Settlement
|official_name | Manchester, New Hampshire
|settlement_type |
is the largest city in the
U.S. state of
New Hampshire and the largest city of northern
New England, an area composed of
Vermont,
New Hampshire and
Maine. It is in
Hillsborough County on the banks of the
Merrimack River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,007, and in 2005 the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning estimated the population to be nearly 110,000.
[2005 Population Estimates of New Hampshire Cities and Towns, NH Office of Energy and Planning, July 2006 ] Manchester is the center of the Manchester, NH, ''New England City and Town Metropolitan Area'' (NECTA MA), with a population in 2000 of 176,663
[Population in Combined New England City and Town Areas (CNECTAs) and Their Component NECTAs in Alphabetical Order and Numerical and Percent Change: 1990 and 2000, U.S. Census Bureau, December 2003 ], and is near the northern end of the
BosWash megalopolis.
History
Pennacook Indians called the area Amoskeag, meaning "good fishing place" -- a reference to the
Amoskeag Falls in the Merrimack River. In
1722,
John Goffe settled on land beside Cohas Brook, where several years later he built a
dam and
sawmill. The community was called Old Harry's Town. In
1735, the
Province of Massachusetts Bay granted it as Tyngstown to settlers from
Massachusetts. A decade following the separation of New Hampshire from Massachusetts, Governor
Benning Wentworth in
1751 chartered the town as
Derryfield.
In
1807, Samuel Blodgett opened a
canal and
lock system to allow vessels passage around the falls. He envisioned here a great industrial center, "the Manchester of America," like the
Industrial Revolution's
Manchester in
England, the first industrialized city in the world. Sure enough, in
1809, Benjamin Prichard and others built a
cotton spinning mill operated by
water power on the western bank of the Merrimack. Following Blodgett's suggestion, Derryfield was renamed Manchester in
1810, the year the mill was incorporated as the Amoskeag Cotton & Woolen Manufacturing Company.
[Tamara K. Hareven, ''Amoskeag: Life and Work in an American Factory City''] It would be purchased in
1825 by
entrepreneurs from Massachusetts, expanded to 3 mills in
1826, and then incorporated in
1831 as the
Amoskeag Manufacturing Company.
On the eastern bank, Amoskeag
engineers and
architects planned a model
company town, founded in
1838 with Elm Street as its main thoroughfare. Incorporated as a city in
1846, Manchester would become home to the largest cotton mill in the world -- Mill No. 11, stretching 900 feet long by 103 feet wide, and containing 4000
looms. Other products made in the community included
shoes,
cigars and
paper. The Amoskeag
foundry made
rifles,
sewing machines, textile
machinery,
fire engines, and
locomotives in a division called the
Amoskeag Locomotive Works (later, the
Manchester Locomotive Works). The rapid growth of the mills demanded a large influx of workers, resulting in a flood of immigrants, particularly
French Canadians. Many current residents descend from these workers. The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company went out of business in
1935, although its red brick mills have been renovated for other uses. Indeed, the
mill town's 19th century affluence left behind some of the finest
Victorian commercial, municipal and residential
architecture in the state.
Manchester is nicknamed the Queen City. More recent nicknames for the city are
ManchVegas and ManchHattan. In
1998, Manchester was named the "Number One Small City in the East" by ''
Money'' magazine. The
Mall of New Hampshire, on Manchester's southern fringe, is the city's main retail center.
Image:Bridge St., West from Maple St., Manchester, NH.jpg|Bridge Street in 1909
Image:Soldiers' Monument, Manchester, NH.jpg|War Monument c. 1905
Image:Granite Street, West Manchester, NH.jpg|Granite Street c. 1900
Image:Old Fire Station, Manchester, NH.jpg|Old Fire Station in 1907
Government
Manchester is incorporated as a city under the laws of the State of New Hampshire, and operates under a strong mayor form of government. The mayor serves as chairman of the fourteen member Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the city's legislative body. Each of Manchester's twelve wards elects a single alderman, and two additional at-large members are elected citywide.
The mayor also serves as the chair of the school committee. Like the board of aldermen, the school board is comprised of twelve members elected by ward and two at-large members.
Demographics
| align=center | City of Manchester
Population by year http://www.nh.gov/oep/index.htmhttp://eire.census.gov/popest/data/cities.php
|-
| align="center" |1767 - 230
1773 - 279
1775 - 285
1786 - 338
1790 - 362
1800 - 557
1810 - 615
1820 - 761
1830 - 877
1840 - 3,235
1850 - 13,932
1860 - 20,107
1870 - 23,536
1880 - 32,630
1890 - 44,126
1900 - 56,987
1910 - 70,063
1920 - 78,384
1930 - 76,834
1940 - 77,685
1950 - 82,732
1960 - 88,282
1970 - 87,754
1980 - 90,936
1990 - 99,332
2000 - 107,006
2004 - 109,761 (estimate)
|
As of the
census of 2000, there were 107,006 people, 44,247 households, and 26,105 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,251.6/km² (3,241.4/mi²). There were 45,892 housing units at an average density of 536.8/km² (1,390.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.75% White (this includes a large Bosnian population) 2.10%
African American, 0.30%
Native American, 2.32%
Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.76% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. 4.62% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. Manchester is a national refugee relocation center.
There were 44,247 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were
married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,774, and the median income for a family was $50,039. Males had a median income of $34,287 versus $26,584 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $21,244. 10.6% of the population and 7.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.6% are under the age of 18 and 11.7% are 65 or older.
The city is a refugee resettlement center. More than 10% of the city's population is currently foreign-born.
Middle schools
Manchester School District has four public middle schools:
Hillside Middle School
Henry J. McLaughlin Middle School
Middle School at Parkside
Southside Middle School
Elementary schools
Manchester School District has fourteen elementary schools:
Bakersville Elementary School
Beech Street School
Gossler Park School
Green Acres Elementary School
Hallsville Elementary School
Highland-Goffe's Falls Elementary School
Jewett Street School
McDonough Elementary School
Northwest Elementary School
Parker-Varney School
Smyth Road School
Webster School
Weston School
Henry Wilson School
Culture
Cultural landmarks include the historic
Palace Theatre, the
Currier Museum of Art, the
New Hampshire Institute of Art, the Manchester Historic Association Millyard Museum, the Massabesic Audubon Center, the Amoskeag Fishways Learning and Visitors Center, the Lawrence L. Lee Scouting Museum and Max I. Silber Library, and the SEE Science Center.
Valley Cemetery, since
1841 the resting place of numerous prominent citizens, is an early example of a garden style burial ground.
The
Verizon Wireless Arena is a civic center that hosts a variety of events, from sports such as hockey and arena football to concerts and fairs. It opened in November, 2001.
http://webarchive.unionleader.com/articles_show.html?article=6747 The
John F. Kennedy Memorial Coliseum is another, smaller venue located in Manchester. It was completed in 1963, and serves as home ice for Manchester Central and Memorial High School hockey teams, and is home of the Southern New Hampshire Skating Club.
http://www.manchesternh.gov/CityGov/PKS/Facilities/JFK.html
Economy
Manchester is northern New England's largest city, and its metropolitan area is the fastest growing in New England. On top of this, Manchester is one of New England's best places for finding a job. Its economy has changed greatly, as Manchester was a textile mill town just about 20 years ago.
Downtown
Manchester has a thriving downtown area, with more restaurants and stores being established all the time.
City Hall Plaza, northern New England's tallest building, is located in downtown Manchester. Other notable downtown buildings include the New Hampshire headquarters of
Citizens Bank and
Bank of America.
The
Verizon Wireless Arena has become the centerpiece of downtown Manchester. It is a 10,000 seat arena for concerts and sporting events. The Verizon is also home to the
Manchester Monarchs, the local
AHL affiliate of the
Los Angeles Kings. The
Merchantsauto.com Stadium (formerly Fisher Cats Park) is a baseball park located on the Merrimack River in downtown Manchester and is home to the local
AA baseball affiliate of the
Toronto Blue Jays, the
New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
The Red Arrow, one of the top 10 diners in the United States , is located downtown.
Recent years have seen an influx of downtown residents buying the historic row houses originally built for Amoskeag Mill workers. Rents spiked as a result, but have largely levelled out in recent years.
Shopping
Manchester has two main retail-oriented areas, downtown Manchester and South Willow Street. The
Mall of New Hampshire is located on South Willow Street, and has more than 125 stores.
In recent years there has been increasing redevelopment of the historic Amoskeag Millyard, with many retail stores now located there along both Commercial and Bedford Streets. There are a variety of stores and restaurants to visit.
Notable inhabitants
Joseph Carter Abbott, Union general during the American Civil War and a United States Senator from North Carolina
Jamie Aube, race car driver
Mike Flanagan, baseball player, 1979 AL Cy Young
Rene Gagnon, a US Marine who helped raise the flag over Iwo Jima
John W. King, governor of New Hampshire, 1963-1969
William Loeb, publisher of the ''Manchester Union Leader'' newspaper, 1946-1981
Josh Logan, CBS' Rock Star Supernova
Hubie McDonough, former professional ice hockey player
Grace Metalious, author of ''Peyton Place''
Adam Sandler, comedian
John Francis Smith, Major League Baseball player (born: John Francis Gammon)
General John Stark, Revolutionary War commander
Sherman White, former professional football player
References
''Manchester: A Brief record of its Past and a Picture of its Present'' (1876) 598pponline