Chatham, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Chatham is a town
in Carroll County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 337 at the 2010 census. It is located in the White Mountains
, and except for the southeast corner, all of Chatham is in the White Mountain National Forest
. The town is home to the Cold River national forest campgrounds.
Governor Benning Wentworth
, the town was named in honor of William Pitt
, Earl of Chatham
and Prime Minister of Great Britain
who had recently led Britain to victory in the Seven Years War
. Chatham was regranted in 1770 by his nephew, Governor John Wentworth
, to a group including Samuel Langdon
, president of Harvard College
and creator of the "Blanchard Map" of the North Country. Part of Conway
was annexed in 1829.
, the town has a total area of 57.2 square miles (148.1 km²), of which 56.7 sq mi (146.9 km²) is land and 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²) (0.89%) is water. The highest point in Chatham is the summit of South Baldface
, with an elevation of 3547 feet (1,081.1 m) above sea level
. Sable Mountain, elevation 3519 ft (1,072.6 m), is in the west, and Robbins Ridge crosses the center of Chatham from east to west. Upper Kimball Pond is in the southeast, and Basin Pond in the northeast. Chatham lies fully within the Saco River
watershed
.
of 2000, there were 260 people, 107 households, and 71 families residing in the town. The population density
was 4.6 people per square mile (1.8/km²). There were 253 housing units at an average density of 4.5 per square mile (1.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% White, 1.15% from other races
, and 0.77% from two or more races.
There were 107 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples
living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $37,188, and the median income for a family was $40,156. Males had a median income of $22,188 versus $20,313 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,317. About 13.3% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Carroll County
Carroll County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,666 people, 18,351 households, and 12,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 18/km² . There were 34,750 housing units at an average density of 14/km²...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 337 at the 2010 census. It is located in the White Mountains
White Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
, and except for the southeast corner, all of Chatham is in the White Mountain National Forest
White Mountain National Forest
The White Mountain National Forest is a federally-managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had already begun in 1914. It has a total area of...
. The town is home to the Cold River national forest campgrounds.
History
First granted in 1767 by ColonialColony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
Governor Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth was the colonial governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766.-Biography:The eldest child of the John Wentworth who had been Lieutenant Governor, he was born and died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wentworth graduated from Harvard College in 1715...
, the town was named in honor of William Pitt
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
, Earl of Chatham
Earl of Chatham
Earl of Chatham, in the County of Kent, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1766 for William Pitt the Elder on his appointment as Lord Privy Seal, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Pitt, of Burton Pynsent in the County of Somerset, also in the Peerage of Great...
and Prime Minister of Great Britain
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
who had recently led Britain to victory in the Seven Years War
Great Britain in the Seven Years War
The Kingdom of Great Britain was one of the major participants in the Seven Years' War which lasted between 1756 and 1763. Britain emerged from the war as the world's leading colonial power having gained a number of new territories at the Treaty of Paris in 1763 and established itself as the...
. Chatham was regranted in 1770 by his nephew, Governor John Wentworth
John Wentworth
John Wentworth may refer to:*John Wentworth , lieutenant governor of New Hampshire from 1717-1730*John Wentworth , jurist and revolutionary leader in New Hampshire...
, to a group including Samuel Langdon
Samuel Langdon
Samuel Langdon was a American Congregational clergyman and educator. After serving as pastor in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, he was appointed president of Harvard University in 1774. He held that post until 1780....
, president of Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
and creator of the "Blanchard Map" of the North Country. Part of Conway
Conway, New Hampshire
Conway is a town, the largest in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 10,115 at the 2010 census. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the west and north. Cathedral Ledge and Echo Lake State Park are in the west...
was annexed in 1829.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 57.2 square miles (148.1 km²), of which 56.7 sq mi (146.9 km²) is land and 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²) (0.89%) is water. The highest point in Chatham is the summit of South Baldface
South Baldface
South Baldface is a mountain in the town of Chatham, New Hampshire in the eastern White Mountains. It gets its name from its steep barren eastern face. Along with the neighboring summit North Baldface, it is a popular hiking destination, especially in the summer...
, with an elevation of 3547 feet (1,081.1 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Sable Mountain, elevation 3519 ft (1,072.6 m), is in the west, and Robbins Ridge crosses the center of Chatham from east to west. Upper Kimball Pond is in the southeast, and Basin Pond in the northeast. Chatham lies fully within the Saco River
Saco River
The Saco River is a river in northeastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine in the United States. It drains a rural area of of forests and farmlands west and southwest of Portland, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Saco Bay, from its source. It supplies drinking water to roughly 250,000...
watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 260 people, 107 households, and 71 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 4.6 people per square mile (1.8/km²). There were 253 housing units at an average density of 4.5 per square mile (1.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% White, 1.15% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.77% from two or more races.
There were 107 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $37,188, and the median income for a family was $40,156. Males had a median income of $22,188 versus $20,313 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $15,317. About 13.3% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.