| Hudson (town), New Hampshire |
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Information AboutHudson (town), New Hampshire |
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HISTORY Hudson began as part of the Dunstable Land Grant that encompassed the current city of and north of the Nashua river), Nashua (west of the Merrimack River and south of the Nashua river) and Nottingham (east of the Merrimack River). Nashville and Nashua would later merge to form the city of Nashua. Several years after adopting the name Nottingham, it was discovered that there was already a town named Nottingham further east. As a compromise, the town renamed itself "Nottingham West", a name it would keep for the better part of a century. The name was eventually changed to "Hudson" to avoid confusion with the older town of Nottingham. The name apparently comes from an early belief that the Merrimack River had once been thought to be a tributary of the Hudson River , or that the area had once been explored by Henry Hudson ; both proved to be entirely apocryphal stories, but the name of the town remains today. A prominent family in Hudson history was the Alfred and Virginia Hill family, who owned a large tract of land north of Hudson Village. The Hill House on Derry Street is their original family home and current location of the Town Historical Society. The grounds host the annual "Old Home's Days" fair every year. Hills Memorial Library is one of the oldest public lending libraries in the state, and occupies an stone and mortar building on Library Street. Alvirne High School and the Alvirne Chapel, located on family land across Derry Street from the Hill House, were donated to the town. (Alvirne is a contraction of Alfred and Virginia). The Hill's only son had died during a football game; out of respect, Alvirne High went many decades without a football team, despite being one of the largest high schools in the state. It was assumed that such a stipulation had been put as a condition of the high ss charter. When it was learned that no such condition had ever been recorded, financial pressures encouraged the formation of a football team. In fall of 1994, Alvirne High School fielded its first JV football team, with varsity play beginning in 1996. Alvirne High is home to one of the largest and best agricultural-vocational programs in the area, the Wilbur H. Palmer Agricultural and Vocational School. This school features several student-run businesses including a bank, restaurant, store, day care, dairy farm, and forestry program. GEOGRAPHY According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 75.3 Km&2 (29.1 Mi&2 ). 73.2 km&2 (28.3 mi&2) of it is land and 2.1 km&2 (0.8 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 2.82% water. The Town of Hudson had two historic town centers, though modern development and suburban sprawl have obscured the difference. Hudson Village was located on the Merrimack River near the junctions of routes 3A, 111, and 102, and was home to most of the original schools, libraries, and town government. Today the Town Hall, the Hills Memorial Library, and the Kimball Webster School (which today houses the superintendent's office) are all located in Hudson Village. The Town Common at the intersection of Derry, Ferry, and Library streets is a lovely little park that displays large toy soldiers and other decorations at Christmas time. Hudson Center was located at the 5-way intersection of Central Street (route 111), Greeley Street, Kimball Hill Road, and Windham Road. The two most important landmarks of Hudson Center have since been entirely lost to history. Benson's Wild Animal Farm , a zoo & amusement park, was closed in the late 1980's due to mounting financial losses. The other landmark, Thompson's Market, closed in 2002 when Mr. Thompson decided to sell his store and retire to Florida. The structure still remains, but it was remodeled and reopened as a 7-Eleven convenience store. Two small recreational lakes exist in within the town borders. Robinson (or Robinson's) Pond in the northern part of the town features a public access beach and boat ramp that can be accessed via Robinson Road. Otternic Pond (locally called "Tonic Pond"), located between Hudson Center and Hudson Village, has a public boat landing (Claveau Landing) that can be accessed off of Highland street. Both ponds are often used for fishing during the summer, and skating and ice hockey during the winter. Musquash Pond (or Swamp), located in the southern part of the town, is a wild bird sanctuary and is utilized as a breeding ground by several threatened and endangered species of birds. Two golf courses exist in Hudson, the private Whip-Poor-Will country club off Derry Street and the public Green Meadows golf course off Forest Road. A 1/4 mile paved racetrack, The Hudson Speedway, lies near the northern edge of town by the intersection of Old Derry Road and Robinson Road. It can be accessesed off NH-102. The town has one high school, Alvirne High School, which is home to the Wilbur H. Palmer Agricultural Vocational Center, a business-oriented vocational school. K-8 schools include Dr. H.O. Smith School and Library Street School, located in Hudson Village, the Hills-Garrison school located near Alvirne High School, Hudson Mermorial School on Central Street, and Nottingham West school, located on Pelham Road. Presentation of Mary Academy is a K-8 private coeducational Catholic school located on Lowell Road. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census 2 of 2000, there were 22,928 people, 8,034 households, and 6,258 families residing in the town. The Population Density was 313.1/km&2 (811.2/mi&2). There were 8,165 housing units at an average density of 111.5/km&2 (288.9/mi&2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.35% White , 0.84% Black or African American , 0.15% Native American , 1.11% Asian , 0.06% Pacific Islander , 0.55% from Other Races , and 0.95% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 8,034 households out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were Married Couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.17. In the town the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $64,169, and the median income for a family was $71,313. Males had a median income of $46,198 versus $31,315 for females. The Per Capita Income for the town was $25,696. 2.3% of the population and 1.2% of families were below the Poverty Line . 1.9% of those under the age of 18 and 4.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. SEE ALSO
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