Town in New Hampshire, United States
Ashland
is a
town
in
Grafton County
,
New Hampshire
, United States. The population was 1,938 at the
2020 census
,
[2]
down from 2,076 at the 2010 census.
[3]
Located near the geographical center of the state, Ashland is home to Scribner-Fellows State Forest.
The main village of the town, where 1,082 people lived at the 2020 census, is defined as the
Ashland census-designated place
(CDP) and is located at the junction of
U.S. Route 3
and
New Hampshire Route 25
with
NH Route 132
.
History
[
edit
]
Ashland was once the southwestern corner of
Holderness
, chartered in 1751 by
colonial
Governor
Benning Wentworth
. But hostilities during the
French and Indian War
delayed settlement, and in 1761, it was regranted as "New Holderness" (although "New" would be dropped in 1816). Settled in 1763, the town was predominantly
agricultural
except for Holderness Village on the
Squam River
, with falls that drop about 112 feet (34 m) before meeting the
Pemigewasset River
. The falls provided
water power
for mills, and in 1770?1771, a
sawmill
and
gristmill
were built. The Squam Lake Woolen Mill was established in 1840. Goods manufactured at local factories included
hosiery
,
gloves
, sporting equipment, wood products and
paper
.
[4]
The Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad
[5]
entered in 1849, carrying
freight
but also tourists bound for hotels on the
Squam Lakes
, to which they traveled by
steamer
up the Squam River. The interests of the industrialized settlement increasingly diverged from those of the farming community, however, and in 1868 Holderness Village was set off as Ashland, named for
Ashland
, the
Kentucky
estate of
Henry Clay
. The last
textile
mill, the L.W. Packard Company, would close in 2002, and Ashland is today a residential and resort community.
[6]
-
-
View of Town Hall
c.
1910
-
-
View of the mills
c.
1908
Geography
[
edit
]
According to the
United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 11.8 square miles (30.5 km
2
), of which 11.2 square miles (29.1 km
2
) are land and 0.54 square miles (1.4 km
2
) are water, comprising 4.63 of the town.
[1]
Bounded on the west by the
Pemigewasset River
, Ashland is drained by the
Squam River
and Owl Brook.
Little Squam Lake
is on the eastern boundary. The highest point in Ashland is Hicks Hill, at 1,386 feet (422 m) above
sea level
. Ashland lies fully within the
Merrimack River
watershed
.
[7]
The town is served by
Interstate 93
,
U.S. Route 3
, and state routes
25
,
132
and
175
.
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1870
| 885
| | ?
|
---|
1880
| 960
| | 8.5%
|
---|
1890
| 1,193
| | 24.3%
|
---|
1900
| 1,289
| | 8.0%
|
---|
1910
| 1,412
| | 9.5%
|
---|
1920
| 1,325
| | ?6.2%
|
---|
1930
| 1,375
| | 3.8%
|
---|
1940
| 1,460
| | 6.2%
|
---|
1950
| 1,599
| | 9.5%
|
---|
1960
| 1,473
| | ?7.9%
|
---|
1970
| 1,599
| | 8.6%
|
---|
1980
| 1,807
| | 13.0%
|
---|
1990
| 1,915
| | 6.0%
|
---|
2000
| 1,955
| | 2.1%
|
---|
2010
| 2,076
| | 6.2%
|
---|
2020
| 1,938
| | ?6.6%
|
---|
As of the
census
of 2010, there were 2,076 people, 980 households, and 522 families residing in the town. There were 1,355 housing units, of which 375, or 27.7%, were vacant. 267 of the vacant units were for seasonal or recreational use. The racial makeup of the town was 96.1%
white
, 0.4%
African American
, 0.2%
Native American
, 1.3%
Asian
, 0.0%
Native Hawaiian
or Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race, and 1.7% from two or more races. Of the population 0.9% were
Hispanic
or
Latino
of any race.
[9]
Of the 980 households, 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% were headed by
married couples
living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. Of all households 35.8% were made up of individuals, and 14.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12, and the average family size was 2.77.
[9]
In the town, 17.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.7% were from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
[9]
For the period 2011?2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $45,938, and the median income for a family was $52,106. Male full-time workers had a median income of $37,695 versus $27,130 for females. The
per capita income
for the town was $22,620. Of the population, 13.8% of the people and 8.6% of families were below the poverty line. Of the population 17.7% under the age of 18 and 9.0% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.
[10]
Sites of interest
[
edit
]
Notable people
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files ? New Hampshire"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
November 19,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Ashland town, Grafton County, New Hampshire: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)"
. U.S. Census Bureau
. Retrieved
November 19,
2021
.
- ^
United States Census Bureau,
American FactFinder
, 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
- ^
Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859).
A History and Description of New England
. Boston. pp. 529?530.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- ^
Article in
Statistics and Gazetteer of New-Hampshire
(1875)
- ^
"History of Ashland, New Hampshire"
. Archived from
the original
on May 27, 2010
. Retrieved
April 23,
2010
.
- ^
Foster, Debra H.; Batorfalvy, Tatianna N.; Medalie, Laura (1995).
Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers
. U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.
- ^
"Census of Population and Housing"
. Census.gov
. Retrieved
June 4,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (DP-1): Ashland town, Grafton County, New Hampshire"
. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from
the original
on February 13, 2020
. Retrieved
October 27,
2017
.
- ^
"Selected Economic Characteristics: 2011?2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (DP03): Ashland town, Grafton County, New Hampshire"
. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from
the original
on February 13, 2020
. Retrieved
October 27,
2017
.
External links
[
edit
]
Places adjacent to Ashland, New Hampshire
|
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|