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GEOGRAPHIC
New Hampshire's population was an estimated 1,201,000 in 1999. New Hampshire
is situated the most northern of the thirteen original states and lies
between latitude 42-40 and 45-18 north and longitude 70-37 west. It is
about 180 miles long and 50 miles wide, although the extreme width is
93 miles.
It is bounded on the north by Quebec province in Canada, on the east
by Maine and the Atlantic ocean, on the south by Massachusetts, and on
the west by Vermont. The Connecticut River is the western boundary.
Geographies sometimes speak of the state as the "Mother of Rivers."
Five of the great streams of New England originate in its granite hills.
The Connecticut River rises in the northern part, and for nearly one hundred
miles of its winding course hems the shores of the state with a "broad
seam of silver." The Pemigewasset River starts in the Profile Lake
in the Franconia mountains and joins the Winnipesaukee at Franklin to
form the Merrimack, which at one time turned more spindles than any other
river in the world. The Cocheco and Salmon Falls rivers join at Dover
to form the Piscataqua. In addition, two of the principal rivers of Maine,
the Androscoggin and the Saco, have their beginnings in northern New Hampshire.
New Hampshire has 1300 lakes or ponds and 40,000 miles of rivers and
streams which provide year round fishing and recreation in scenic surroundings,
as well as power for the State's many industries.
New Hampshire is commonly known as the Granite State, and of late years
by some writers is called the Queen State _ "Queen by right of her
natural beauty; queen by her native hardy spirit; queen by her diversified
industry; queen by reason of her motherhood of great men. She is enthroned
on hills of granite, diademed with sparkling waters and sceptered with
industry."
The state entertains annually over a million summer visitors who resort
in the mountain, lake and seashore scenery. The soil is suitable for fruits,
flowers and vegetables. The forests of pine, spruce and hard wood add
beauty to the landscape and wealth to the land.
The White Mountains are the natural feature which has the widest fame.
New Hampshire bodies of water cover one hundred and fifteen thousand acres
and vary from small ponds to Lake Winnipesaukee, which is twenty-two miles
long and eight miles wide.
New Hampshire's publicly-owned aerial tramway, the first erected to a
mountain top in North America, is located in Franconia Notch near The
Old Man of the Mountain.
No state grows apples of finer flavor than come from the hillsides of
New Hampshire. Horticultural shows have no better exhibits than are presented
from towns in the southern part of this state. Strawberries, blueberries,
peaches and products of the garden are grown in great quantities and shipped
hundreds of miles.
New Hampshire is also famous for her products made from the sap of the
maple tree.
The state has a seaboard of about eighteen miles. Hampton and Rye beaches
have been famous summer resorts since the days Whittier pitched his "tent
on the beach." The salt waves of the Atlantic lap the sometimes sandy,
sometimes rocky coast into one continuous pleasure ground, where surf
bathing and scenic beauty enchant the visitor. In the early fall of 1915
a disastrous fire at Hampton Beach destroyed many of the hotels and places
of business there, but the resort has since been rebuilt from the ruins
until it is larger and more attractive than ever. The recreational area
at Hampton Beach has greatly improved the appearance of that part of the
coast.
Among New Hampshire's all-year, all-season recreation attractions, none
are more popular than its winter sports. Mount Washington is the highest
mountain east of the Rockies and north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Its privately-owned
cog railway was the first mountain climbing railway in the world.
New Hampshire has some of the finest ski terrain in the east where the
sport may be enjoyed well into July and August. Its many lifts include
the widely known Cranmore skimobile, operated all year, and Tuckerman,
Cannon, Sunapee and Gilford slopes.
Portsmouth, the only sea city, has an historic past and a prosperous
present with its large navy yard. New Castle is a place of romance and
aesthetic beauty and adventure. A large part of the Isles of Shoals in
Portsmouth harbor belongs to New Hampshire, with their cottages and hotels.
Lobster fishermen find the Isles of Shoals and the New Hampshire coast
favorable areas for taking this famous sea food. The state highways are
as fine as any state can boast of and are kept in excellent driving condition
the year round. New Hampshire is open to visitors, from the coast to the
mountains, twelve months in the year.
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