Loudon, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Loudon is a town in Merrimack County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. The population was 5,317 at the 2010 census. Loudon is the home of New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The primary settlement in town, where 559 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Loudon census-designated place
(CDP) and is located along the Soucook River
at the southern terminus of New Hampshire Route 129
.
on January 23, 1773. Loudon was originally formed of territory taken from Canterbury. The new town was named in honor of John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun
, a Scottish soldier
and aide-de-camp
to King George II
during the French and Indian War
. Loudoun also helped to establish an independent company
of colonial militia, called Roger's Rangers, who were attached to the British Army
during the French and Indian War. One of Lord Loudoun's aides, John Loudon McAdam
, invented a new process called macadam
izing for building roads that were more durable and less muddy than soil-based roads.
, the town has a total area of 47.5 square miles (123 km²), of which 46.8 sq mi (121.2 km²) is land and 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km²) is water, comprising 1.41% of the town. The town's highest point is near its northern border, where an unnamed summit just north of the location known as Sabattus Heights reaches 1050 feet (320 m) above sea level
.
of 2000, there were 4,481 people, 1,611 households, and 1,256 families residing in the town. The population density
was 95.7 people per square mile (37.0/km²). There were 1,684 housing units at an average density of 36.0 per square mile (13.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.24% White, 0.25% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.11% from other races
, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.
There were 1,611 households out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,185, and the median income for a family was $59,096. Males had a median income of $39,216 versus $25,694 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $24,673. About 4.2% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Sprint Cup Series is home to the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 and the Sylvania 300
, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series the New England 200
, in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
the Sylvania 150, and is also home to the Loudon Classic
, America's Oldest Motorcycle Race.
Merrimack County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 136,225 people, 51,843 households, and 35,460 families residing in the county. The population density was 146 people per square mile . There were 56,244 housing units at an average density of 60 per square mile...
, 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 5,317 at the 2010 census. Loudon is the home of New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The primary settlement in town, where 559 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Loudon census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) and is located along the Soucook River
Soucook River
The Soucook River is a river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Merrimack River, which flows to the Gulf of Maine....
at the southern terminus of New Hampshire Route 129
New Hampshire Route 129
New Hampshire Route 129 is an long secondary north–south state highway in New Hampshire. The road runs between Loudon and Gilmanton....
.
History
The town of Loudon was originally incorporated by Governor John WentworthJohn Wentworth (governor)
Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet was the British colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the American Revolution. He was later also Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia.-Early life:...
on January 23, 1773. Loudon was originally formed of territory taken from Canterbury. The new town was named in honor of John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun
John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun
Major-General John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun was a British nobleman and army officer.-Early career:Campbell inherited the peerage on the death of his father in 1731, becoming Lord Loudoun. The earl raised a regiment of infantry that took part in the Jacobite Rising of 1745 on the side of the...
, a Scottish soldier
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
and aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. Loudoun also helped to establish an independent company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
of colonial militia, called Roger's Rangers, who were attached to the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the French and Indian War. One of Lord Loudoun's aides, John Loudon McAdam
John Loudon McAdam
John Loudon McAdam was a Scottish engineer and road-builder. He invented a new process, "macadamisation", for building roads with a smooth hard surface that would be more durable and less muddy than soil-based tracks....
, invented a new process called macadam
Macadam
Macadam is a type of road construction pioneered by the Scotsman John Loudon McAdam in around 1820. The method simplified what had been considered state-of-the-art at that point...
izing for building roads that were more durable and less muddy than soil-based roads.
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 47.5 square miles (123 km²), of which 46.8 sq mi (121.2 km²) is land and 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km²) is water, comprising 1.41% of the town. The town's highest point is near its northern border, where an unnamed summit just north of the location known as Sabattus Heights reaches 1050 feet (320 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...
.
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 4,481 people, 1,611 households, and 1,256 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 95.7 people per square mile (37.0/km²). There were 1,684 housing units at an average density of 36.0 per square mile (13.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.24% White, 0.25% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.11% 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 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.
There were 1,611 households out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% 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, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,185, and the median income for a family was $59,096. Males had a median income of $39,216 versus $25,694 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 $24,673. About 4.2% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
- The town of Loudon sends children to Loudon Elementary School for kindergartenKindergartenA kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through 5th grade. - Children in grades 6, 7, and 8 attend Merrimack Valley Middle School in PenacookPenacook, New HampshirePenacook, originally called "Fisherville", is a village within the city of Concord in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, USA. It lies along Concord's northern border with Boscawen. The name comes from the Pennacook tribe that lived in the area...
. - Children in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 attend Merrimack Valley High SchoolMerrimack Valley High SchoolMerrimack Valley is a four-year high school located in Penacook, a village in the northern part of Concord, New Hampshire. The school has approximately 900 students and serves the communities of Andover, Boscawen, Loudon, Penacook, Salisbury, and Webster...
in Penacook.
Sites of interest
Loudon is home to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which in the NASCARNASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint Cup Series is home to the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 and the Sylvania 300
Sylvania 300
The Sylvania 300 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire.The Sylvania 300 has traditionally held in mid-September, however, the race has been rescheduled once in its history...
, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series the New England 200
New England 200
* For the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway see New England 200 * For the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway from 2001-2002, see TheRaceDayRaffleSeries.com 175...
, in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
the Sylvania 150, and is also home to the Loudon Classic
Loudon Classic
The Loudon Classic, held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway is the longest running motorcycle race in the United States, and is held every year on Father's Day. While it is popularly known as Laconia, the location of the race was moved from Belknap Recreation Area to Loudon in 1964....
, America's Oldest Motorcycle Race.