New Hampshire#Early settlement

{{Main|History of New Hampshire}}

File:New Hampshire state coat of arms (illustrated, 1876).jpg

Various Algonquian-speaking Abenaki tribes, largely divided between the Androscoggin, Cowasuck and Pennacook nations, inhabited the area before European colonization.{{cite web|url=http://tolatsga.org/aben.html|title=Abenaki|website=tolatsga.org|access-date=September 4, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411025556/http://www.tolatsga.org/aben.html|archive-date=April 11, 2010}} Despite the similar language, they had a very different culture and religion from other Algonquian peoples.

Indigenous people lived near Keene, New Hampshire 12,000 years ago, according to 2009 archaeological digs,{{Cite web |title=12,000 Years Ago in the Granite State |url=https://www.nhhumanities.org/programs/1258/12000-years-ago-in-the-granite-state |access-date=October 4, 2023 |website=New Hampshire Humanities |language=en}} and the Abenaki were present in New Hampshire in pre-colonial times.{{cite journal|first=Michael |last=Harris|year= 2021 |title=N'dakinna: Our Homeland...Still – Additional Examples of Abenaki Presence in New Hampshire |url = https://scholars.unh.edu/spectrum/vol10/iss1/1 |journal=Spectrum|volume=10|issue=1|page=1|access-date= October 5, 2023}}

English and French explorers visited New Hampshire in 1600–1605, and David Thompson settled at Odiorne's Point in present-day Rye in 1623. The first permanent European settlement was at Hilton's Point (present-day Dover). By 1631, the Upper Plantation comprised modern-day Dover, Durham and Stratham; in 1679, it became the "Royal Province". Father Rale's War was fought between the colonists and the Wabanaki Confederacy throughout New Hampshire.

File:Lwod House.jpg Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire includes 37 restored buildings dating from the 17th through 19th centuries.]]

New Hampshire was one of the Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against British rule during the American Revolution. During the American Revolution, New Hampshire was economically divided. The Seacoast region revolved around sawmills, shipyards, merchants' warehouses, and established village and town centers, where wealthy merchants built substantial homes, furnished them with luxuries, and invested their capital in trade and land speculation. At the other end of the social scale, there developed a permanent class of day laborers, mariners, indentured servants and slaves.

File:Site of first house in New Hampshire, present mansion constructed in 1750, by Gov. W. B. Wentworth (NYPL Hades-247509-423903).jpg]In December 1774, Paul Revere warned Patriots that Fort William and Mary would be reinforced with British troops. The following day, John Sullivan raided the fort for weapons. During the raid, the British soldiers fired at rebels with cannon and muskets, but there were apparently no casualties. These were among the first shots in the American Revolutionary period, occurring approximately five months before the Battles of Lexington and Concord. On January 5, 1776, New Hampshire became the first colony to declare independence from Great Britain, almost six months before the Declaration of Independence was signed by the Continental Congress.{{cite web|url=https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/nh09.asp|title=Constitution of New Hampshire - 1776|date=December 18, 1998 }}

File:KingstonNH JosiahBartlettHouse.jpg was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, and served as a delegate at the Constitutional Convention. He was the first governor of New Hampshire, a medical doctor, and chief justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court of Judicature (now the New Hampshire Supreme Court). The Josiah Bartlett House in Kingston, New Hampshire still stands.]]

The United States Constitution was ratified by New Hampshire on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to do so.{{cite web|url=https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/ratification.html|title=Observing Constitution Day|website=Archives.gov|access-date=April 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817165833/https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/ratification.html|archive-date=August 17, 2019|url-status=live}}

New Hampshire was a Jacksonian stronghold; the state sent Franklin Pierce to the White House in the election of 1852. Industrialization took the form of numerous textile mills, which in turn attracted large flows of immigrants from Quebec (the "French Canadians") and Ireland. The northern parts of the state produced lumber, and the mountains provided tourist attractions. After 1960, the textile industry collapsed, but the economy rebounded as a center of high technology and as a service provider.

Starting in 1952, New Hampshire gained national and international attention for its presidential primary held early in every presidential election year. It immediately became an important testing ground for candidates for the Republican and Democratic nominations but did not necessarily guarantee victory.{{Cite web |date=2019-12-19 |title=The First Primary: Why New Hampshire? |url=https://carsey.unh.edu/publication/first-primary-why-new-hampshire |access-date=2024-06-06 |website=Carsey School of Public Policy |language=en}} The media gave New Hampshire and Iowa significant attention compared to other states in the primary process, magnifying the state's decision powers and spurring repeated efforts by out-of-state politicians to change the rules.{{Cite web |title=Why is New Hampshire the first primary in the nation? |url=https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-is-new-hampshire-the-first-primary-in-the-nation/ |access-date=2024-06-06 |website=Brookings |language=en-US}}

{{Further|List of counties in New Hampshire|List of mountains in New Hampshire|List of lakes in New Hampshire|List of rivers in New Hampshire|Geology of New Hampshire}}

File:National-atlas-new-hampshire.png

File:New Hampshire Shaded Relief 5.jpg

File:Mount Adams NH from Madison.jpg.]]

File:Lake Winnipesaukee and the Ossipee Mountains.jpg and the Ossipee Mountains]]

New Hampshire is part of the six-state New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bounded by Quebec, Canada, to the north and northwest; Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east; Massachusetts to the south; and Vermont to the west. New Hampshire's major regions are the Great North Woods, the White Mountains, the Lakes Region, the Seacoast, the Merrimack Valley, the Monadnock Region, and the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee area. New Hampshire has the shortest ocean coastline of any U.S. coastal state, with a length of {{convert|18|mi|km}},{{cite map |url=http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/coastal/documents/coastal_access_map.pdf |title=New Hampshire Coastal Access Map |publisher=New Hampshire Coastal Program |access-date=February 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075419/http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/coastal/documents/coastal_access_map.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live }} sometimes measured as only {{convert|13|mi}}.{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS21729.pdf |last=Beaver |first=Janice Cheryl |title=U.S. International Borders: Brief Facts |publisher=Congressional Research Service |date=November 9, 2006 |access-date=February 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401163943/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS21729.pdf |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}

The White Mountains range in New Hampshire spans the north-central portion of the state. The range includes Mount Washington, the tallest in the northeastern U.S.—site of the second-highest wind speed ever recorded—{{Cite news |last=Filipov |first=David |title=Record blown away, but pride stays put: N.H. summit's claim to nasty weather intact |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=January 31, 2010 |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2010/01/31/record_blown_away_but_pride_stays_put/ |access-date=February 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203163847/http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2010/01/31/record_blown_away_but_pride_stays_put/ |archive-date=February 3, 2010 |url-status=live }} as well as Mount Adams and Mount Jefferson. With hurricane-force winds every third day on average, more than a hundred recorded deaths among visitors, and conspicuous krumholtz (dwarf, matted trees much like a carpet of bonsai trees), the climate on the upper reaches of Mount Washington has inspired the weather observatory on the peak to claim that the area has the "World's Worst Weather".{{cite web |url=http://www.mountwashington.org/ |title=Mount Washington ... Home of the World's Worst Weather |publisher=Mt. Washington Observatory |access-date=March 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118122712/http://www.mountwashington.org/ |archive-date=January 18, 2010 |url-status=live }} The White Mountains were home to the rock formation called the Old Man of the Mountain, a face-like profile in Franconia Notch, until the formation disintegrated in May 2003. Even after its loss, the Old Man remains an enduring symbol for the state, seen on state highway signs, automobile license plates, and many government and private entities around New Hampshire.

In southwestern New Hampshire, the landmark Mount Monadnock has given its name to a class of earth-forms—a monadnock—signifying, in geomorphology, any isolated resistant peak rising from a less resistant eroded plain.

New Hampshire has more than 800 lakes and ponds, and approximately {{convert|19000|mi}} of rivers and streams.{{Cite web |title=Rivers and Lakes |url=https://www.des.nh.gov/water/rivers-and-lakes |access-date=June 5, 2023 |website=NH Department of Environmental Services |language=en}} Major rivers include the {{convert|110|mi|km|adj=on|sigfig=3}} Merrimack River, which bisects the lower half of the state north–south before passing into Massachusetts and reaching the sea in Newburyport. Its tributaries include the Contoocook River, Pemigewasset River, and Winnipesaukee River. The {{convert|410|mi|km|adj=on|sigfig=3}} Connecticut River, which starts at New Hampshire's Connecticut Lakes and flows south to Connecticut, defines the western border with Vermont. The state border is not in the center of that river, as is usually the case, but at the low-water mark on the Vermont side; meaning the entire river along the Vermont border (save for areas where the water level has been raised by a dam) lies within New Hampshire.Vermont v. New Hampshire {{Ussc|289|593|1933}} Only one town—Pittsburg—shares a land border with the state of Vermont. The "northwesternmost headwaters" of the Connecticut also define part of the Canada–U.S. border.

The Piscataqua River and its several tributaries form the state's only significant ocean port where they flow into the Atlantic at Portsmouth. The Salmon Falls River and the Piscataqua define the southern portion of the border with Maine. The Piscataqua River boundary was the subject of a border dispute between New Hampshire and Maine in 2001, with New Hampshire claiming dominion over several islands (primarily Seavey's Island) that include the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the case in 2002, leaving ownership of the island with Maine. New Hampshire still claims sovereignty of the base, however.{{cite web |title = HJR 1—Final Version |url = http://gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2006/hjr0001.html |publisher = New Hampshire General Court |access-date = September 22, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151016014356/http://gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2006/hjr0001.html |archive-date = October 16, 2015 |url-status = live }}

The largest of New Hampshire's lakes is Lake Winnipesaukee, which covers {{convert|71|sqmi|km2|sigfig=3}} in the east-central part of New Hampshire. Umbagog Lake along the Maine border, approximately {{convert|12.3|sqmi|km2|sigfig=3}}, is a distant second. Squam Lake is the second largest lake entirely in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire has the shortest ocean coastline of any state in the United States, approximately {{convert|18|mi|km}} long.{{cite web |url=http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/dwgb/wrpp/documents/primer_chapter6.pdf |title=New Hampshire Water Resources Primer, Chapter 6: Coastal and Estuarine Waters |publisher=NH Dept. of Environmental Services |access-date=April 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005101408/http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/dwgb/wrpp/documents/primer_chapter6.pdf |archive-date=October 5, 2011 |url-status=dead }} Hampton Beach is a popular local summer destination. About {{convert|7|mi|km}} offshore are the Isles of Shoals, nine small islands (four of which are in New Hampshire) known as the site of a 19th-century art colony founded by poet Celia Thaxter, and the alleged location of one of the buried treasures of the pirate Blackbeard.

It is the state with the highest percentage of timberland area in the country.{{cite journal |url=http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/2012/nrs_2012_nowak_002.pdf |title=Tree and impervious cover in the United States (2012) |journal=Landscape and Urban Planning |last1=Nowak |first1=David J. |last2=Greenfield |first2=Eric J. |date=May 9, 2012 |volume=107 |pages=21–30 |doi=10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.04.005 |s2cid=9352755 |access-date=February 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312212331/http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/2012/nrs_2012_nowak_002.pdf |archive-date=March 12, 2014 |url-status=live |issn=0169-2046 }} New Hampshire is in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome. Much of the state, in particular the White Mountains, is covered by the conifers and northern hardwoods of the New England-Acadian forests. The southeast corner of the state and parts of the Connecticut River along the Vermont border are covered by the mixed oaks of the Northeastern coastal forests.{{cite journal| last1=Olson| first1=D. M.| last2=Dinerstein| first2=E.| title=Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth |journal=BioScience |year=2001 |volume=51 |issue=11 |pages=933–938 |doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2 |display-authors=etal|doi-access=free }} The state's numerous forests are popular among autumnal leaf peepers seeking the brilliant foliage of the numerous deciduous trees.

The northern third of the state is locally referred to as the "north country" or "north of the notches", in reference to the White Mountain passes that channel traffic. It contains less than 5% of the state's population, suffers relatively high poverty, and is steadily losing population as the logging and paper industries decline. However, the tourist industry, in particular visitors who go to northern New Hampshire to ski, snowboard, hike and mountain bike, has helped offset economic losses from mill closures.

Environmental protection emerged as a key state issue in the early 1900s in response to poor logging practices. In the 1970s, activists defeated a proposal to build an oil refinery along the coast and limited plans for a full-width interstate highway through Franconia Notch to a parkway.Kimberly A. Jarvis, From the Mountains to the Sea: Protecting Nature in Postwar New Hampshire (University of Massachusetts Press, 2020) [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=56368 online review]Kimberly A. Jarvis, Franconia Notch and the Women Who Saved It (Durham: University of New Hampshire Press, 2007.

Winter season lengths are projected to decline at ski areas across New Hampshire due to the effects of climate change, which is likely to continue the historic contraction and consolidation of the ski industry and threaten individual ski businesses and communities that rely on ski tourism.{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226142172|title=Climate Change Vulnerability of the Northeast US Winter Tourism Sector|format=PDF |publisher=University of Ottawa Department of Geography and Institute of Science |access-date=February 3, 2019}}

{{See also|List of birds of New Hampshire}}

Black bears, white-tailed deer, and moose can be found all over New Hampshire. There are also less-common animals such as the marten and the Canadian lynx.{{cite book|title=New Hampshire: Third Edition|page=18|isbn=978-1-62713-166-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJdmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 |last1=Hicks |first1=Terry Allan |last2=McGeveran |first2=William |last3=Waring |first3=Kerry Jones |date=July 15, 2015 |publisher=Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC }}

New Hampshire experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa in some southern areas, Dfb in most of the state, and Dfc subarctic in some northern highland areas), with warm, humid summers, and long, cold, and snowy winters. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed all year. The climate of the southeastern portion is moderated by the Atlantic Ocean and averages relatively milder winters (for New Hampshire), while the northern and interior portions experience colder temperatures and lower humidity. Winters are cold and snowy throughout the state, and especially severe in the northern and mountainous areas. Average annual snowfall ranges from {{convert|60|in|cm}} to over {{convert|100|in|cm}} across the state.{{cite web| url=http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/snowfall.html |title=Snowfall—Average Total in Inches |publisher=NOAA |date=June 23, 2004 |first=Dan |last=Dellinger |access-date=May 25, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619061102/http://www.governor.nh.gov/media/news/2011/061511-hb218.htm |archive-date=June 19, 2011 }}

Average daytime highs are in the mid 70s°F to low 80s°F (24–28 °C) throughout the state in July, with overnight lows in the mid 50s°F to low 60s°F (13–15 °C). January temperatures range from an average high of {{convert|34|F|C}} on the coast to overnight lows below {{convert|0|F|C}} in the far north and at high elevations. Average annual precipitation statewide is roughly {{convert|40|in|cm}} with some variation occurring in the White Mountains due to differences in elevation and annual snowfall. New Hampshire's highest recorded temperature was {{convert|106|F|C}} in Nashua on July 4, 1911, while the lowest recorded temperature was {{convert|-47|F|C}} atop Mount Washington on January 29, 1934. Mount Washington also saw an unofficial {{convert|-50|F|C}} reading on January 22, 1885, which, if made official, would tie the record low for New England (also {{convert|-50|F|C}} at Big Black River, Maine, on January 16, 2009, and Bloomfield, Vermont on December 30, 1933).

Extreme snow is often associated with a nor'easter, such as the Blizzard of '78 and the Blizzard of 1993, when several feet accumulated across portions of the state over 24 to 48 hours. Lighter snowfalls of several inches occur frequently throughout winter, often associated with an Alberta Clipper.

New Hampshire, on occasion, is affected by hurricanes and tropical storms—although, by the time they reach the state, they are often extratropical—with most storms striking the southern New England coastline and moving inland or passing by offshore in the Gulf of Maine. Most of New Hampshire averages fewer than 20 days of thunderstorms per year and an average of two tornadoes occur annually statewide.{{cite web |title=Annual average number of tornadoes 1953–2004 |url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif |publisher=NOAA |access-date=May 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016174155/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif |archive-date=October 16, 2011 |url-status=live }}

The National Arbor Day Foundation plant hardiness zone map depicts zones 3, 4, 5, and{{spaces}}6 occurring throughout the state{{cite web |url=http://www.arborday.org/media/zones.cfm |title=2006 arborday.org Hardiness Zone Map |publisher=National Arbor Day Foundation |access-date=May 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217032828/http://www.arborday.org/media/zones.cfm |archive-date=February 17, 2011 |url-status=dead }} and indicates the transition from a relatively cooler to warmer climate as one travels southward across New Hampshire. The 1990 USDA plant hardiness zones for New Hampshire range from zone 3b in the north to zone 5b in the south.{{cite web |url=http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-new-hampshire-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php |title=New Hampshire USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |website=PlantMaps |access-date=November 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208015547/http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-new-hampshire-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php |archive-date=December 8, 2010 |url-status=live }}

{{Main list|List of cities and towns in New Hampshire

}}

File:Manch-DownTown.jpg]]Metropolitan areas in the New England region are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs). The following is a list of NECTAs fully or partially in New Hampshire:{{cite web |url = https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/Files/acs18/tigerweb_acs18_metro_necta_us.html |title = Metropolitan New England City and Town Areas—Current/ACS18—Data as of January 1, 2018 |publisher = U.S. Census Bureau |access-date = February 5, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190207020344/https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/Files/acs18/tigerweb_acs18_metro_necta_us.html |archive-date = February 7, 2019 |url-status = live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.bls.gov/sae/saemd.htm |title=Metropolitan and NECTA Divisions published by CES |publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics |access-date=February 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207030038/https://www.bls.gov/sae/saemd.htm |archive-date=February 7, 2019 |url-status=live }}

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Berlin
• Boston–Cambridge–Nashua
• Haverhill–Newburyport–Amesbury Town NECTA Division
• Lawrence–Methuen Town–Salem NECTA Division
• Lowell–Billerica–Chelmsford NECTA Division
• Nashua NECTA Division
• Claremont
• Concord
• Dover–Durham
• Franklin
• Keene
• Laconia
• Lebanon
• Manchester
• Portsmouth

{{div col end}}

{{US Census population

|1790= 141885

|1800= 183858

|1810= 214460

|1820= 244155

|1830= 269328

|1840= 284574

|1850= 317976

|1860= 326073

|1870= 318300

|1880= 346991

|1890= 376530

|1900= 411588

|1910= 430572

|1920= 443083

|1930= 465293

|1940= 491524

|1950= 533242

|1960= 606921

|1970= 737681

|1980= 920610

|1990= 1109252

|2000= 1235786

|2010= 1316470

|2020= 1377529

|estyear=2024

|estimate=1409032

|align-fn=center

|footnote=Source: 1910–2020{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}{{Cite web| url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html| title=State Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=December 26, 2024}}

}}

File:Ethnic Origins in New Hampshire.png

File:New Hampshire population density 2020.png

As of the 2020 census, the resident population of New Hampshire was 1,377,529, a 4.6% increase since the 2010 United States Census. The center of population of New Hampshire is in Merrimack County, in the town of Pembroke.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/centers-population.html |title=Centers of Population: 2020 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 3, 2022}} The center of population has moved south {{convert|12|mi}} since 1950,{{cite web |url = http://www.nh.gov/oep/programs/DataCenter/Geography/documents/popcenter.pdf |title=Population Center of New Hampshire, 1950–2000 |date=October 2007 |publisher=NH Office of Energy and Planning |access-date=September 10, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080724022314/http://www.nh.gov/oep/programs/DataCenter/Geography/documents/popcenter.pdf |archive-date=July 24, 2008 }} a reflection of the fact that the state's fastest growth has been along its southern border, which is within commuting range of Boston and other Massachusetts cities.

As indicated in the census, in 2020 88.3% of the population were White; 1.5% were Black or African American; 0.2% were Native American or Alaskan Native; 2.6% were Asian; 0.0% were Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; 1.7% were some other race; and 5.6% were two or more races. 4.3% of the total population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.6% of the population were under 18 years of age; 19.3% were 65 years and over. The female population was 50.5%.

The most densely populated areas generally lie within {{convert|50|mi|0}} of the Massachusetts border, and are concentrated in two areas: along the Merrimack River Valley running from Concord to Nashua, and in the Seacoast Region along an axis stretching from Rochester to Portsmouth. Outside of those two regions, only one community, the city of Keene, has a population of over 20,000. The four counties covering these two areas account for 72% of the state population, and one (Hillsborough) has nearly 30% of the state population, as well as the two most populous communities, Manchester and Nashua. The northern portion of the state is very sparsely populated: the largest county by area, Coos, covers the northern one-fourth of the state and has only around 31,000 people, about a third of whom live in a single community (Berlin). The trends over the past several decades have been for the population to shift southward, as many northern communities lack the economic base to maintain their populations, while southern communities have been absorbed by the Greater Boston metropolis.

File:NH ancestry.png

As of the 2010 census, the population of New Hampshire was 1,316,470. The gender makeup of the state at that time was 49.3% male and 50.7% female. 21.8% of the population were under the age of 18; 64.6% were between the ages of 18 and 64; and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older.{{cite web|title=2010 Demographic Profile Data|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0400000US33|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212094934/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0400000US33|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2020|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}} Additionally, about 57.3% of the population was born out of state.{{cite web|url=https://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/youre-not-from-around-here-are-you/|title=You're Not From Around Here, Are You?|date=May 16, 2013|website=Census.gov|access-date=September 4, 2017}}

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 1,605 homeless people in New Hampshire.{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK}}{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf}}

Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population in 2010: 0.6% were of Mexican, 0.9% Puerto Rican, 0.1% Cuban, and 1.2% other Hispanic or Latino origin. As of 2020, the Hispanic or Latino population was counted as 4.3%. The Native American/Alaska native population is listed as 0.3% in the 2020 census, but may be higher.{{cite web|url= https://manchesterinklink.com/part-1-despite-misconceptions-native-americans-have-long-history-in-new-hampshire/#:~:text=While%20the%20most%20recent%20Census,Native%20people%20in%20the%20state.|title= Despite Misconceptions Native Americans have long history in New Hampshire|website =Manchesterlink.com|date= July 30, 2022|access-date= October 21, 2023}}

According to the 2012–2017 American Community Survey, the largest ancestry groups in the state were Irish (20.6%), English (16.5%), French (14.0%), Italian (10.4%), German (9.1%), French Canadian (8.9%), and American (4.8%).{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=2017 American Community Survey|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}

New Hampshire has the highest percentage (22.9%) of residents with French/French Canadian/Acadian ancestry of any U.S. state.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |title=Selected Social Characteristics in the United States: 2017 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates (DP02): All States within United States and Puerto Rico |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| website=United States Census Bureau |access-date=March 25, 2020}}

In 2018, the top countries of origin for New Hampshire's immigrants were India, Canada, China, Nepal and the Dominican Republic.{{cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_new_hampshire.pdf|title=Immigrants in New Hampshire}}

According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimates from 2017, 2.1% of the population aged{{spaces}}5 and older speak Spanish at home, while 1.8% speak French.{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_5YR/B16001/0400000US33 |title=Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over: 2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (B16001): New Hampshire |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |website=American Factfinder |access-date=April 6, 2017 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213023556/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_5YR/B16001/0400000US33 |url-status=dead }} In Coös County, 9.6% of the population speaks French at home,{{cite web |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_5YR/B16001/0500000US33007 |title=Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over: 2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (B16001): Coos County, New Hampshire |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |website=American Factfinder |access-date=April 6, 2017 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213113506/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_5YR/B16001/0500000US33007 |url-status=dead }} down from 16% in 2000.{{cite web |url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=33&mode=state_tops |title=MLA Language Map Data Center |publisher=Modern Language Association |date=July 17, 2007 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205095252/http://www.mla.org/map_data_results%26state_id%3D33%26mode%3Dstate_tops |archive-date=December 5, 2010 |url-status=live }} In the city of Nashua, Hillsborough County, 8.02% of the population speaks Spanish at home.{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=B16001:_Language_Spoken_at_Home_by_Ability_to_Speak_English_for_the_Population_5_Years_and_Over&g=860XX00US03060,03062,03063,03064&y=2015 |title=Language Spoken at Home by Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over: 2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (B16001): ZCTA5 03060-03064, New Hampshire |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=December 30, 2023 }}

Note: Percentages in the table do not add up to 100, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.

• Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

In 2022, New Hampshire had the lowest teen birth rate of any state, at 4.6 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 years of age.{{cite web | title = Teen Birth Rate by State | date = February 25, 2022 | publisher = U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | url = https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/teen-births/teenbirths.htm | accessdate = September 21, 2024}}

{{Pie chart

| thumb = right

| caption = Religion in New Hampshire according to PRRI American Values Atlas (2021){{cite web | url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2021/States/religion/m/US-NH | title=PRRI – American Values Atlas | access-date=March 4, 2023 | archive-date=April 4, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2021/States/religion/m/US-NH | url-status=dead }}

| label1 = Unaffiliated

| value1 = 40

| color1 = White

| label2 = Catholicism

| value2 = 30

| color2 = Purple

| label3 = Protestantism

| value3 = 23

| color3 = DarkBlue

| label4 = Unitarian/Universalist

| value4 = 2

| color4 = Crimson

| label5 = Jehovah's Witnesses

| value5 = 1

| color5 = Orange

| label6 = Judaism

| value6 = 2

| color6 = Lightblue

| label7 = Other

| value7 = 2

| color7 = black}}

A Pew survey in 2014 showed that the religious affiliations of the people of New Hampshire was as follows: nonreligious 36%, Protestant 30%, Catholic 26%, Jehovah's Witness 2%, LDS (Mormon) 1%, and Jewish 1%.{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/new-hampshire/|title=Adults in New Hampshire|date=May 11, 2015|website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|access-date=September 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925141536/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/new-hampshire/|archive-date=September 25, 2017|url-status=live}}

A survey suggests people in New Hampshire and Vermont{{NoteTag|Which were polled jointly}} are less likely than other Americans to attend weekly services and only 54% say they are "absolutely certain there is a God" compared to 71% in the rest of the nation.{{NoteTag|86% in Alabama and South Carolina}}{{cite web |last=Allen |first=Mike |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11268.html |title=Pew survey finds believers flexible |publisher=Politico |date=June 23, 2008 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918233651/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11268.html |archive-date=September 18, 2010 |url-status=live }} New Hampshire and Vermont are also at the lowest levels among states in religious commitment. In 2012, 23% of New Hampshire residents in a Gallup poll considered themselves "very religious", while 52% considered themselves "non-religious".{{cite news

|title = Mississippi Is the Most Religious U.S. State

|author = Frank Newport

|publisher = Gallup

|date = March 27, 2012

|url = http://www.gallup.com/poll/153479/Mississippi-Religious-State.aspx

|access-date = March 28, 2012

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120328201315/http://www.gallup.com/poll/153479/mississippi-religious-state.aspx

|archive-date = March 28, 2012

|url-status = live

}} According to the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) in 2010, the largest denominations were the Catholic Church with 311,028 members; the United Church of Christ with 26,321 members; and the United Methodist Church with 18,029 members.{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/33/rcms2010_33_state_adh_2010.asp |title=State Membership Report - New Hampshire - Religious Traditions, 2010 |publisher=The Association of Religion Data Archives |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202224845/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/33/rcms2010_33_state_adh_2010.asp |archive-date=December 2, 2013 |url-status=dead }}

In 2016, a Gallup Poll found that New Hampshire was the least religious state in the United States. Only 20% of respondents in New Hampshire categorized themselves as "very religious", while the nationwide average was 40%.{{Cite web|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/189038/new-hampshire-least-religious-state.aspx |first1=Frank |last1=Newport |title=New Hampshire Now Least Religious State in U.S.|date=February 4, 2016|website=Gallup|access-date=November 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106003110/https://news.gallup.com/poll/189038/new-hampshire-least-religious-state.aspx|archive-date=November 6, 2019|url-status=live}}

According to the 2020 Public Religion Research Institute study, 64% of the population was Christian, dominated by Roman Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism.{{Cite web |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-NH |access-date=September 17, 2022 |website=ava.prri.org |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-NH |url-status=dead }} In contrast with varying studies of estimated irreligiosity, the Public Religion Research Institute reported that irreligion declined from 36% at the separate 2014 Pew survey to 25% of the population in 2020. In 2021, the unaffiliated increased to 40% of the population, although Christianity altogether made up 54% of the total population (Catholics, Protestants, and Jehovah's Witnesses).

{{Further|New Hampshire locations by per capita income|List of power stations in New Hampshire}}

File:Mack's Apples in October 2021 7.jpg of Mack's Apples]]

• Total employment (2016): 594,243
• Number of employer establishments: 37,868{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NH |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: New Hampshire |access-date=November 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116061817/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/NH |archive-date=November 16, 2019 |url-status=live }}

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that New Hampshire's total state product in 2018 was $86{{spaces}}billion, ranking 40th in the United States.{{cite web |url=https://www.bea.gov/system/files/2019-04/qgdpstate0519_4.pdf |title=Gross Domestic Product by State, Fourth Quarter and Annual 2018 |website=Bea.gov |publisher=US Bureau of Economic Analysis |date=May 1, 2019 |access-date=June 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501132003/https://www.bea.gov/system/files/2019-04/qgdpstate0519_4.pdf |archive-date=May 1, 2019 |url-status=live }} Median household income in 2017 was $74,801, the fourth highest in the country (including Washington, DC).{{Cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/time-series/historical-income-households/h08.xls|title=U.S. Census Bureau—Historical Income Tables: Table H-8. Median Household Income by State|date=September 12, 2018|website=census.gov|access-date=June 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410111910/https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/time-series/historical-income-households/h08.xls|archive-date=April 10, 2019|url-status=live}} Its agricultural outputs are dairy products, nursery stock, cattle, apples and eggs. Its industrial outputs are machinery, electric equipment, rubber and plastic products, and tourism is a major component of the economy.{{cite web |url=http://stats.bls.gov/eag/eag.nh.htm |title=State at a Glance—New Hampshire |access-date=October 14, 2007 |date=October 12, 2007 |publisher=U.S. Department of Labor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023050704/http://stats.bls.gov/eag/eag.nh.htm |archive-date=October 23, 2007 |url-status=live }}

New Hampshire experienced a major shift in its economic base during the 20th century. Historically, the base was composed of traditional New England textiles, shoemaking, and small machine shops, drawing upon low-wage labor from nearby small farms and parts of Quebec. Today, of the state's total manufacturing dollar value, these sectors contribute only two percent for textiles, two percent for leather goods, and nine percent for machining.U.S. Economic Census for 1997, Manufacturing, New Hampshire They experienced a sharp decline due to obsolete plants and the lure of cheaper wages in the Southern United States.

New Hampshire today has a broad-based and growing economy, with a state GDP growth rate of 2.2% in 2018. The state's largest economic sectors in 2018, based on contribution to GDP, are: 15% real estate and rental and leasing; 13% professional business services; 12% manufacturing; 10% government and government services; and 9% health care and social services.{{Cite web|url=https://apps.bea.gov/itable/iTable.cfm?ReqID=70&step=1#reqid=70&step=1&isuri=1|title=Bureau of Economic Analysis—Gross Domestic Product by State|date=May 1, 2019|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023080037/https://apps.bea.gov/itable/iTable.cfm?ReqID=70&step=1#reqid=70&step=1&isuri=1|archive-date=October 23, 2018|url-status=live}}

The state's budget in FY2018 was $5.97{{spaces}}billion, including $1.79{{spaces}}billion in federal funds.{{cite web |url = http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/LBA/budget/operating_budgets/2018_2019/Final/HB%20144%20Adopted%206-22-17.pdf |title=FY 2017 and FY2018 Budget |date=June 22, 2017|website=New Hampshire General Court|access-date=June 13, 2019}} The state has a property tax (subject to municipal control) but no broad sales tax or income tax. The state does have narrower taxes on meals, lodging, vehicles, and business income; and has tolls on some expressways. Though there is no broad-based state tax, local jurisdictions have the U.S.'s 8th-highest property taxes as of a 2019 ranking by the Tax Foundation.Katherine Loughead. "[https://taxfoundation.org/ranking-property-taxes-on-the-2019-state-business-tax-climate-index/ Ranking Property Taxes on the 2019 State Business Tax Climate Index]". Tax Foundation, October 24, 2018. Accessed March 16, 2021. However, the state's overall tax burden is relatively low; in 2010 New Hampshire ranked 8th-lowest among states in combined average state and local tax burden.{{cite web |url=http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/468.html |title=New Hampshire's State and Local Tax Burden, 1970–2006 |publisher=The Tax Foundation |date=August 7, 2008 |access-date=February 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512110530/http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/468.html |archive-date=May 12, 2012 |url-status=live }}

According to the Energy Information Administration, New Hampshire's energy consumption and per capita energy consumption are among the lowest in the country. The Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant, near Portsmouth, is the largest individual electrical generating unit on the New England power grid and provided 57% of New Hampshire's electricity generation in 2017. Power generation from wind power increased strongly in 2012 and 2013, but remained rather flat for the next ten years at around 4% of consumption. In 2016, 2017 and at least 2019–2022, New Hampshire obtained more of its electricity generation from wind power than from coal-fired power plants. Hydroelectric power and biomass are other important renewable resources in the state. New Hampshire was a net exporter of electricity, exporting {{convert|63|e12BTU|TWh|lk=on}}.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=NH#tabs-1|title=New Hampshire—State Energy Profile Overview—U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)|website=www.eia.gov|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190615221433/https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=NH#tabs-1|archive-date=June 15, 2019|url-status=live}}

New Hampshire's residential electricity use is low compared with the national average, in part because demand for air conditioning is low during the generally mild summer months and because few households use electricity as their primary energy source for home heating. Nearly half of New Hampshire households use fuel oil for winter heating, which is one of the largest shares in the United States. New Hampshire has potential for renewable energies like wind power, hydroelectricity, and wood fuel.

The (preliminary) seasonally unemployment rate in April 2019 was 2.4% based on a 767,500 person civilian workforce with 749,000 people in employment. New Hampshire's workforce is 90% in nonfarm employment, with 18% employed in trade, transportation, and utilities; 17% in education and health care; 12% in government; 11% in professional and business services; and 10% in leisure and hospitality.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.nh.htm|title=New Hampshire Economy at a Glance|website=www.bls.gov|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418230711/https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.nh.htm|archive-date=April 18, 2019|url-status=live}}

In March 2018, 86% of New Hampshire's workforce were employed by the private sector, with 53% of those workers being employed by firms with fewer than 100 employees. About 14% of private-sector employees are employed by firms with more than 1,000 employees.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/statistics/fbs.htm|title=Firms by Size {{!}} Data & Statistics {{!}} Data and Analysis {{!}} Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau (ELMI) {{!}} NH Employment Security|website=www.nhes.nh.gov|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503001530/http://www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/statistics/fbs.htm|archive-date=May 3, 2017|url-status=live}}

According to community surveys by the Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau of NH Employment Security, the following are the largest private employers in the state as of 2018:{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/products/cp/|title=New Hampshire Community Profiles {{!}} Data and Analysis {{!}} Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau (ELMI) {{!}} NH Employment Security|website=www.nhes.nh.gov|access-date=June 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110080357/https://www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/products/cp/|archive-date=November 10, 2018|url-status=live}}

New Hampshire's state government employs approximately 6,100 people. Additionally, the U.S. Department of State employs approximately 1,600 people at the National Visa Center and National Passport Center in Portsmouth, which process United States immigrant visa petitions and United States passport applications.

{{Main|Government of New Hampshire}}

File:Concord New Hampshire state house 20041229.jpg in Concord]]

The governor of New Hampshire, since January 9, 2025, is Republican Kelly Ayotte. New Hampshire's two U.S. senators are Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, both of whom are Democrats and former governors. New Hampshire's two U.S. representatives as of January 2025 are Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander, both Democrats.

New Hampshire is an alcoholic beverage control state, and through the State Liquor Commission takes in $100{{spaces}}million from the sale and distribution of liquor.{{cite web |url=http://admin.state.nh.us/accounting/FY%2005/Monthly%20Rev%20June-05%20Cash%20Basis%20Unaud.pdf |title=State of New Hampshire Monthly Revenue Focus (FY 2005) |publisher=NH Department of Administrative Services |access-date=February 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811040853/http://admin.state.nh.us/accounting/FY%2005/Monthly%20Rev%20June-05%20Cash%20Basis%20Unaud.pdf |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |url-status=dead }}

New Hampshire is the only state in the U.S. that does not require adults to wear seat belts in their vehicles. It is one of three states that have no mandatory helmet law.

{{Main|Law of New Hampshire}}

The New Hampshire State Constitution of 1783 is the supreme law of the state, followed by the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated and the New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules. These are roughly analogous to the federal United States Constitution, United States Code and Code of Federal Regulations respectively.

New Hampshire has a bifurcated executive branch, consisting of the governor and a five-member executive council which votes on state contracts worth more than $5,000 and "advises and consents" to the governor's nominations to major state positions such as department heads and all judgeships and pardon requests. New Hampshire does not have a lieutenant governor; the Senate president serves as "acting governor" whenever the governor is unable to perform the duties.

The legislature is called the General Court. It consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are 400 representatives, making it one of the largest elected bodies in the English-speaking world,{{cite web |url = http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/memberlookup.aspx |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070815211306/http://gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/memberlookup.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 15, 2007 |title="House Fast Fact", New Hampshire House of Representatives |publisher=New Hampshire General Court |website=Gencourt.state.nh.us |access-date=July 31, 2010 }} and 24 senators. Legislators are paid a nominal salary of $200 per two-year term plus travel costs, the lowest in the U.S. by far. Thus most are effectively volunteers, nearly half of whom are retirees.{{cite web |last1=Cunningham |first1=Geoff |title=Why run for N.H. Legislature? It's not for $100, fame or a license plate |url=https://www.fosters.com/article/20100822/GJNEWS_01/708229882 |website=fosters.com |publisher=Foster's Daily Democrat |access-date=April 12, 2021}} (For details, see the article on Government of New Hampshire.)

The state's sole appellate court is the New Hampshire Supreme Court. The Superior Court is the court of general jurisdiction and the only court which provides for jury trials in civil or criminal cases. The other state courts are the Probate Court, District Court, and the Family Division.

New Hampshire has 10 counties and 234 cities and towns.

New Hampshire is a "Dillon Rule" state, meaning the state retains all powers not specifically granted to municipalities. Even so, the legislature strongly favors local control, particularly concerning land use regulations. New Hampshire municipalities are classified as towns or cities, which differ primarily by the form of government. Most towns generally operate on the town meeting form of government, where the registered voters in the town act as the town legislature, and a board of selectmen acts as the executive of the town. Larger towns and the state's thirteen cities operate either on a council–manager or council–mayor form of government. There is no difference, from the state government's point of view, between towns and cities besides the form of government. All state-level statutes treat all municipalities identically.

New Hampshire has a small number of unincorporated areas that are titled as grants, locations, purchases, or townships. These locations have limited to no self-government, and services are generally provided for them by neighboring towns or the county or state where needed. As of the 2000 census, there were 25 of these left in New Hampshire, accounting for a total population of 173 people ({{as of|2000|lc=y}}); several were entirely depopulated. All but two of these unincorporated areas are in Coös County.

{{Main|Politics of New Hampshire}}

New Hampshire is known for its fiscal conservatism and cultural liberalism. The state's politics are cited as libertarian leaning. It is the least religious state in the Union as of a 2016 Gallup poll. The state has long had a great disdain for state taxation and state bureaucracy.Frank L. Kluckhohn. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1947/05/25/archives/new-england-new-hampshire-is-cautious-on-new-expenses-and-taxes.html NEW ENGLAND; New Hampshire Is Cautious on New Expenses and Taxes]". The New York Times, May 25, 1947. Accessed March 17, 2021.AP. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/21/archives/new-hampshire-taxes-low.html New Hampshire Taxes Low]". The New York Times, November 21, 1972. Accessed March 17, 2021.

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party, in that order, are the two largest parties in the state. A plurality of voters are registered as undeclared, and can choose either ballot in the primary and then regain their undeclared status after voting.{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/election/iowa-newhampshire/independents.html |title=Independents Become Largest Voting Bloc in New Hampshire |website=PBS |access-date=December 29, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908100552/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/election/iowa-newhampshire/independents.html |archive-date=September 8, 2008 }} The Libertarian Party had official party status from 1990 to 1996 and from 2016 to 2018. A movement known as the Free State Project suggests libertarians move to the state to concentrate their power. As of August 30, 2022, there were 869,863 registered voters, of whom 332,008 (38.17%) did not declare a political party affiliation, 273,921 (31.49%) were Democratic, and 263,934 (30.34%) were Republican.{{cite web |url=https://www.sos.nh.gov/elections/voters/voting-new-hampshire/party-registrationnames-checklist-history |title=Voting in New Hampshire |publisher=NH Secretary of State |date=August 30, 2022 |access-date=March 3, 2023 }}

As of 2025, the Republican Party controls the governorship, the Executive Council, and both houses of the legislature. However, the Democratic Party controls all four seats in the state's delegation to Congress.

File:Alumni Hall 1889 Sun.jpg has held several national debates on campus.]]

New Hampshire is internationally known for the New Hampshire primary, the first primary in the quadrennial American presidential election cycle. State law requires that the Secretary of State schedule this election at least one week before any "similar event". While the Iowa caucus precedes the New Hampshire primary, the New Hampshire election is the nation's first contest that uses the same procedure as the general election, draws more attention than those in other states, and has been decisive in shaping the national contest.

In February 2023, the Democratic National Committee awarded that party's first primary to South Carolina, to be held on February 3, 2024, directing New Hampshire and Nevada to vote three days later.{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/04/dnc-presidential-primary-calendar-00081206|title=DNC votes to shake up presidential primary calendar|website=POLITICO|date=February 4, 2023 }} New Hampshire political leaders from both parties have vowed to stand by the state's "first in the nation" law and ignore the DNC.

State law permits a town with fewer than 100 residents to open its polls at midnight and close when all registered citizens have cast their ballots. As such, the communities of Dixville Notch in Coos County and Hart's Location in Carroll County, among others, have chosen to implement these provisions. Dixville Notch and Hart's Location are traditionally the first places in both New Hampshire and the U.S. to vote in presidential primaries and elections.

Nominations for all other partisan offices are decided in a separate primary election. In Presidential election cycles, this is the second primary election held in New Hampshire.

Saint Anselm College in Goffstown has become a popular campaign spot for politicians as well as several national presidential debates because of its proximity to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.saintanselmcollege.net/category/politics/face-the-nation/|title=CBS's Face the Nation : Saint Anselm College|date=November 13, 2008|access-date=September 4, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113151947/http://blogs.saintanselmcollege.net/category/politics/face-the-nation/|archive-date=November 13, 2008}}{{cite web|url=http://www.anselm.edu/news+and+events/college+news/news/2007-11-29-primarydebates.htm|title=Saint Anselm College—Saint Anselm to Host ABC Debates in Dana Center|date=May 11, 2008|access-date=September 4, 2017|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511173202/http://www.anselm.edu/news+and+events/college+news/news/2007-11-29-primarydebates.htm|archive-date=May 11, 2008}}{{cite web |author=William Schpero |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/candidates-face-off-at-st-anselms-college/ |title=Candidates Face Off at St. Anselm's College |publisher=CBS News |date=January 7, 2008 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101061337/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/07/politics/uwire/main3684304.shtml |archive-date=November 1, 2010 |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Elections in New Hampshire}}

{{Further|United States presidential elections in New Hampshire}}

File:Dartmouth College campus - Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate 51.jpg

In the past, New Hampshire has often voted Republican. Between 1856 and 1988, New Hampshire cast its electoral votes for the Democratic presidential ticket six times: Woodrow Wilson (twice), Franklin D. Roosevelt (three times), and Lyndon B. Johnson (once).

Beginning in 1992, New Hampshire became a swing state in national and local elections, and in that time has supported Democrats in all presidential elections except 2000. It was the only state in the country to switch from supporting Republican George W. Bush in the 2000 election to supporting his Democratic challenger in the 2004 election, when John Kerry, a senator from neighboring Massachusetts, won the state.

The Democrats dominated elections in New Hampshire in 2006 and 2008. In 2006, Democrats won both congressional seats (electing Carol Shea-Porter in the first district and Paul Hodes in the second), re-elected Governor John Lynch, and gained a majority on the Executive Council and in both houses for the first time since 1911. Democrats had not held both the legislature and the governorship since 1874.{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2006/12/25/focus2.html |title=Storm of change sweeps through N.H. Legislature |website=Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology |last=Kocher |first=Fred |date=December 22, 2006 |access-date=April 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112204108/http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2006/12/25/focus2.html |archive-date=January 12, 2008 |url-status=live }} Neither U.S. Senate seat was up for a vote in 2006. In 2008, Democrats retained their majorities, governorship, and Congressional seats; and former governor Jeanne Shaheen defeated incumbent Republican John E. Sununu for the U.S. Senate in a rematch of the 2002 contest.

The 2008 elections resulted in women holding a majority, 13 of the 24 seats, in the New Hampshire Senate, a first for any legislative body in the United States.Senate President Sylvia Larsen, quoted in "Women make up majority in state Senate," New Hampshire Union Leader, November 6, 2008.

In the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans made historic gains in New Hampshire, capturing veto-proof majorities in the state legislature, taking all five seats in the Executive Council, electing a new U.S. senator, Kelly Ayotte, winning both U.S. House seats, and reducing the margin of victory of incumbent Governor John Lynch compared to his 2006 and 2008 landslide wins.

In the 2012 state legislative elections, Democrats took back the New Hampshire House of Representatives and narrowed the Republican majority in the New Hampshire Senate to 13–11.{{cite news |first=Sean |last=Sullivan |title=New Hampshire's Democratic wave, explained |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/11/09/new-hampshires-democratic-wave-explained/ |location=Washington, DC |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 9, 2012 |access-date=September 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514011248/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/11/09/new-hampshires-democratic-wave-explained/ |archive-date=May 14, 2015 |url-status=live }} In 2012, New Hampshire became the first state in U.S. history to elect an all-female federal delegation: Democratic Congresswomen Carol Shea-Porter of Congressional District 1 and Ann McLane Kuster of Congressional District 2 accompanied U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte in 2013. Further, the state elected its second female governor: Democrat Maggie Hassan.

In the 2014 elections, Republicans retook the New Hampshire House of Representatives with a 239–160 majority and expanded their majority in the New Hampshire Senate to 14 of the Senate's 24 seats. On the national level, incumbent Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen defeated her Republican challenger, former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown. New Hampshire also elected Frank Guinta (R) for its First Congressional District representative and Ann Kuster (D) for its Second Congressional District representative.

In the 2016 elections, Republicans held the New Hampshire House of Representatives with a majority of 220–175 and held onto their 14 seats in the New Hampshire Senate. In the gubernatorial race, retiring Governor Maggie Hassan was succeeded by Republican Chris Sununu, who defeated Democratic nominee Colin Van Ostern. Sununu became the state's first Republican governor since Craig Benson, who left office in 2005 following defeat by John Lynch. In the presidential race, the state voted for the Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, by a margin of 2,736 votes, or 0.3%, one of the closest results the state has ever seen in a presidential race, while Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson received 4.12% of the vote. The Democrats also won a competitive race in the Second Congressional District, as well as a competitive senate race.

There is a unique contrast that can be seen between New Hampshire's federal and state level representation when it comes to which political party has control. Since 2017, New Hampshire's federal level delegation to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives has consisted of exclusively Democrats. However, since 2017, New Hampshire's state level government has had a Republican trifecta over the governorship and New Hampshire State Senate and House of Representatives, excluding the years 2019 and 2020, in which Republican Governor Chris Sununu still resided.{{Cite web |title=Party control of New Hampshire state government |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Party_control_of_New_Hampshire_state_government |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=K. k Rebecca Lai, Jasmine C. |last2=Russell |first2=Karl |date=November 11, 2016 |title=In a Further Blow to Democrats, Republicans Increase Their Hold on State Governments |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/11/us/elections/state-legislature-change-in-control.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827162124/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/11/us/elections/state-legislature-change-in-control.html |archive-date=August 27, 2017 |access-date=September 4, 2017 |website=The New York Times}}

The Free State Project (FSP) is a movement founded in 2001 to recruit at least 20,000 libertarians to move to a single low-population state (New Hampshire, was selected in 2003), to concentrate libertarian activism around a single region.{{cite news|title=Libertarians Pursue New Political Goal: State of Their Own|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/27/us/libertarians-pursue-new-political-goal-state-of-their-own.html?pagewanted=all|first=Pam|last=Belluck|work=The New York Times|date=October 27, 2003|access-date=February 2, 2022}} The Free State Project emphasizes decentralized decision-making, encouraging new movers and prior residents of New Hampshire to participate in a way the individual mover deems most appropriate. For example, as of 2017, there were 17 so-called Free Staters elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives,{{cite web |title=Media Memo: Free State Project Members Make Up Disproportionate Percentage of NH Freedom Caucus |url=https://granitestateprogress.org/2017/04/24/media-memo-free-state-project-members-make-up-disproportionate-percentage-of-nh-freedom-caucus/ |date=April 24, 2017}} and in 2021, the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, which ranks bills and elected representatives based on their adherence to what they see as libertarian principles, scored 150 representatives as "A−" or above rated representatives.{{cite web |title=New Hampshire 2021 Liberty Ranking |url=https://nhliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2021_Liberty_Rating.pdf |access-date=February 2, 2022}} Participants also engage with other like-minded activist groups such as Rebuild New Hampshire,{{cite web|title=My Turn: Sununu must stop enabling white nationalism, anti-government extremism|url=https://www.concordmonitor.com/Sununu-and-the-far-right-38171252|date=January 10, 2021|access-date=February 2, 2022|archive-date=February 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202135302/https://www.concordmonitor.com/Sununu-and-the-far-right-38171252|url-status=dead}} Young Americans for Liberty,{{cite press release |title=Young Americans for Liberty Celebrates Victory for Right to Work in New Hampshire!|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/young-americans-for-liberty-celebrates-victory-for-right-to-work-in-new-hampshire-301235070.html |date=February 24, 2021}} and Americans for Prosperity.{{cite web |title=NH Primary Source: Americans for Prosperity-NH endorses Sununu, Wheeler, 6 House candidates|url=https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-primary-source-americans-for-prosperity-endorses-sununu-wheeler-6-house-candidates/33470334# |date=July 30, 2020}} As of April 2022, approximately 6,232 participants have moved to New Hampshire for the Free State Project.{{cite web |title=FSP current mover count |url=https://www.fsp.org/ |website=fsp.org |publisher=Free State Project |access-date=April 29, 2022}}

{{Main|New Hampshire Highway System}}

New Hampshire has a well-maintained, well-signed network of Interstate highways, U.S. highways, and state highways. State highway markers still depict the Old Man of the Mountain despite that rock formation's demise in 2003. Several route numbers align with the same route numbers in neighboring states. State highway numbering is arbitrary, with no overall system, while the U.S. highway and Interstate systems follow national numbering conventions. Major routes include:

• 20px Interstate 89 runs northwest from near Concord to Lebanon on the Vermont border.
• 20px Interstate 93 is the main Interstate highway in New Hampshire and runs north from Salem (on the Massachusetts border) to Littleton (on the Vermont border). I-93 connects the more densely populated southern part of the state to the Lakes Region and the White Mountains further to the north.
• 20px Interstate 95 runs north–south briefly along New Hampshire's seacoast to serve the city of Portsmouth, before entering Maine
• 20px U.S. Route 1 runs north–south briefly along New Hampshire's seacoast to the east of and paralleling I-95.
• 20px U.S. Route 2 runs east–west through Coos County from Maine, intersecting Route 16, skirting the White Mountain National Forest passing through Jefferson and into Vermont.
• 20px U.S. Route 3 is the longest numbered route in the state, and the only one to run completely through the state from the Massachusetts border to the Canada–U.S. border. It generally parallels Interstate 93. South of Manchester, it takes a more westerly route through Nashua. North of Franconia Notch, U.S.{{spaces}}3 takes a more easterly route, before terminating at the Canada–U.S. border.
• 20px U.S. Route 4 terminates at the Portsmouth Traffic Circle and runs east–west across the southern part of the state connecting Durham, Concord, Boscawen, and Lebanon.
• 20px New Hampshire Route 16 is a major north–south highway in the eastern part of the state that generally parallels the border with Maine, eventually entering Maine as Maine Route 16. The southernmost portion of NH 16 is a four-lane freeway, co-signed with U.S. Route{{spaces}}4.
• 20px New Hampshire Route 101 is a major east–west highway in the southern part of the state that connects Keene with Manchester and the Seacoast region. East of Manchester, NH 101 is a four-lane, limited-access highway that runs to Hampton Beach and I-95.

File:Manchester-Boston Regional Airport Aerial Photograph.jpg from the air]]

{{Main list|List of airports in New Hampshire}}

New Hampshire has 25 public-use airports, three with some scheduled commercial passenger service. The busiest airport by number of passengers handled is Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in Manchester and Londonderry, which serves the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The closest airport with international service is Logan International Airport in Boston.

Long-distance intercity passenger rail service is provided by Amtrak's Vermonter and Downeaster lines.

Greyhound, Concord Coach, Vermont Translines, and Dartmouth Coach all provide intercity bus connections to and from points in New Hampshire and to long-distance points beyond and in between.

{{as of|2013}}, Boston-centered MBTA Commuter Rail services reach only as far as northern Massachusetts. The New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority is working to extend "Capital Corridor" service from Lowell, Massachusetts, to Nashua, Concord, and Manchester, including Manchester-Boston Regional Airport; and "Coastal Corridor" service from Haverhill, Massachusetts, to Plaistow, New Hampshire.{{cite web |url = http://www.nh.gov/dot/programs/nhrta/documents/NHRTAGoals40-April18Reformat.pdf |title=Draft NHRTA Prioritized Goals |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100602012924/http://www.nh.gov/dot/programs/nhrta/documents/NHRTAGoals40-April18Reformat.pdf |archive-date=June 2, 2010 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.nashuarpc.org/rail/index.html |title=NH Rail Transit Authority Meeting |publisher=Nashua Regional Planning Commission |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605022935/http://www.nashuarpc.org/rail/index.html |archive-date=June 5, 2009 }} Legislation in 2007 created the New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority (NHRTA) with the goal of overseeing the development of commuter rail in the state of New Hampshire. In 2011, Governor John Lynch vetoed HB 218, a bill passed by Republican lawmakers, which would have drastically curtailed the powers and responsibilities of NHRTA.{{cite news |url = http://nhjournal.com/2011/03/15/business-groups-unite-in-support-of-nh-rail-transit-authority/ |title=Business groups unite to support NH Rail Transit Authority |work=New Hampshire Journal |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110823070036/http://nhjournal.com/2011/03/15/business-groups-unite-in-support-of-nh-rail-transit-authority/ |archive-date=August 23, 2011 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.governor.nh.gov/media/news/2011/061511-hb218.htm |title=Governor Lynch's Veto Message Regarding HB 218 |website=Press Releases |publisher=Governor John Lynch |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619061102/http://www.governor.nh.gov/media/news/2011/061511-hb218.htm |archive-date=June 19, 2011 |access-date=July 12, 2011 }} The I-93 Corridor transit study suggested a rail alternative along the Manchester and Lawrence branch line which could provide freight and passenger service.{{cite web|url=https://www.nh.gov/dot/org/aerorailtransit/railandtransit/documents/NHSRPTAC36-28-11f.pdf|title=New Hampshire State Rail Plan|website=Nh.gov|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010203652/https://www.nh.gov/dot/org/aerorailtransit/railandtransit/documents/NHSRPTAC36-28-11f.pdf|archive-date=October 10, 2017|url-status=live}} This rail corridor would also have access to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.

Eleven public transit authorities operate local and regional bus services around the state, and eight private carriers operate express bus services which link with the national intercity bus network.{{cite web |url=http://www.nh.gov/dot/nhrideshare/ |title=NH Rideshare—Your Source for Transportation Alternatives |publisher=NH Dept. of Transportation |access-date=February 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425100918/http://www.nh.gov/dot/nhrideshare/ |archive-date=April 25, 2011 |url-status=live }} The New Hampshire Department of Transportation operates a statewide ride-sharing match service, in addition to independent ride matching and guaranteed ride home programs.

Tourist railroads include the Conway Scenic Railroad, Hobo-Winnipesaukee Railroad, and the Mount Washington Cog Railway.

{{Main list|List of New Hampshire railroads}}

Freight railways in New Hampshire include Claremont & Concord Railroad (CCRR), Pan Am Railways via subsidiary Springfield Terminal Railway (ST), the New England Central Railroad (NHCR), the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (SLR), and New Hampshire Northcoast Corporation (NHN).

File:Baker-Library-Dartmouth-College-Hanover-New-Hampshire-05-2018a.jpg's Baker Library]]

File:Thompson Hall, UNH Sunset.jpg, was built in 1892.]]

{{See also|List of high schools in New Hampshire|List of school districts in New Hampshire}}

The first public high schools in the state were the Boys' High School and the Girls' High School of Portsmouth, established either in 1827 or 1830, depending on the source.{{cite book |first=Emit Duncan |last=Grizzell |title=Origin and Development of the High School in New England Before 1865 |publisher=Macmillan Company |year=1923 |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4067-4258-9 |page=181 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jP20VWHFqV4C |oclc=1921554 }}{{cite book |first=George Gary |last=Bush |title=№ 22, History of Education in New Hampshire |series=United States Bureau of Education Circular of Information, № 3, 1898 |publisher=GPO |year=1898 |location=Washington, D. C. |page=134 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MEIXAAAAYAAJ |oclc=817663 }}{{Cite web |last1=Wallace |first1=R. Stuart |last2=Hall |first2=Douglas E. |title=A New Hampshire Education Timeline |publisher=New Hampshire Historical Society |url=http://www.nhhistory.org/edu/support/nhlearnmore/nhedtimeline.pdf |access-date=January 28, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225063655/http://www.nhhistory.org/edu/support/nhlearnmore/nhedtimeline.pdf |archive-date=February 25, 2009 }}

New Hampshire has more than 80 public high schools, many of which serve more than one town. The largest is Pinkerton Academy in Derry, which is owned by a private non-profit organization and serves as the public high school of several neighboring towns. There are at least 30 private high schools in the state.

New Hampshire is also the home of several prestigious university-preparatory schools, such as Phillips Exeter Academy, St. Paul's School, Proctor Academy, Brewster Academy, and Kimball Union Academy.

In 2008, the state tied with Massachusetts as having the highest scores on the SAT and ACT standardized tests given to high school students.{{cite web |url=http://www.v-weiss.de/table.html |title=The IQ-Trapper |publisher=Volkmar Weiss |website=V-weiss.de |date=May 30, 2009 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417015438/http://www.v-weiss.de/table.html |archive-date=April 17, 2010 |url-status=live }}

{{Main list|List of colleges and universities in New Hampshire}}

• Antioch University New England
• Colby-Sawyer College
• Community College System of New Hampshire:
• Great Bay Community College
• Lakes Region Community College
• Manchester Community College
• Nashua Community College
• NHTI, Concord's Community College
• River Valley Community College
• White Mountains Community College
• Dartmouth College
• Tuck School of Business
• Geisel School of Medicine
• Thayer School of Engineering
• Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies
• Franklin Pierce University
• Hellenic American University
• Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
• New England College
• New Hampshire Institute of Art
• Rivier University
• Saint Anselm College
• Southern New Hampshire University
• Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
• University System of New Hampshire:
• University of New Hampshire
• University of New Hampshire School of Law
• University of New Hampshire at Manchester
• Granite State College
• Keene State College
• Plymouth State University

{{Main list|List of newspapers in New Hampshire}}

{{div col|colwidth=25em}}

• Berlin Daily Sun
• Concord Monitor
• Conway Daily Sun
• Eagle Times of Claremont
• Eagle Tribune (Lawrence, Massachusetts area, including parts of southern New Hampshire)
• Foster's Daily Democrat of Dover
• Keene Sentinel
• Laconia Daily Sun
• New Hampshire Union Leader of Manchester, formerly known as the Manchester Union Leader
• The Portsmouth Herald
• The Sun (Lowell, Massachusetts area, including parts of southern New Hampshire)
• Valley News of Lebanon

{{div col end}}

{{div col|colwidth=25em}}

• Area News Group
• Business New Hampshire Magazine
• The Cabinet Press
• Milford Cabinet
• Bedford Journal
• Hollis/Brookline Journal
• Merrimack Journal
• Carriage Towne News (covering Kingston and surrounding towns)
• The Dartmouth (Dartmouth College student newspaper)
• The Exeter News-Letter
• Free Keene
• The Hampton Union
• Hippo Press (covering Manchester, Nashua, and Concord)
• The Liberty Block
• Manchester Express
• Manchester Ink Link{{Cite web| url=http://www.manchesterinklink.com/| title=ManchesterInkLink.com| publisher=Manchester Ink Link| access-date=December 9, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201063635/https://manchesterinklink.com/| archive-date=December 1, 2016| url-status=dead}}
• The New Hampshire (University of New Hampshire student newspaper)
• New Hampshire Business Review
• New Hampshire Free Press
• The New Hampshire Gazette (Portsmouth alternative biweekly)
• NH Living Magazine{{cite web | url=https://www.nhliving.com | title=NHLiving.com | website=New Hampshire Living | access-date=February 3, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124193951/http://www.nhliving.com/ | archive-date=January 24, 2016 | url-status=live }}
• [https://www.nhrocks.com/ NH Rocks]{{Cite web| url=https://www.nhrocks.com/| title=NH Rocks: Connecting You with Things to Do in New Hampshire| publisher=NH Rocks| access-date=June 22, 2020}}
• Salmon Press Newspapers (family of weekly newspapers covering Lakes Region and North Country)

{{div col end}}

• The Telegraph of Nashua

{{Main list|List of radio stations in New Hampshire}}

{{Main list|List of television stations in New Hampshire}}

• ABC affiliate WMUR, Channel 9, Manchester
• PBS affiliate Channel 11, Durham (New Hampshire Public Television); repeater stations in Keene and Littleton
• True Crime Network affiliate WWJE, Channel 50, Derry/Manchester
• Ion Television station WPXG, Channel 21, Concord (satellite of WBPX in Boston)

The following sports teams are based in New Hampshire:

The sport of paintball was invented in Henniker in 1981.{{cite web |last1=Slater |first1=Dashka |title=Who Made That Paintball? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/magazine/who-made-that-paintball.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=October 2, 2023 |date=August 15, 2014}} Sutton was the home of the world's first commercial paintball facility.{{cite web |last1=Pendak |first1=Jared |title=Paintball Pioneer, Ex-New London Resident, Reflects |url=https://www.vnews.com/Archives/2015/02/gurnsey-jp-vn-022615 |website=vnews.com |publisher=The Valley News |access-date=October 2, 2023 |date=February 26, 2015}}

The New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon is an oval track and road course that has been visited by national motorsport championship series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, American Canadian Tour (ACT), the Champ Car and the IndyCar Series. Other motor racing venues include Star Speedway and New England Dragway in Epping, Lee USA Speedway in Lee, Twin State Speedway in Claremont, Monadnock Speedway in Winchester and Canaan Fair Speedway in Canaan.

New Hampshire has two universities competing at the NCAA Division I in all collegiate sports: the Dartmouth Big Green (Ivy League) and the New Hampshire Wildcats (America East Conference), as well as three NCAA Division II teams: Franklin Pierce Ravens, Saint Anselm Hawks, and Southern New Hampshire Penmen (Northeast-10 Conference). Most other schools compete in NCAA Division III or the NAIA.

Annually since 2002, high-school statewide all-stars compete against Vermont in 10 sports during "Twin State" playoffs.{{cite news |last=Fantino |first=John A. |title=Vermont breaks through |work=Burlington Free Press |date=July 20, 2008}}

In the spring, New Hampshire's many sap houses hold sugaring-off open houses. In summer and early autumn, New Hampshire is home to many county fairs, the largest being the Hopkinton State Fair, in Contoocook. New Hampshire's Lakes Region is home to many summer camps, especially around Lake Winnipesaukee, and is a popular tourist destination. The Peterborough Players have performed every summer in Peterborough since 1933. The Barnstormers Theatre in Tamworth, founded in 1931, is one of the longest-running professional summer theaters in the United States.{{cite web|url=http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/new-england-summer-theater-six-oldest/|title=The New England Summer Theater—Six of the Oldest|date=May 27, 2017|access-date=February 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221001914/http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/new-england-summer-theater-six-oldest/|archive-date=February 21, 2019|url-status=live}}

In September, New Hampshire is host to the New Hampshire Highland Games. New Hampshire has also registered an official tartan with the proper authorities in Scotland, used to make kilts worn by the Lincoln Police Department while its officers serve during the games. The fall foliage peaks in mid-October. In the winter, New Hampshire's ski areas and snowmobile trails attract visitors from a wide area.{{cite web |url=https://www.nhstateparks.org/about-us/Trails/ |title=Bureau of Trails |publisher=NH Division of Parks and Recreation |website=nhstateparks.org |access-date=February 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205191241/https://www.nhstateparks.org/about-us/Trails/ |archive-date=February 5, 2016 |url-status=dead }} After the lakes freeze over they become dotted with ice fishing ice houses, known locally as bobhouses.

Funspot, the world's largest video arcade{{cite web |title=Largest videogame arcade (current) |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/92261-largest-videogame-arcade |website=www.guinnessworldrecords.com |date=January 12, 2016 |publisher=Guinness World Records |access-date=February 2, 2022}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.nhbr.com/November-24-2017/2017-Business-Excellence-Winner-Robert-Lawton-of-Funspot/|title=2017 Business Excellence Winner: Robert Lawton of Funspot|date=November 1, 2017|website=www.nhbr.com|access-date=December 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223044051/http://www.nhbr.com/November-24-2017/2017-Business-Excellence-Winner-Robert-Lawton-of-Funspot/|archive-date=December 23, 2017|url-status=live}} (now termed a museum), is in Laconia.

Many novels, plays and screenplays have been set in New Hampshire.

• The fictional New Hampshire town of Grover's Corners serves as the setting of the Thornton Wilder play Our Town. Grover's Corners is based, in part, on the real town of Peterborough. Several local landmarks and nearby towns are mentioned in the text of the play, and Wilder himself spent some time in Peterborough at the MacDowell Colony, writing at least some of the play while in residence there.{{cite web |last1=Graves |first1=Annie |title=Looking Back on Our Town: Eighty years after Thornton Wilder wrote his classic, the play still lives. |url=https://newengland.com/yankee-magazine/living/new-england-nostalgia/looking-back-on-our-town/ |work=Yankee magazine |publisher=Yankee Publishing, Inc. |access-date=October 30, 2020 |date=January 2, 2018}}

• Al Capp, creator of the comic strip Li'l Abner, used to joke that Dogpatch, the setting for the strip, was based on Seabrook, where he would vacation with his wife.{{cite news |url=http://www.seacoastonline.com/2004news/07042004/news/24976.htm |first=Susan |last=Morse |title=Last of the Yankees |work=Portsmouth Herald |date=July 4, 2004 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050926124300/http://www.seacoastonline.com/2004news/07042004/news/24976.htm |archive-date=September 26, 2005 }}

Many television programs have been set in New Hampshire. Notable recent examples include:

• In the AMC drama Breaking Bad ("Granite State"{{cite news |last=Goodman |first=Tim |date=September 22, 2013 |title='Breaking Bad' Deconstruction, Ep. 15: 'Granite State' |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/breaking-bad-deconstruction-ep-15-634297 |url-status=live |access-date=March 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219152057/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/breaking-bad-deconstruction-ep-15-634297 |archive-date=February 19, 2014}}) series lead Walter White escapes to a cabin in a fictional county in northern New Hampshire.
• An episode of the NBC drama The West Wing takes place in the fictional Hartsfield's Landing, New Hampshire.
• In the sixth season of HBO hit series The Sopranos, in an episode named for New Hampshire's famous slogan of "Live Free or Die", character Vito Spatafore flees New Jersey for the small fictional town of Dartford, New Hampshire, because of his inadvertently being outed as a gay man.{{cite web |title=Live Free or Die |url=https://www.hbo.com/the-sopranos/season-06a/6-live-free-or-die |website=www.hbo.com |publisher=HBO |access-date=February 2, 2022 |archive-date=February 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202204945/https://www.hbo.com/the-sopranos/season-06a/6-live-free-or-die |url-status=dead }}

{{Main list|List of people from New Hampshire}}

Prominent individuals from New Hampshire include 14th President of the United States Franklin Pierce, founding father Nicholas Gilman, Senator Daniel Webster, Revolutionary War hero John Stark, editor Horace Greeley, founder of the Christian Science religion Mary Baker Eddy, poet Robert Frost, sculptor Daniel Chester French, astronaut Alan Shepard, rock musician Ronnie James Dio, author Dan Brown, actor-comedian Adam Sandler, inventor Dean Kamen, comedians Sarah Silverman and Seth Meyers, restaurateurs Richard and Maurice McDonald, WWE wrestler Triple H, and streamer Ludwig Ahgren.

• Local government in New Hampshire
• Outline of New Hampshire
• List of states and territories of the United States

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{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book |title = New England |last=Sletcher |first=Michael |location=Westport, CT |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2004 |isbn = 978-0-313-32753-7}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160112175904/http://www.vnews.com/webextras/webextras-land.html Land Use in Cornish, N.H.], a 2006 documentary presentation by James M. Patterson of the Valley News, depicts various aspects of the societal and cultural environment of northern New Hampshire.

{{refend}}

{{Sister project links|voy=New Hampshire}}

• {{official website|http://www.nh.gov/}}
• [http://www.nh.gov/nhinfo/ New Hampshire Almanac]
• [http://www.visitnh.gov/ Visitnh.gov], New Hampshire Office of Travel and Tourism Development

• [https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/newhampshire/ New Hampshire State Guide from the Library of Congress]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080516020523/http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=NH Energy Facts for New Hampshire]
• [http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=33&StateName=New%20Hampshire#.U8Q0PbEXtQs New Hampshire State Facts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819115827/http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=33&StateName=New%20Hampshire#.U8Q0PbEXtQs |date=August 19, 2016 }}, USDA Economic Research Service
• [http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=NH USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of New Hampshire]

• [https://www.imdb.com/search/text?realm=title&field=locations&q=New+Hampshire Internet Movie Database listing of films shot in the state]
• [http://www.nhhistory.org/ New Hampshire Historical Society]
• [https://www.nhrocks.com/ NH Rocks] New Hampshire Statewide Destination Marketing Organization
• {{OSM relation|67213}}

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Category:1788 establishments in the United States

Category:Contiguous United States

Category:New England states

Category:Northeastern United States

Category:States and territories established in 1788

Category:States of the East Coast of the United States

Category:States of the United States