Dorchester, New Hampshire

Dorchester, New Hampshire
—  Town  —
Seal
Location in Grafton County, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 43°45′24″N 71°56′55″W / 43.75667°N 71.94861°W / 43.75667; -71.94861Coordinates: 43°45′24″N 71°56′55″W / 43.75667°N 71.94861°W / 43.75667; -71.94861
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Grafton
Incorporated	1772
Government
– Board of Selectmen	Arthur Burdette, Chair Albert J. Franz Sherman Hallock Jr.
Area
– Total	45.2 sq mi (117.2 km2)
– Land	44.7 sq mi (115.7 km2)
– Water	0.6 sq mi (1.4 km2)  1.22%
Elevation	1,391 ft (424 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	355
– Density	7.9/sq mi (3/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	03266
Area code(s)	603
FIPS code	33-18740
GNIS feature ID	0873579
Website	http://www.townofdorchester.net

Dorchester is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 355 at the 2010 census.^[1]

History

Originally granted by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1761, Dorchester was named for Dorchester in Dorset, England. When the recipients failed to take up the grant, it was regranted in 1766, but also without success. Finally, it was regranted by Governor John Wentworth to 72 people on May 1, 1772, and settlement began soon thereafter. The first settlers were Benjamin Rice and Stephen Murch from Hanover, but originally from Connecticut.^[2]

When the first census of Dorchester was taken in 1790, there were 175 residents. By 1859, when the population reached 711, there were eleven sawmills, in addition to several clapboard and shingle mills. Charcoal was also manufactured here.^[3]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.2 square miles (117 km²), of which 44.7 sq mi (116 km²) is land and 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km²) is water, comprising 1.22% of the town. It is drained by the South Branch Baker River and Indian River. The highest point in Dorchester is on its western boundary, where the elevation reaches 3,190 feet (970 m) above sea level, just east of the summit of Smarts Mountain. Dorchester lies within two watersheds — roughly the southwestern half of town is in the Connecticut River watershed and the northeastern half is in the Merrimack River watershed.^[4]

The town is crossed by New Hampshire Route 118.

Demographics

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 353 people, 132 households, and 99 families residing in the town. The population density was 7.9 people per square mile (3.0/km²). There were 236 housing units at an average density of 5.3 per square mile (2.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.17% White, 0.28% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.85% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.

There were 132 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,833, and the median income for a family was $42,292. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $24,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,940. About 8.6% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• Rufus Blodgett, senator
• Albert Woodworth, businessman and politician

References

1. ^ United States Census Bureau, American FactFinder, 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
2. ^ History of Dorchester, Grafton County, New Hampshire
3. ^ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 467. http://books.google.com/books?id=OcoMAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA9&dq=coolidge%20mansfield%20history%20description%20new%20england%201859&pg=PA467#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
4. ^ Foster, Debra H.; Batorfalvy, Tatianna N.; and Medalie, Laura (1995). Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers. U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey. http://nh.water.usgs.gov/Publications/nh.intro.html. 
5. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Town website
• New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile