Peterborough, New Hampshire | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Town House, built in 1918 | |
 Seal | |
 Location in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire | |
| Coordinates:42°52′14″N71°57′06″W / 42.87056°N 71.95167°W /42.87056; -71.95167 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Hillsborough |
| Incorporated | 1760 |
| Villages | Peterborough Happy Valley Noone North Village West Peterborough |
| Government | |
| • Select Board |
|
| • Town Administrator | Nicole MacStay |
| Area | |
• Total | 38.43 sq mi (99.53 km2) |
| • Land | 38.02 sq mi (98.47 km2) |
| • Water | 0.41 sq mi (1.06 km2) 1.06% |
| Elevation | 718 ft (219 m) |
| Population (2020)[2] | |
• Total | 6,418 |
| • Density | 169/sq mi (65.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Code | 03458 |
| Area code | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-60580 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0873697 |
| Website | www |
Peterborough is atown inHillsborough County,New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,418 at the2020 census.[2] The main village, with 3,090 people at the 2020 census, is acensus-designated place (CDP) and lies along theContoocook River at the junction ofU.S. Route 202 andNew Hampshire Route 101. Peterborough is 38 miles (61 km) west ofManchester and 72 miles (116 km) northwest ofBoston.
Granted byMassachusetts in 1737, it was first permanently settled in 1749. The town suffered several attacks during theFrench and Indian War. Nevertheless, by 1759, there were fifty families settled. Incorporated on January 17, 1760, by GovernorBenning Wentworth, it was named after Lieutenant Peter Prescott (1709–1784) ofConcord, Massachusetts, a prominent land speculator.[3]
TheContoocook River andNubanusit Brook offered numerous sites forwatermills, and Peterborough became a prosperousmill town. In 1810, the firstcotton factory was established. By 1859, when the population was 2,222, there were four more cotton factories and awoolen mill. Other industries included twopaper mills, anironfoundry, amachine shop, acarriage factory, abasket-maker, a maker oftrusses and supporters, aboot andshoe factory, sevensawmills, and threegristmills.[3]
TheReverend Abiel Abbot, after being charged withheresy by theConnecticut religious establishment, came to Peterborough as minister to the Peterborough Unitarian Church in 1827.[4] He founded the town's firstprep school, the Monadnock Summer Lyceum,[5] and the first free library in the US, all in Peterborough.[6]
Peterborough established the first tax-supported free public library in the United States, in 1833.[7] Its success led theNew Hampshire State Legislature to pass legislation in 1849 authorizing towns to raise money to establish and maintain their own libraries. The library was in the town's general store and post office, and the postmaster served as librarian. The library moved to the town hall in 1873.[8]
Other early cultural institutions include Mariarden, a summer theatre, wherePaul Robeson played in Eugene O'Neill'sThe Emperor Jones.Bette Davis performed there in her teens.[9]
Performance blossomed again in 1976, when Widdie and Jonathon Hall founded the Peterborough Folkway. "Within a few years, it became a 'must play' on the East Coast for folk musicians"; it remained popular for two decades. Regular performers includedTom Paxton,Mary Chapin Carpenter,Shawn Colvin, andSuzanne Vega.[10]
In the 1980s, thanks to publisherWayne Green, "Peterborough was clearly the per capita magazine production capital of the world."[11] Over 100 magazines, mostly about computers and technology, were published there; these includedByte andMacComputing.
Peterborough's leadership in environmental protection began in the 1990s, when itsEarth Day USA office supported the United States Air Force's annual Earth Day events around the world.[12]
The town is 38.4 square miles (99.5 km2), of which 38.0 square miles (98.5 km2) are land and 0.42 square miles (1.1 km2) (1.06%) are water.[1] Peterborough is drained by theContoocook River and its tributaries,Nubanusit Brook and Otter Brook. The entire town is part of theMerrimack River watershed. The highest point in Peterborough as well as in Hillsborough County is the summit ofSouth Pack Monadnock (2,290 feet (698 m) abovesea level), inMiller State Park in the southeast corner of town. Peterborough is also home to Edward MacDowell Dam and Lake recreation area, where visitors can walk across the dam, hike, cross-country ski, swim, boat, picnic, play Frisbee golf, play horseshoes, and take advantage of other recreational opportunities, many of them accessible to people with disabilities. The town is crossed byU.S. Route 202 andRoute 101.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2022) |
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1790 | 861 | — | |
| 1800 | 1,333 | 54.8% | |
| 1810 | 1,537 | 15.3% | |
| 1820 | 1,500 | −2.4% | |
| 1830 | 1,984 | 32.3% | |
| 1840 | 2,163 | 9.0% | |
| 1850 | 2,222 | 2.7% | |
| 1860 | 2,265 | 1.9% | |
| 1870 | 2,236 | −1.3% | |
| 1880 | 2,206 | −1.3% | |
| 1890 | 2,507 | 13.6% | |
| 1900 | 2,527 | 0.8% | |
| 1910 | 2,277 | −9.9% | |
| 1920 | 2,615 | 14.8% | |
| 1930 | 2,521 | −3.6% | |
| 1940 | 2,470 | −2.0% | |
| 1950 | 2,556 | 3.5% | |
| 1960 | 2,963 | 15.9% | |
| 1970 | 3,807 | 28.5% | |
| 1980 | 4,895 | 28.6% | |
| 1990 | 5,239 | 7.0% | |
| 2000 | 5,883 | 12.3% | |
| 2010 | 6,284 | 6.8% | |
| 2020 | 6,418 | 2.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] | |||
As of the2010 United States census, there were 6,284 people, 2,713 households, and 1,629 families residing in the town. The population density was 167.0 inhabitants per square mile (64.5/km2). There were 2,956 housing units at an average density of 78.4 per square mile (30.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.1%White, 1.8%Asian, 0.7%Black orAfrican American, 0.2%Native American, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.4%some other race, and 0.8% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.4% of the population.[14]
There were 2,713 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were headed bymarried couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. Of all households 33.6% were made up of individuals, and 15.2% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24, and the average family size was 2.85.[14]
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.[14]
For the period 2009–2013, the estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $66,026, and the median income for a family was $89,401. Male full-time workers had a median income of $66,314 versus $34,707 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $40,385.[15]
Peterborough is a global village and entrepreneurial seedbed.[16] Start-ups in Peterborough have included New Hampshire Ball Bearing, Microspec, Pure Flow, Peterboro Basket Company, Borrego Solar, MobileRobots Inc., Toadstool Bookshops, Froling Energy,Brookstone, SoClean and Hyndsight Vision Systems. Approximately a third of Peterborough workers are home-based entrepreneurs orremote workers.[17]
Like the rest of New Hampshire and theMonadnock region, Peterborough's third largest industry istourism.[citation needed]
Its cultural attractions include the Monadnock Center for History and Culture, the exhibition gallery and craft gallery of the Sharon Arts Center, the Peterborough Players theatre, Peterborough Community Theater cinema, Monadnock Music concerts, the Monadnock Summer Lyceum, MAXT Makerspace and Mariposa Children's Museum. Peterborough's First Saturday contradances are a place for singles and dance enthusiasts to enjoy live music in the spacious Peterborough Town Hall.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jonah Wheeler | 817 | 34.9 | |
| Democratic | Peter Leishman (incumbent) | 777 | 33.2 | |
| Democratic | Ivy Vann (incumbent) | 744 | 31.8 | |
| Total votes | 2,338 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jonah Wheeler | 2,538 | 36.0 | |
| Democratic | Peter Leishman (incumbent) | 2,433 | 34.5 | |
| Republican | Rachel Maidment | 1,054 | 15.0 | |
| Republican | Matthew Pilcher | 1,020 | 14.5 | |
| Total votes | 7,045 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jonah Wheeler (incumbent) | 1,009 | 37.8 | |
| Democratic | Peter Leishman (incumbent) | 968 | 36.3 | |
| Democratic | Ivy Vann | 690 | 25.9 | |
| Total votes | 2,667 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Peter Leishman (incumbent) | 2,932 | 39.6 | |
| Democratic | Jonah Wheeler (incumbent) | 2,920 | 39.4 | |
| Republican | Kimberly Thomas | 1,555 | 21.0 | |
| Total votes | 7,407 | 100.0 | ||
Many artists' introduction to the town comes as fellows to theMacDowell Colony, a wooded creative retreat that provides grants to about 300 artists per year.
The town celebrates First Friday monthly with presentations by MacDowell artists, gallery openings, shopping, live music, and local pubs.
The Peterborough Diner, a Worcester railway lunch car in the center of the village square, attracts many presidential hopefuls every four years.[19]
Peterborough hosts the Snow Ball in January, Children and the Arts Day in May, Thing in the Spring music festival in June, and Greenerborough, a summer festival promoting the town's sustainability.[20]
The Moses Cheney house in Peterborough served as a stop on theUnderground Railroad in the mid-19th century.
The Peterborough Players have performed since 1933.[21][22]
New Hampshire's oldest continuously active state militia unit, theLafayette Artillery Company, was founded in Peterborough in 1804. It is now based in nearbyLyndeborough. Since the early 20th century, Peterborough has been home to the Amoskeag Veterans, founded inManchester in 1855.[23]
The Mariposa Museum houses a collection of marionettes and puppets.[24]
The town's outdoor amenities include hiking trails, wild flowers, cross-country skiing, kayaking, cycling and small lakes for swimming, sailing, fishing and ice-skating. It is a popular bird-watching area, one of two sites of the NH Audubon autumn migratory raptor count.[25]
The public schools are part of Contoocook Valley school district (SAU 1) which has a total of 11 schools and one applied technology center.
TheMonadnock Ledger-Transcript is published twice-weekly.[citation needed]
The town wants to achieve 100 percent reliance on sustainable energy,[29] and built the largest solar facility in New Hampshire,[30] next to its wastewater treatment plant.[31]
The town was a model for the playOur Town, written byThornton Wilder while in residence at the MacDowell Colony. His fictional town of Grover's Corners appears to have been named for Peterborough's Grove Street.[35]
The filmThe Sensation of Sight was shot entirely in Peterborough.[36]
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Places adjacent to Peterborough, New Hampshire | |
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Municipalities and communities ofHillsborough County, New Hampshire,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other villages | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
