Gilford, New Hampshire | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location inBelknap County, New Hampshire | |
| Coordinates:43°32′51″N71°24′26″W / 43.54750°N 71.40722°W /43.54750; -71.40722 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Belknap |
| Incorporated | 1812 |
| Villages |
|
| Government | |
| • Board of Selectmen |
|
| • Town Administrator | Scott Dunn |
| Area | |
• Total | 53.6 sq mi (138.7 km2) |
| • Land | 38.8 sq mi (100.5 km2) |
| • Water | 14.7 sq mi (38.2 km2) 27.56% |
| Elevation | 745 ft (227 m) |
| Population (2020)[2] | |
• Total | 7,699 |
| • Density | 198/sq mi (76.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP code | 03249 |
| Area code | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-28740 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0873603 |
| Website | www |
Gilford is atown inBelknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,699 at the2020 census,[2] up from 7,126 at the2010 census.[3] Situated onLake Winnipesaukee, Gilford is home toGovernors Island,Ellacoya State Beach,Belknap Mountain State Forest,Gunstock Mountain Resort, and theBank of New Hampshire Pavilion, a seasonal outdoor concert venue. The lakeside village ofGlendale lies within Gilford's borders.
Settled in 1778 and originally a part ofGilmanton, the town was first called Gunstock Parish. In 1812, Captain Lemuel B. Mason, who had fought in the 1781Battle of Guilford Court House inNorth Carolina during theRevolutionary War and subsequently retired to Gunstock Parish, successfully proposed incorporation of a new town to be named Guilford after that battle. The name would later be contracted by clerical error. The originalparish name is used byGunstock Mountain and theski resort located on it.[4]
Gilford was the destination of the first "snow train" from Boston in the 1930s. It also had New Hampshire’s first motorized ski lift, a gasoline-powered rope tow built in 1934 at what is now Gunstock Mountain Resort.[5]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 53.6 square miles (138.7 km2), of which 38.8 sq mi (100.5 km2) are land and 14.7 sq mi (38.2 km2) are water, comprising 27.56% of the town.[1]Belknap Mountain, elevation 2,384 feet (727 m) abovesea level and the highest point in Gilford as well as Belknap County, is in the south. Much of the town is drained by theGunstock River, a tributary ofLake Winnipesaukee. Gilford lies fully within theMerrimack Riverwatershed.[6]
New Hampshire Route 11 crosses the town from east to west, connectingAlton andRochester to the east withLaconia to the west. NH 11 joinsU.S. Route 3 near the western border of Gilford, and together they turn south on the Laconia Bypass, which is largely within the Gilford town limits, traveling southwest towardsTilton andFranklin.New Hampshire Route 11A is an alternate east–west route to NH 11, passing through the center of Gilford and by the entrance toGunstock Mountain Resort.New Hampshire Route 11B leaves NH 11 near Sanders Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee and proceeds northwest toWeirs Beach in Laconia.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 1,816 | — | |
| 1830 | 1,872 | 3.1% | |
| 1840 | 2,072 | 10.7% | |
| 1850 | 2,432 | 17.4% | |
| 1860 | 2,811 | 15.6% | |
| 1870 | 3,361 | 19.6% | |
| 1880 | 2,821 | −16.1% | |
| 1890 | 3,585 | 27.1% | |
| 1900 | 661 | −81.6% | |
| 1910 | 744 | 12.6% | |
| 1920 | 738 | −0.8% | |
| 1930 | 783 | 6.1% | |
| 1940 | 996 | 27.2% | |
| 1950 | 1,251 | 25.6% | |
| 1960 | 2,043 | 63.3% | |
| 1970 | 3,219 | 57.6% | |
| 1980 | 4,841 | 50.4% | |
| 1990 | 5,867 | 21.2% | |
| 2000 | 6,803 | 16.0% | |
| 2010 | 7,126 | 4.7% | |
| 2020 | 7,699 | 8.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[2][7] | |||
As of the2000 census,[8] there were 6,803 people, 2,766 households, and 2,019 families residing in the town. The population density was 174.6 inhabitants per square mile (67.4/km2). There were 4,312 housing units at an average density of 110.6 per square mile (42.7/km2). Theracial makeup of the town was 98.32% White, 0.19% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.
There were 2,766 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $48,658, and the median income for a family was $56,554. Males had a median income of $38,839 versus $27,325 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $32,667. About 2.2% of families and 3.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Office | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | McCain 50–49% |
| Senator | Sununu 53–46% | |
| House | Bradley 52–47% | |
| Governor | Lynch 67–32% | |
| 2010 | Senator | Ayotte 67–30% |
| House | Guinta 58–38% | |
| Governor | Stephen 50–48% | |
| 2012 | President | Romney 53–46% |
| House | Guinta 50–46% | |
| Governor | Hassan 50–48% | |
| 2014 | Senator | Brown 53–46% |
| House | Guinta 56–44% | |
| Governor | Havenstein 51–48% | |
| 2016 | President | Trump 54–42% |
| Senator | Ayotte 53–44% | |
| House | Guinta 47–40% | |
| Governor | Sununu 55–41% | |
| 2018 | House | Edwards 51–48% |
| Governor | Sununu 62–37% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 52–47% |
| Senator | Shaheen 52–47% | |
| House | Mowers 53–45% | |
| Governor | Sununu 73–26% | |
| 2022 | Senator | Bolduc 51–47% |
| House | Leavitt 52–47% | |
| Governor | Sununu 68–31% |
In theNew Hampshire Senate, Gilford is in the 7th district, represented byRepublicanHarold F. French. On theNew Hampshire Executive Council, Gilford is in the 1st district, represented by RepublicanJoseph Kenney. In theUnited States House of Representatives, Gilford is inNew Hampshire's 1st congressional district, represented byDemocratChris Pappas.
coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
Places adjacent to Gilford, New Hampshire | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofBelknap County, New Hampshire,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other villages | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
