Columbia, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Columbia is a town
in Coos County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 757 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Berlin
, NH–VT
micropolitan statistical area
.
of Scotland
. Settlers failed to meet the terms of the original grant, so the plantation was transferred in 1770 to grantees including Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet
, after which it was named Cockburn Town, incorporated in 1797. In 1811, in the lead-up to the War of 1812
, Governor John Langdon
changed the name to Columbia.
Although the surface is uneven and mountainous, the soil was of good quality. Maple sugar
became an important product, and lumber
was cut and transported on raft
s down the Connecticut River
to markets. By 1859, when the population was 762, Columbia had four sawmill
s, three gristmill
s, two clapboard
machines, and a starch
mill.
, the town has a total area of 60.6 square miles (157 km²), of which 60.3 square miles (156.2 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) is water, comprising 0.55% of the town. It is drained by the east and west branches of Simms Stream
. The highest point is the summit of Blue Mountain, at 3720 feet (1,133.9 m) above sea level
. Columbia lies fully within the Connecticut River
watershed
.
The town is served by U.S. Route 3.
of 2000, there were 750 people, 300 households, and 218 families residing in the town. The population density
was 12.3 people per square mile (4.8/km²). There were 449 housing units at an average density of 7.4 per square mile (2.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.60% White, 0.13% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.27% Asian, and 1.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.
There were 300 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples
living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 113.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,964, and the median income for a family was $42,143. Males had a median income of $27,604 versus $19,732 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $16,859. About 4.0% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 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 Coos County
Coos County, New Hampshire
-National protected areas:*Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge *Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge *White Mountain National Forest -Demographics:...
, 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 757 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Berlin
Berlin, New Hampshire
Berlin is a city along the Androscoggin River in Coos County in northern New Hampshire, United States. The population was 10,051 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Cascade. Located on the edge of the White Mountains, the city's boundaries extend into the White Mountain National Forest...
, NH–VT
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
micropolitan statistical area
Berlin micropolitan area
The Berlin Micropolitan Statistical Area is the core based statistical area centered on the urban cluster associated with the city Berlin, New Hampshire in the United States...
.
History
The township was originally chartered in 1762 and named Preston, after Richard Graham, 1st Viscount PrestonRichard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston
Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston PC was an English politician and diplomat. He became a Jacobite conspirator, but his reputation in the Jacobite community suffered when he gave evidence against his co-conspirators in exchange for a pardon.-Origins and education:Graham was born at Netherby,...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Settlers failed to meet the terms of the original grant, so the plantation was transferred in 1770 to grantees including Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet
Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet
Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet was Member of Parliament for Linlithgow Burghs from 1772 to 1784.-Family:He was a son of William Cockburn and his wife and cousin Frances Cockburn. His paternal grandparents were Sir Alexander Cockburn, 6th Baronet and his wife Mary Ancrum. His maternal grandfather...
, after which it was named Cockburn Town, incorporated in 1797. In 1811, in the lead-up to the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Governor John Langdon
John Langdon
John Langdon was a politician from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and one of the first two United States senators from that state. Langdon was an early supporter of the Revolutionary War and later served in the Continental Congress...
changed the name to Columbia.
Although the surface is uneven and mountainous, the soil was of good quality. Maple sugar
Maple sugar
Maple sugar is a traditional sweetener in the northeastern United States and Canada, prepared from the sap of the sugar maple tree.-Preparation:...
became an important product, and lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
was cut and transported on raft
Raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is the most basic of boat design, characterized by the absence of a hull...
s down the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
to markets. By 1859, when the population was 762, Columbia had four sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s, three gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
s, two clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
machines, and a starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
mill.
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 60.6 square miles (157 km²), of which 60.3 square miles (156.2 km²) is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) is water, comprising 0.55% of the town. It is drained by the east and west branches of Simms Stream
Simms Stream
Simms Stream is a 10.4 mile long river in northern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows south to Long Island Sound, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean....
. The highest point is the summit of Blue Mountain, at 3720 feet (1,133.9 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...
. Columbia lies fully within the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
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...
.
The town is served by U.S. Route 3.
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 750 people, 300 households, and 218 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 12.3 people per square mile (4.8/km²). There were 449 housing units at an average density of 7.4 per square mile (2.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.60% White, 0.13% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.27% Asian, and 1.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population.
There were 300 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 113.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,964, and the median income for a family was $42,143. Males had a median income of $27,604 versus $19,732 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 $16,859. About 4.0% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.