Northwood is a town in
Rockingham County,
New Hampshire,
United States. The population was 3,640 at the 2000 census.
History
East Northwood in c. 1910
First settled in 1763, Northwood was incorporated on
February 6,
1773 by
Colonial Governor
John Wentworth, when a large tract of land called "North Woods" was separated from
Nottingham. Around 1800, the
Portsmouth to
Concord Turnpike was built, and the town began to prosper. Numerous
taverns accommodated
sledge and
stage passengers. At one time, there were some 12
sawmills in the town, 5 of which were replaced by shoe factories during the latter half of the 19th century. By 1920, however, the last shoe factory had closed. More recently, the town has been a popular vacation spot, being home to 9 lakes and many antique shops.
Four Northwood districts along Route 4 are considered historic sections of town. They are, from east to west,
East Northwood, Northwood Ridge, Northwood Center and
Northwood Narrows. The town is home to
Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, founded in 1867, a secondary school, as well as
Camp Yavneh, a Jewish summer camp on
Lucas Pond, and
Wah-Tut-Ca Scout Reservation, a Boy Scout Camp run by the Yankee Clipper Council.
Notable inhabitants
Ella Knowles, suffragist, lawyer and politician was born in Northwood in 1860.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water, comprising 6.89% of the town. Northwood is well known for its lakes, with both seasonal and year-round residences. The larger lakes and ponds include
Bow Lake, which is part of the
Piscataqua River drainage basin, and
Northwood Lake,
Pleasant Lake, Jenness Pond, Harvey Lake, and Long Pond, all of which drain to the
Suncook River, a tributary of the
Merrimack River. The highest point in Northwood is
Saddleback Mountain, at above
sea level.
Ecosystem
Northwood has a diverse
ecosystem with many various
flora and
fauna. The climate of Northwood is a
temperate,
humid continental climate, with warm summers and cold, snowy winters. Some of the flora and fauna that can be seen in Northwood are as follows.
Flora
Fauna
Demographics
Old Post Office in 2005
As of the
census of 2000, there were 3,640 people, 1,347 households, and 1,000 families residing in the town. The
population density was 130.1 people per square mile (50.2/km²). There were 1,905 housing units at an average density of 68.1/sq mi (26.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.53%
White, 0.30%
African American, 0.30%
Native American, 0.66%
Asian, 0.14%
Pacific Islander, 0.19% from
other races, and 0.88% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 0.55% of the population.
There were 1,347 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were
married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.07.
Maple Tree Farm in 1912
In the town the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,675, and the median income for a family was $53,953. Males had a median income of $36,161 versus $27,721 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $21,491. About 1.5% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
See also
