Country United States County Merrimack Time zone Eastern (UTC-5) Elevation 113 m Population 5,317 (2010) | State New Hampshire Incorporated 1773 Area code(s) 603 Zip code 03307 Local time Monday 9:57 AM | |
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Weather -9°C, Wind NW at 23 km/h, 40% Humidity | ||
Loudon is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,317 at the 2010 census. Loudon is the home of New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Contents
Map of Loudon, NH, USA
The primary settlement in town, where 559 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Loudon census-designated place and is located along the Soucook River at the southern terminus of New Hampshire Route 129.
History
The town of Loudon was originally incorporated by Governor John Wentworth on January 23, 1773. Loudon was originally formed of territory taken from Canterbury. The new town was named in honor of John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, a Scottish soldier and leader of British military forces in North America during the French and Indian War. Loudoun also helped to establish an independent company of colonial militia, called Roger's Rangers, who were attached to the British Army during the French and Indian War. One of Lord Loudoun's aides, John Loudon McAdam, invented a new process called macadamizing for building roads that were more durable and less muddy than soil-based roads.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.5 square miles (123 km2), of which 46.8 sq mi (121 km2) is land and 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2) is water, comprising 1.41% of the town. The town's highest point is near its northern border, where an unnamed summit just north of the location known as Sabattus Heights reaches 1,050 feet (320 m) above sea level.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,481 people, 1,611 households, and 1,256 families residing in the town. The population density was 95.7 people per square mile (37.0/km²). There were 1,684 housing units at an average density of 36.0 per square mile (13.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.24% White, 0.25% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.
There were 1,611 households out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town, the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,185, and the median income for a family was $59,096. Males had a median income of $39,216 versus $25,694 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,673. About 4.2% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Sites of interest
Loudon is home to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is home to the New Hampshire 301 and the Bad Boy Off Road 300, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series the AutoLotto 200, in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series the UNOH 175, in the American Canadian Tour the Bond Auto Invitational, and is also home to the Loudon Classic, America's Oldest Motorcycle Race.