| Lancaster, New Hampshire |
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Information AboutLancaster, New Hampshire |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LANCASTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE | |
| coos county, new hampshire | |
| towns in new hampshire | |
| settlements established in 1763 | |
| county seats in new hampshire | |
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Lancaster is a town located in Coos County , New Hampshire , USA , on the Connecticut River . As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 3,280, the second largest in the county after Berlin . It is the County Seat of Coos County and a gateway to the Great North Woods Region . Lancaster, which includes the villages of Grange and South Lancaster, is home to Weeks State Park , in addition to the popular ''Lancaster Fair''. Part of the White Mountain National Forest is located in the eastern portion of the township. HISTORY ]] First granted as "Upper Coos" in 1763 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth to Captain David Page (and others), Lancaster was an early settlement on the northern portion of the Connecticut River subject to many Indian troubles. The town was named for Lancaster, Massachusetts , hometown of an early settler. Reverend Joshua Weeks, a grantee of the town, was among the group of explorers who named the mountains of the Presidential Range . Other grantees included Timothy Nash and Benjamin Sawyer, who discovered Crawford Notch in 1771 , making a shorter route to Portland, Maine possible. Many water-powered mills have come and gone, including many saw mills, several potato starch mills, one of the largest grist mills in the state, carriage factories, and others. In 1874 Lancaster was the twelfth most productive agricultural town in the state. The extension of the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad brought many wares to their markets and visitors to the grand hotels in the area. ]] Just south of the village center, off U.S. Highway 3 , is ''Prospect Mountain'', summer home of Senator John W. Weeks , who sponsored congressional legislation creating White Mountain National Forest. The 420-acre estate is now ''Weeks State Park'', which includes a Fire Lookout and his mansion, open for tours during the summer. A Ski hill has operated on the mountain off and on over the years. Weeks Memorial Library, on Main Street, is also named in tribute to this locally born politician. Many of the White Mountains and Green Mountains (of Vermont) can be seen from town. From the lookout tower, on a fine day, one can also see ''Mount Weeks'' (3,900 ft), in the Kilkenny Range to the northeast, the Presidential Range in the southeast, and the Franconia Range to the south. ''Historic Sites & Museums:''
GEOGRAPHY According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 132.8 Km&2 (51.3 Mi&2 ). 129.8 km&2 (50.1 mi&2) of it is land and 3.0 km&2 (1.2 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 2.28% water. Lancaster is drained by the Israel River , which runs through town into the Connecticut River. The town also includes ''Martin Meadow Pond''. The town's highest point is located on a western spur of Mount Cabot at 3,290 Ft . TRANSPORTATION In addition to U.S. 3, Lancaster is served by U.S. Highway 2 and Route 135 , which leads to Dalton and points beyond. A seldom-used Railroad track of the Maine Central Railroad skirts the Connecticut river, and a branch at Coos Junction leaves for Jefferson and Waumbek Junction . The Mount Washington Regional Airport is located 11 miles away in adjacent Whitefield . DEMOGRAPHICS ''This article describes the town as a whole. Additional demographic details are available that describe the more densely populated central settlement within the town. See: Lancaster (CDP), New Hampshire ''. ]] As of the Census of 2000, there were 3,280 people, 1,286 households, and 866 families residing in the town. The Population Density was 25.3/km&2 (65.5/mi&2). There were 1,501 housing units at an average density of 11.6 units/km&2 (30.0 units/mi&2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% White, 0.06% African American , 0.27% Native American , 0.21% Asian , 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 0.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,286 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were Married Couples living together, 10.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 32.6% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94. ]] In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,305, and the median income for a family was $43,333. Males had a median income of $36,923 versus $21,458 for females. The Per Capita Income for the town was $19,905. 9.7% of the population and 6.8% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 10.6% are under the age of 18 and 14.8% are 65 or older. EXTERNAL LINKS
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