Tamworth, New Hampshire

Tamworth, New Hampshire
Town
Seal
Location in Carroll County, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 43°51′34″N 71°15′46″W / 43.85944°N 71.26278°W / 43.85944; -71.26278Coordinates: 43°51′34″N 71°15′46″W / 43.85944°N 71.26278°W / 43.85944; -71.26278
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Carroll
Incorporated	1766
Villages	Tamworth Chocorua South Tamworth Whittier Wonalancet
Government
• Board of Selectmen	Rebecca Mason, Chair Kelly Goodson Aaron Ricker Emery Roberts Melanie Streeter
• Town Administrator	Karen Anthony
Area
• Total	60.7 sq mi (157.2 km2)
• Land	59.7 sq mi (154.7 km2)
• Water	1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2)  1.59%
Elevation	524 ft (160 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	2,856
• Density	47/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP codes	03817 (Chocorua 03883 (South Tamworth) 03886 (Tamworth)
Area code(s)	603
FIPS code	33-76100
GNIS feature ID	0873736
Website	www.tamworthnh.org

Tamworth is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,856 at the 2010 census.^[1] Tamworth includes the villages of Chocorua, South Tamworth, Wonalancet, and Whittier. The White Mountain National Forest is to the north. The town is home to Hemenway State Forest in the north and White Lake State Park in the southeast.

History[]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Granted in 1766 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth, this town was named in honor of his close friend, British Admiral Washington Shirley, Viscount Tamworth. The admiral's daughter, Selina Shirley, was instrumental in the founding of Dartmouth College. The village of Whittier, like Mount Whittier in Ossipee, is named for the poet John Greenleaf Whittier.

The Chinook Kennels here raised sled dogs for the Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd Antarctic expeditions and the Army's search-and-rescue units. The Barnstormers Theatre summer playhouse was established here in 1931 by Francis Grover Cleveland, son of President Grover Cleveland. He supported the theatre until his death in 1995. Barnstormers is hailed as the oldest continuously running professional theatre in the state.

In 1921, at the turn of the 20th century many people travelled to the White Mountains of New Hampshire seeking haven from the noise of the cities and the business of urban life. Thinkers, artists and writers such as William and Henry James, E.E. Cummings, friends and descendants of Julia Ward Howe and many others vacationed in the Tamworth area.

Great ideas were being formulated that hatched great societal changes. Out of this environment, Elizabeth Lane Whittemore started the Tamworth Community Nurse Association (TCNA), dedicated to sustaining the health and vitality of Tamworth and its residents providing skilled nursing care and coordination of available services all with no fee for service.^[2]

Geography[]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 60.7 square miles (157 km²), of which 59.7 square miles (155 km²) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) is water, comprising 1.59% of the town.^[3] Tamworth is drained by the Bearcamp, Chocorua and Wonalancet rivers. Chocorua Lake is to the north. The highest point in Tamworth is the summit of Black Snout Mountain at 2,689 feet (820 m) above sea level, located precisely at the southwest corner of the town, within the Ossipee Mountain range.

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	266		—
1800	757		184.6%
1810	1,134		49.8%
1820	1,442		27.2%
1830	1,554		7.8%
1840	1,716		10.4%
1850	1,766		2.9%
1860	1,078		−39.0%
1870	1,344		24.7%
1880	1,274		−5.2%
1890	1,025		−19.5%
1900	1,050		2.4%
1910	993		−5.4%
1920	945		−4.8%
1930	955		1.1%
1940	1,056		10.6%
1950	1,025		−2.9%
1960	1,016		−0.9%
1970	1,054		3.7%
1980	1,672		58.6%
1990	2,165		29.5%
2000	2,510		15.9%
2010	2,856		13.8%
2017 (est.)	2,991	[4]	4.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 2,510 people, 1,074 households, and 675 families residing in the town. The population density was 41.9 people per square mile (16.2/km²). There were 1,662 housing units at an average density of 27.7 per square mile (10.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.05% White, 0.16% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.

There were 1,074 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,200, and the median income for a family was $41,121. Males had a median income of $30,389 versus $23,352 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,961. About 7.1% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation[]

The Carroll County Transit "Blue Loon" Public Route began operating in January 2012 and new, 16-passenger, wheelchair accessible buses are now rolling through the county.

The Carroll County Transit system includes an all-day flex-route connector service that originates in Wolfeboro (Bus Route # 2), runs north along Route 28 to West Ossipee and continues north along Route 16, traveling to Conway, and North Conway (Bus Route # 1). The service is provided using two buses running in opposite directions (Bus Routes # 1 & 2). Additionally, a fixed-route connector operates twice a day between West Ossipee and Laconia (Route #3). Transfer between the bus routes takes place in West Ossipee.^[7]

As of December 2012, the Concord Coach bus stop in West Ossipee is available. This route connects the region with destinations as far south as Boston and as far north as Berlin, New Hampshire.

Notable people[]

• Grover Cleveland (1837–1908), 22nd and 24th President of the United States (summer resident)^[8]
• William James (1842–1910), psychologist and philosopher (died in the village of Chocorua, located within Tamworth)
• Florence Luscomb (1887-1985), architect and woman's suffrage activist.^[9]

Culture[]

The 1942 epic Look to the Mountain, by LeGrand Cannon, Jr., takes place in Tamworth as 19-year-old Whit Livingston and his new wife, 16-year-old Melissa Butler, become the first white pioneer family to settle the area.^[10]

Commerce[]

The village of Chocurua in Tamworth is home to the stormwater modeling software company HydroCAD, Inc.^[11]

Sites of interest[]

• Barnstormers Theatre
• Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm
• Club Motorsports auto racing track, a 2.5 mile road course
• Tamworth Distilling
• Tamworth Lyceum
• Tamworth History Center

References[]

External links[]

• Town of Tamworth official website
• New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile