| Capital city | Concord |
| Population | 1.377.529 (2020) |
| Surface | 24.239 km² |
| Governor | Chris Sununu (R) |
| Member of the US since | 1788 |
A map of New Hampshire
New Hampshire is one of the fifty states of the United States. The state is located in the northeast of the country, in the New England region. NH is the abbreviation for New Hampshire. Its nickname is ‘The Granite State’. That means ‘the Granite State’. With a population of 1,377,529, New Hampshire is the 8th least populous state in the US. New Hampshire borders the states of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine. It also borders the sea (Atlantic Ocean) and neighboring Canada. The capital of New Hampshire is Concord. New Hampshire was one of the original thirteen colonies that joined the United States after the American Revolutionary War. New Hampshire became the ninth state to join the United States by signing the United States Constitution. Originally Vermont was also part of New Hampshire, but Vermont seceded during the War of Independence. Vermont joined as a separate state after the war. New Hampshire was one of the most industrialized states during the 1800s, but much industry moved to other states after World War II. New Hampshire today is mainly focused on the service sector and tourism. In addition, New Hampshire is known for its low taxes; only in Florida they are even lower. For example, in New Hampshire there is no income tax or tax on water and gas. The state is known for its nature and outdoor sports, such as skiing. New Hampshire is a typical swing state and therefore the only state in New England that does not go to the Democratic Party by default. While New Hampshire often votes for Democratic candidates, moderate Republicans also have a chance. Socially, New Hampshire is very progressive and leans Democratic, but economically it leans more Republican.
Geography
Landscape
Fall in New Hampshire
New Hampshire is located in the northwestern United States. In the southeast, the state has a short coastline. New Hampshire has the short coastline of all states. In the north and center of the state lie the White Mountains. This includes Mount Washington and Mount Adams. New Hampshire’s longest river is the Merrimack, which flows north to south. Other major rivers are the Connecticut and Contoocook. New Hampshire also has many lakes, such as Lake Winnipesaukee. For the rest, the state still has many forest areas. The forests in New Hampshire consist of both deciduous and coniferous trees.
Climate
New Hampshire has a humid continental climate. This means that the state has to deal with warm summers and cold winters. In summer there is often a lot of precipitation and in winter there is snow. On the coast, the summers and winters are slightly milder than in the rest of the state, but there is not much difference. In winter, extreme snowfall can occur in New Hampshire. This is called a blizzard, or a snowfall. There was more than a meter of snow! The last time this happened was in 1993. Often only a few centimeters of snow fall.
Largest Cities in New Hampshire
| Name | Residents | County | |
| 1. | Manchester | 115.644 | Hillsborough County |
| 2. | Nashua | 91.322 | Hillsborough County |
| 3. | Concord | 43.976 | Merrimack County |
| 4. | Derry | 34.317 | Rockingham County |
| 5. | Dover | 32.741 | Strafford County |
| 6. | Rochester | 32.492 | Strafford County |
| 7. | Salem | 30.089 | Rockingham County |
| 8. | Merrimack | 26.632 | Hillsborough County |
| 9. | Londonderry | 25.826 | Rockingham County |
| 10. | Hudson | 25.394 | Hillsborough County |
Population
General
New Hampshire has about 1.3 million inhabitants. The state continues to experience a growing population, albeit only slightly. The reason for the population growth is that New Hampshire is close to Boston and other Massachusetts cities. Most residents live in the south of the state, which is well connected to Massachusetts. 89% of the state’s population is white American. 2.8% of these are Latinos. 1.8% of the population is African American, 0.3% Native American, and 3% Asian American. Most residents of the state are of Irish, English, French, Italian or German descent. New Hampshire has the highest number of French Americans in the United States.
Taal
The official language of New Hampshire is English. This is also enshrined in the constitution of the state and is used in education, politics and everyday life. Most residents of the state also speak only English. French is recognized as an official language by the state government, but only for communication with the Canadian province of Québec. In the past, New Hampshire drew a lot of cheap labor from Québec, where French is the official language. As a result, many residents have French as their mother tongue.
Religion
New Hampshire is one of the least religious states in the United States. 36% of the inhabitants are not religious or atheist. New Hampshire ranks first among the least religious states along with Vermont. 30% of the inhabitants of the state are Protestants and 26% adhere to the Roman Catholic Church. Other religions include Mormons and Judaism.
Politics
The New Hampshire Parliament
State politics
New Hampshire is headed by the governor, who is elected by election. The current governor of New Hampshire is Chris Sununu of the Republican Party. Unlike other states, New Hampshire does not have a governor general. A governor general is like a vice president, but at the state level. He/she is the deputy to the governor. Instead, the Senate President is the governor’s deputy. The New Hampshire parliament is called the General Court. It consists of two rooms:
- House of Representatives; consisting of 400 members, who are elected every two years.
- Senate; consisting of 24 members, who are elected every two years.
The Republican Party currently has a majority in both chambers.
Administrative division
How many counties in New Hampshire? New Hampshire is divided into 10 counties. These are:
- Belknap County
- Carroll County
- Cheshire County
- Coös County
- Grafton County
- Hillsborough County
- Merrimack County
- Rockingham County
- Strafford County
- Sullivan County
National politics
For a long time, New Hampshire was a red state. This means that the state almost always goes to the Republican Party. Since 1992, New Hampshire has been a swing state, leaning slightly towards the Democratic Party. This means that the state often votes Democratic, but moderate Republicans also stand a good chance of winning in the state. The last time the state voted Republican in presidential elections was in 2000, when the state voted for George W. Bush. Since then, New Hampshire has always supported the Democratic presidential candidate. The state is very progressive in social areas, for example on social issues such as same-sex marriage or abortion. In social terms, New Hampshire most closely resembles the Democratic Party. Economically, the state is more in line with the Republicans. New Hampshire is represented in the United States Congress by two representatives and two senators. The two delegates are both members of the Democratic Party. The two senators (Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan) are also Democrats. The Libertarian Party has a large following in New Hampshire. There is even a project among libertarians to move to New Hampshire and establish a libertarian government there; the so -called Free State Project. The Libertarian Party was also long represented in the state parliament, but in 2018 it lost its seats. US President Franklin Pierce was from New Hampshire.
Economy
A farm shop in New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s economy is dependent on agriculture, the service sector, and tourism. In terms of agriculture, New Hampshire mainly produces eggs, dairy products, apples and grain. In addition, the production of textiles, rubber and plastic is still important for the economy. Originally, the economy of the state was very dependent on these two sectors. New Hampshire brought many cheap workers from Québec to work in industry and in the fields. Today, the service sector is much more important. It is attractive for wealthy people to settle or start a business in New Hampshire. New Hampshire has low taxes and is close to major cities such as Boston and New York City. In terms of tourism, people mainly come to New Hampshire for outdoor sports and nature. New Hampshire has some ski runs. In terms of energy, 32% is generated from green energy, mainly hydropower.
Concord (New Hampshire)
The center (downtown) of Concord
Concord is the capital of the US state of New Hampshire. The city has 42,695 inhabitants, making it the second largest city in the state after Manchester and Nashua. Concord is also the county seat of Merrimack County. The state house in Concord, which is controlled from the state of New Hampshire, is the oldest state house in the United States that is still in use. That means that the board of the state still meets in the same chamber as in 1819. Concord has three local newspapers. The ‘Concord Monitor’ appears daily and the ‘Concord Insider’ and the ‘Hippo’ appear weekly. The city also has its own television channel, ‘Concord TV’. Concord has no partner cities. The city also has a university, the University of New Hampshire School of Law. This is the only school in New Hampshire where you can study law.
