Pittsfield, New Hampshire

Pittsfield, New Hampshire
Town
Town green

Seal
Motto(s): "The Gem of the Suncook Valley"[1]

Location in Merrimack County and the state of New Hampshire
Coordinates: 43°18′17″N 71°19′42″W / 43.30472°N 71.32833°W / 43.30472; -71.32833Coordinates: 43°18′17″N 71°19′42″W / 43.30472°N 71.32833°W / 43.30472; -71.32833
Country United States
State New Hampshire
County Merrimack
Incorporated 1782
Government
 • Board of Selectmen Jim Allard, Chair
Gerard LeDuc
Jim Adams
Carl Anderson
Carole Richardson
Area
 • Total 24.1 sq mi (62.5 km2)
 • Land 23.9 sq mi (61.8 km2)
 • Water 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)  1.13%
Elevation 525 ft (160 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 4,106
 • Density 170/sq mi (66/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code 03263
Area code(s) 603
FIPS code 33-61940
GNIS feature ID 0873699
Website www.pittsfield-nh.com

Pittsfield is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,106 at the 2010 census.[2]

The central village in town, where 1,576 people resided at the 2010 census,[2] is defined as the Pittsfield census-designated place (CDP), and is located on the Suncook River near the junction of New Hampshire routes 28 and 107.

History

Main Street, looking east, in 1906

For many years prior to its 1782 incorporation,[3] this town was an unnamed parish of Chichester. Like Pittsburg in the north, Pittsfield was named for William Pitt, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and a great friend of the Colonies prior to the American Revolution.[4] The town was settled in 1768 by several families originally from Hampton. Founder John Cram built grist and sawmills here in the late 18th century. Since 1901, Globe Manufacturing has made protective clothing for firefighters here.[5]

The town claimed the Guinness World Record in July 2001 as the place where the most number of people wore Groucho Marx glasses at the same time (522). Before Pittsfield's attempt, no other town had tried to set the record.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.1 square miles (62 km2), of which 23.9 sq mi (62 km2) is land and 0.3 sq mi (0.78 km2) is water, comprising 1.13% of the town.[6] Pittsfield is drained by the Suncook River, part of the Merrimack River watershed. The highest point in town is the summit of Catamount Mountain, at 1,331 feet (406 m) above sea level, southeast of the town center.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1790888—
180098711.1%
18101,0506.4%
18201,17812.2%
18301,2717.9%
18401,71935.2%
18501,8286.3%
18601,8380.5%
18701,600−12.9%
18801,97423.4%
18902,60532.0%
19002,129−18.3%
19102,2224.4%
19201,914−13.9%
19302,0185.4%
19402,1838.2%
19502,3216.3%
19602,4194.2%
19702,5174.1%
19802,88914.8%
19903,70128.1%
20003,9316.2%
20104,1064.5%
Est. 20154,074[7]−0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
Union Block and Congregational church
Suncook River in 1908

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,106 people, 1,579 households, and 1,076 families residing in the town. There were 1,769 housing units, of which 190, or 10.7%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the town was 96.9% white, 0.6% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race, and 1.4% from two or more races. 1.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[9]

Of the 1,579 households, 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were headed by married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57, and the average family size was 3.00.[9]

In the town, 23.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.7% were from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.[9]

For the period 2011-2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $47,959, and the median income for a family was $63,631. The per capita income for the town was $23,910. 16.3% of the population and 14.8% of families were below the poverty line. 17.2% of the population under the age of 18 and 5.4% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.[10]

Artistic tributes

In 1934, the American composer Alan Hovhaness (1911–2000), who spent time with his maternal family members (specifically the family of the Reverend Walter Scott, his grandfather) in Pittsfield during his youth, wrote a fantasy for cello and piano entitled Legend of the Sunkook [sic] Valley (Op. 1, no. 4).

Education

There are two public schools in the town. Pittsfield Elementary School serves students in pre-school to 6th grade, and Pittsfield Middle High School serves grades 7-12.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Town of Pittsfield, New Hampshire". Town of Pittsfield, New Hampshire. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  2. 1 2 United States Census Bureau, American FactFinder, 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Pittsfield, New Hampshire". City-Data.com. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Profile for Pittsfield, New Hampshire, NH". ePodunk. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  5. ↑ "The Globe Story". Globe Holding Company, LLC. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001) - Pittsfield town, New Hampshire". U.S. Census Bureau American Factfinder. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (DP-1): Pittsfield town, Merrimack County, New Hampshire". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Selected Economic Characteristics: 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (DP03): Pittsfield town, Merrimack County, New Hampshire". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  11. ↑ Minnesota State Law Library-John M. Berry Archived 2014-01-05 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ↑ "Term: Chase, Warren 1813 - 1891". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Knowlton, Ebenezer, (1815 - 1874)". Biographical Directory of the United StatesCongress. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  14. ↑ "John Swett (1830-1913)". The Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Brigadier General Harrison R. Thyng". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
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