14.1 | 13.5 | 15.7 | 169.0 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.01 in) | 12.8 | 9.8 | 8.4 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 4.8 | 11.1 | 51.0 |
| Source: NOAA[7] / Western Regional Climate Center[8] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 171 | — | |
| 1810 | 422 | 146.8% | |
| 1820 | 467 | 10.7% | |
| 1830 | 665 | 42.4% | |
| 1840 | 779 | 17.1% | |
| 1850 | 950 | 22.0% | |
| 1860 | 896 | −5.7% | |
| 1870 | 998 | 11.4% | |
| 1880 | 1,400 | 40.3% | |
| 1890 | 1,267 | −9.5% | |
| 1900 | 1,261 | −0.5% | |
| 1910 | 1,201 | −4.8% | |
| 1920 | 866 | −27.9% | |
| 1930 | 872 | 0.7% | |
| 1940 | 935 | 7.2% | |
| 1950 | 882 | −5.7% | |
| 1960 | 898 | 1.8% | |
| 1970 | 1,142 | 27.2% | |
| 1980 | 1,784 | 56.2% | |
| 1990 | 2,033 | 14.0% | |
| 2000 | 2,199 | 8.2% | |
| 2010 | 2,526 | 14.9% | |
| 2020 | 2,484 | −1.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[2][9] | |||
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 2,526 people, 1,103 households, and 698 families residing in the town. There were 1,517 housing units, of which 414, or 27.3%, were vacant. 305 of the vacant units were for seasonal or recreational use. The racial makeup of the town was 97.2%white, 0.1%African American, 0.5%Native American, 0.6%Asian, 0.04%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race, and 1.3% from two or more races. 1.7% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.[10]
Of the 1,103 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were headed bymarried couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27, and the average family size was 2.77.[10]
In the town, 20.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.1% were from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 37.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.1 males.[10]
For the period 2011–2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $49,329, and the median income for a family was $56,458. Male full-time workers had a median income of $43,447 versus $41,563 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $27,853. 19.7% of the population and 15.1% of families were below the poverty line. 29.7% of the population under the age of 18 and 12.0% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.[11]
Places adjacent to Bethlehem, New Hampshire | |
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Municipalities and communities ofGrafton County, New Hampshire,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Township | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other villages | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
