Bradford, New Hampshire

Depot Square in 1913

Granted by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1765 [2] to John Pierce and George Jaffrey of Portsmouth, it was settled in 1771 by Dea. William Presbury and family.[3] Three years later other settlers arrived, several of them from Bradford, Massachusetts, after which the town was named New Bradford. Later, it was called Bradfordton, but upon incorporation by the General Court on September 27, 1787, it was officially named Bradford.[4]

Parts of the town are hilly, but the largest portion is in a valley with varied soil. Streams provided water power for watermills. By 1859, when Bradford's population reached 1,341, industries included one woolen mill, one sash, blind and door factory, one wheelwright shop, two sawmills, one gristmill, one tannery, and one clothing mill.[4] In 1850, the Concord & Claremont Railroad opened from Concord to Bradford, which would remain its terminus until the line was extended to Claremont in 1871-72.[5]

• 
  Concord & Claremont Railroad depot in 1906
• 
  The Bradford Hotel in 1906
• 
  Lake Massasecum in 1909

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.0 square miles (93 km²), of which 35.3 sq mi (91 km²) is land and 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km²) is water, comprising 1.94% of the town. The village of Bradford is located near the northern border of the town, at the intersection of routes 103 and 114, just north of the Warner River and adjacent to the outlet of Todd Lake. The largest water body in the town is Lake Massasecum, near the town's eastern border.

The highest point in Bradford is an unnamed 2,096-foot (639 m) summit overlooking Ayers Pond on the town's western border. Knights Hill—1,910 ft (580 m) above sea level—and Rowes Hill—1,950 ft (590 m)—constitute a large, hilly mass occupying the southern portion of town. Bradford lies fully within the Merrimack River watershed.[6]

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,650 people, 667 households, and 471 families residing in the town. There were 917 housing units, of which 250, or 27.3%, were vacant. 203 of the vacant units were for seasonal or recreational uses. The racial makeup of the town was 97.5% white, 0.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race, and 1.6% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[9]

Of the 667 households, 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were headed by married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47, and the average family size was 2.86.[9]

In the town, 20.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.3% were from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 38.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.6 males.[9]

For the period 2011-2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $59,783, and the median income for a family was $68,750. Male full-time workers had a median income of $55,119 versus $40,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,152. 7.1% of the population and 4.8% of families were below the poverty line. 7.8% of the population under the age of 18 and 8.5% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.[10]

• Bement Covered Bridge, built 1854

• Odds Bodkin, storyteller and musician
• John Q. A. Brackett, 36th governor of Massachusetts
• John Milton Hawks, abolitionist and physician
• Thorkild Jacobsen, Danish-American historian
• Mason Tappan, US Congressman and State Attorney General
• Bainbridge Wadleigh, US senator

• Town of Bradford official website
• Bradfordnh.com
• Brown Memorial Library
• New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile