Belknap County, New Hampshire

Infobox U.S. County
county = Belknap County
state = New Hampshire




map size = 100
founded = 1840
seat = Laconia | area_total_sq_mi =469
area_land_sq_mi =401
area_water_sq_mi =67
area percentage = 14.35%
census yr = 2000
pop = 56325
density_km2 =31
web = www.belknapcounty.org
|

Belknap County is one of ten counties in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is located in New Hampshire's Lakes Region, slightly southeast of the state's geographic center. The county seat is Laconia.GR|6 As of 2000, the county's population was 56,325.

History

Belknap County was organized in 1840 by removing parts of northeastern Merrimack County and northwestern Strafford County. [http://www.nh.searchroots.com/countylist.html] It is named for Dr. Jeremy Belknap, a renowned preacher, historian, and author of "The History of New Hampshire". The first County Court was held within the town of Meredith, at a village known as Meredith Bridge on the Winnipesaukee River. In 1855, the town of Laconia was separated from Meredith.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of convert|469|sqmi|km2, of which convert|401|sqmi|km2|abbr=on is land and convert|67|sqmi|km2|abbr=on (14.35%) is water, most of which is part of Lake Winnipesaukee.

Adjacent counties

*Carroll County (north)
*Strafford County (east)
*Merrimack County (southwest)
*Grafton County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 56,325 people, 22,459 households, and 15,496 families residing in the county. The population density was 140 people per square mile (54/km²). There were 32,121 housing units at an average density of 80 per square mile (31/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.61% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.2% were of English, 13.6% Irish, 13.3% French, 12.2% French Canadian, 8.5% American, 6.9% Italian and 5.7% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.0% spoke English, 2.7% French and 1.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 22,459 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 3% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 26.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,605, and the median income for a family was $50,510. Males had a median income of $34,741 versus $25,445 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,758. About 4.50% of families and 6.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.60% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

The Republican party is the majority political party in Belknap County, holding 14 out of the county's 20 seats in the state legislature as of 2007. However, both state senators representing the county are Democratic. [ [http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/whosmyleg/nswhosmyleg/ New Hampshire General Court "Official Web Site"] ]

Cities and towns

There are ten towns and one city in Belknap County. The towns are:
*Alton
*Barnstead
*Belmont
*Center Harbor
*Gilford
*Gilmanton
*Meredith
*New Hampton
*Sanbornton
*Tilton :*Tilton/Northfield CDP (shared with Northfield in Merrimack Co.)

The only city is the county seat, Laconia.

References

External links

* [http://www.belknapcounty.org/ Belknap County web site]
* [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/NH/Belknap/districts.html National Register of Historic Places listing for Belknap County]