Plymouth is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States, in the White Mountains Region. Plymouth is located at the convergence of the Pemigewasset and Baker rivers, both of which are components of the Merrimack River watershed. The population was 5,892 at the 2000 census, and the town is home to Plymouth State University, Speare Memorial Hospital, and Plymouth Regional High School.

The town's central settlement, where over 59% of the population resides, is defined as the Plymouth census-designated place (CDP), and is located along U.S. Route 3, south of the confluence of the Baker and Pemigewasset rivers.

History

Plymouth was originally the site of an Abenaki village that was burned to the ground by Captain Thomas Baker in 1712. This was just one of the many British raids on American Indian settlements during Queen Anne's War. Part of a large plot of undivided land in the Pemigewasset Valley, the town was first named New Plymouth, after the original Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth granted Plymouth to settlers from Hollis, all of whom had been soldiers in the French and Indian War. Some had originally come from Plymouth, Massachusetts. The town was incorporated in 1763. Parts of Hebron and Campton were annexed in 1845 and 1860.

In 1806, then-lawyer Daniel Webster lost his first criminal case at the Plymouth courthouse, which now houses the Historical Society. The transcendentalist author Nathaniel Hawthorne, while on vacation in 1864 with former U.S. President Franklin Pierce, died in Plymouth at the second Pemigewasset House, which was later destroyed by fire in 1909. In the early 20th century, the Draper and Maynard Sporting Goods Company (D&M) sold products directly to the Boston Red Sox, and players such as Babe Ruth would regularly visit to pick out their equipment. The Plymouth Normal School was founded in 1871 out of the already existing Holmes Plymouth Academy, becoming the state's first teachers' college. It would later evolve into Plymouth Teachers' College in 1939, Plymouth State College in 1963, and finally Plymouth State University in 2003.

Notable residents

• Henry W. Blair, statesman
• John Cheever, Pulitzer Prize-winning author (seasonal)
• Susan Cheever, author and professor (seasonal)
• Eliza Coupe, actress in ABC comedy Scrubs
• Mary Baker Eddy, religious leader
• Robert Frost, poet
• Harl Pease, World War II pilot and Medal of Honor recipient
• Daniel Webster, statesman

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.7 square miles (74 km2), of which 28.4 sq mi (74 km2) is land and 0.3 sq mi (0.78 km2) of it is water, comprising 1.22% of the town. Plymouth is drained by the Pemigewasset and Baker rivers. Plymouth Mountain, elevation 2,193 feet (668 m) above sea level, the highest point in Plymouth, is in the south, and the slopes of Tenney Mountain are in the west. (The 2,310-foot (700 m) summit of Tenney Mountain lies in the town of Groton.)

The main village of Plymouth, a census-designated place, has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2). 3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2) is land and 0.1 sq mi (0.26 km2) of it (1.59%) is water.

Quotes about Plymouth

• Susan Cheever: "Plymouth is a nice enough town, but . . . it's a town in the middle of nowhere, a town for people on the way to somewhere else."

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,892 people, 1,678 households, and 941 families residing in the town. The population density was 207.5 people per square mile (80.1/km²). There were 1,901 housing units at an average density of 25.9 persons/km² (67.0 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 96.54% White, 0.42% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 1.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,678 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 43.9% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the town the population was spread out with 16.2% under the age of 18, 43.4% from 18 to 24, 17.9% from 25 to 44, 14.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,618, and the median income for a family was $43,797. Males had a median income of $33,289 versus $20,565 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,766. 18.6% of the population and 6.2% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 10.4% are under the age of 18 and 7.1% are 65 or older.

Town center

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,528 people, 723 households, and 310 families residing in the main village, or census-designated place (CDP). The population density was 951.3 people per square mile (367.2/km²). There were 772 housing units at an average density of 80.3 persons/km² (208.2 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 96.85% White, 0.43% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.51% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 0.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 723 households out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 6.9% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 57.1% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 9.0% under the age of 18, 67.2% from 18 to 24, 11.4% from 25 to 44, 8.7% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,402, and the median income for a family was $50,000. Males had a median income of $36,806 versus $22,070 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,938. 25.5% of the population and 3.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 0.0% are under the age of 18 and 7.3% are 65 or older.

Recreation

• Fox Pond Park
• Langdon Park
• Walter-Newton Natural Area

Sites of interest

• Plymouth Historical Museum
• Pease Public Library
• Lamson Library
• Boy Scout Fountain on the Common (one of only three Boy Scout Fountains in the USA)
• Fox Park
• Langdon Beach
• Smith Millennium Bridge (a covered bridge over the Baker River)

Government

Town government and officials

Plymouth is governed in the traditional New England style, with a 5-member board of selectmen as its executive branch, and the traditional Town Meeting as its legislative branch. Municipal elections and Town Meetings are customarily held in March.

Local, state and federal officials

Plymouth, like all other towns in New Hampshire, elects official representatives at the county, state and federal levels. It should be noted that these officials represent the various jurisdictions in which the Town of Plymouth lies, and none of them represent the town exclusively. Each official is elected in his or her own district. Currently, Plymouth is situated in New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District, the Grafton County State House District 7, State Senate District 2, and Executive Council District 1.

External links

• Town website
• Plymouth State University
• Main Street Plymouth
• New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile

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