Woodstock, New Hampshire

History

First granted in 1763, Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth named the town Peeling after an English town. Many of the first colonists were originally from Lebanon, Connecticut. In 1771, his nephew, Governor John Wentworth, gave it the name Fairfield, after Fairfield, Connecticut. The town was renamed Woodstock in 1840 for Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England.

Logging became a principal early industry, with sawmills established using water power from the Pemigewasset River. The entrance of the railroad in the 19th century opened the wilderness to development, carrying away wood products to market. It also brought tourists, many attracted by paintings of the White Mountains by White Mountain artists. Several inns and hotels were built to accommodate the wealthy, who sought relief from the summer heat, humidity and pollution of coal-age Boston, Hartford, New York and Philadelphia. They often relaxed by taking carriage rides through the White Mountains, or by hiking along the Lost River in Lost River Reservation. But with the advent of automobiles, patrons were no longer restricted by the limits of rail service. Consequently, many grand hotels established near depots declined and closed. Woodstock, however, remains a popular tourist destination.

The Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, an outdoor laboratory for ecological studies founded by the United States Forest Service in 1955, is located in the southern part of town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 59.2 square miles (153 km²), of which 58.7 sq mi (152 km²) is land and 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²) is water, comprising 0.84% of the town. Woodstock is drained by the Pemigewasset River. The town's highest point is the summit of Mount Jim, at 4,172 feet (1,272 m) above sea level, a spur of Mount Moosilauke.

Woodstock is crossed by Interstate 93, U.S. Route 3, New Hampshire Route 112 and New Hampshire Route 175.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,139 people, 500 households, and 278 families residing in the town. The population density was 19.4 people per square mile (7.5/km²). There were 1,264 housing units at an average density of 21.5 per square mile (8.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.37% White, 0.09% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.53% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.

There were 500 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.2% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town, the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,556, and the median income for a family was $40,875. Males had a median income of $29,539 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,973. About 7.6% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.