Town in New Hampshire, United States
Middleton
is a
town
in
Strafford County
,
New Hampshire
, United States. The population was 1,823 at the
2020 census
.
[2]
History
[
edit
]
Granted by the
Masonian Proprietors
in 1749, the town was named after Sir
Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham
, who was in charge of
convoy
service between
Barbados
and the colonies. The land was first settled shortly before the
Revolutionary War
by settlers from
Lee
and
Rochester
. Soon after the war, its population was challenged when a number of
Quaker
families led by the town auditor,
Nicholas Austin
, left for the more peaceful setting of
Austin, Quebec
. Although the soil is rocky and unsuited for
cultivation
,
cider
was made in considerable quantities, and
maple syrup
to some extent.
[3]
Middleton was situated on the road between the New Hampshire
Seacoast
and
Wolfeboro
, the location of colonial governor
John Wentworth's
summer home, "Kingswood". (Today the road survives as "Governors Road" in northern
Rochester
and
Milton
and continues as "Kings Highway" through Middleton.
[4]
) Neglect of the road caused the governor to bill the proprietors for repairs he had to make for safe travel to Kingswood, built in 1771. Middleton was incorporated on March 4, 1778, and originally included
Brookfield
, which was split off in December 1794.
[5]
Middleton's old Town Hall, located on King's Highway, was built in 1795 as a
meetinghouse
on Ridge Road. It was moved to its current location in 1812, jacked-up on the new site, and the Town Hall added underneath. The original
stucco
painting, a wrap-around landscape
mural
of trees and scenery, was painted by John Avery in 1811 and touched up in 1841.
[6]
Middle Town, New Hampshire, from 1755 map
Geography
[
edit
]
According to the
United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 18.5 square miles (47.9 km
2
), of which 18.1 square miles (46.8 km
2
) are land and 0.42 square miles (1.1 km
2
) are water, comprising 2.33% of the town. That water is primarily contained by
Sunrise Lake
, previously known as the Old Dump Reservoir, near the southern corner of the town. Sunrise Lake drains south toward the
Cocheco River
in
Farmington
, while the rest of the town drains eastward toward the
Branch River
, a tributary of the
Salmon Falls River
.
Jones Brook
flows through the center of town and joins the Branch River in the northern part of
Milton
. The entire town is part of the
Piscataqua River
watershed. The Moose Mountains, which separate Middleton from Brookfield, have a series of 1,600-to-1,700-foot (490 to 520 m) peaks, including the highest point in Middleton at an elevation of 1,670 feet (510 m) above
sea level
.
The town is served by
New Hampshire Route 153
.
Adjacent municipalities
[
edit
]
Demographics
[
edit
]
As of the
census
[8]
of 2000, there were 1,440 people, 514 households, and 389 families residing in the town. The population density was 79.6 inhabitants per square mile (30.7/km
2
). There were 706 housing units at an average density of 39.0 per square mile (15.1/km
2
). The racial makeup of the town was 98.54%
White
, 0.14%
African American
, 0.21%
Native American
, 0.56%
Asian
, and 0.56% from two or more races.
Hispanic
or
Latino
of any race were 0.35% of the population.
There were 514 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were
married couples
living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,942, and the median income for a family was $48,529. Males had a median income of $32,014 versus $26,336 for females. The
per capita income
for the town was $18,415. About 4.5% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the
poverty line
, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files ? New Hampshire"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 5,
2022
.
- ^
"Census - Geography Profile: Middleton town, Strafford County, New Hampshire"
. Retrieved
December 24,
2021
.
- ^
Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859).
A History and Description of New England
. Boston, Massachusetts: A.J. Coolidge. p.
580
.
- ^
Google Maps
- ^
History of Middleton, New Hampshire (1882)
- ^
"About Middleton"
. Town of Middleton
. Retrieved
January 20,
2015
.
- ^
"Census of Population and Housing"
. Census.gov
. Retrieved
June 4,
2016
.
- ^
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
External links
[
edit
]
Town Hall in 1907
Places adjacent to Middleton, New Hampshire
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