Country United States County Belknap Time zone Eastern (UTC-5) Elevation 171 m Zip code 03809 | State New Hampshire Incorporated 1796 Area code(s) 603 Area 212.9 km² Population 5,250 (2010) | |
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Weather -4°C, Wind S at 8 km/h, 65% Humidity | ||
Alton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,250 at the 2010 census. It is home to Alton Bay State Forest and Mount Major State Forest.
Contents
Map of Alton, NH, USA
The primary settlement in town, where 501 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Alton census-designated place (CDP) and is centered on the intersection of New Hampshire Route 11 and New Hampshire Route 140. The town also includes the village of Alton Bay, a long-time resort located beside Lake Winnipesaukee.
History
Originally called New Durham Gore because of rocky upland areas, or "gores," the town was settled in 1770, mainly by farmers because the highland areas provided less frost. Merchants then filled the lowlands. Early Alton history recounts stories of the merchants trying to convince the farmers to incorporate. They would succeed on 15 January 1796, when the community was named after Alton, a small market town in Hampshire, England.
Alton was part of Strafford County until Belknap County was erected on 22 December 1840. By 1840, the village of Alton existed at the town's center. In 1847, the Cochecho Railroad began bringing passengers and freight to Alton Village and Alton Bay. By 1859, the town had two gristmills, seven sawmills, and five shoe factories. But the most famous business was the Rockwell Clough Company, established by William Rockwell Clough, inventor of the corkscrew. By 1903, his company was producing 30 million corkscrews worldwide.
Since the mid-19th century, however, tourism has been the principal business. In 1863, the Adventist Campground held their first camp meeting at Alton Bay, which was the terminus of the Dover and Winnipiseogee Railroad. In 1872, the Boston & Maine Railroad launched at Alton Bay the steamer Mount Washington, the first side-wheeler and largest vessel on Lake Winnipesaukee. When destroyed by fire in 1939, a replacement ship was found, also christened Mount Washington. Today, it continues to carry summer tourists between stops on the lake. The railway survived until 1935, and the old station at Alton Bay is now a community center.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 82.2 square miles (212.9 km2), of which 62.9 square miles (162.9 km2) is land and 19.3 square miles (50.0 km2) is water, comprising 23.49% of the town. Alton is located at the southern end of Lake Winnipesaukee, around the 4-mile-long (6.4 km) inlet known as Alton Bay. The village of Alton Bay is located at the southern tip of the bay, while the main village of Alton is located 1 mile (1.6 km) farther south. The town is drained by the Merrymeeting River, the main inlet to Alton Bay. Mount Major, in Mount Major State Forest, has an elevation of 1,780 feet (540 m) above sea level. Popular with hikers, the summit offers unsurpassed views of Lake Winnipesaukee. The highest point in Alton is the north peak of Straightback Mountain, at 1,910 ft (580 m), just west of Mount Major. Both mountains are part of the Belknap Mountains range. Alton lies almost fully within the Merrimack River watershed, though a tiny corner is in the Piscataqua River (coastal) watershed.
The town is served by five state highways. New Hampshire Route 11 passes through the center of town, leading northwest along the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee to Gilford and thence to Laconia, and southeast to Rochester. New Hampshire Route 28 also passes through the center of town, leading north to Wolfeboro and south to Pittsfield and Manchester. New Hampshire Route 140 leads from Alton west to Gilmanton and Tilton. New Hampshire Route 11A leaves NH 11 in West Alton and goes west into Gilford, and New Hampshire Route 28A forms an alternate route north from Alton Bay to NH 28.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,502 people, 1,825 households, and 1,295 families residing in the town. The population density was 71.3 people per square mile (27.5/km²). There were 3,522 housing units at an average density of 55.8 per square mile (21.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.76% White, 0.07% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.
There were 1,825 households out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town, the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,451, and the median income for a family was $46,467. Males had a median income of $37,585 versus $29,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,940. About 5.4% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.