Keene, New Hampshire

Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 22,955 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.

Keene is well known for holding the Guinness Book of World Records record for most lit jack-o'-lanterns at one time and place. Each year the city attempts to surpass its own record during the Pumpkin Fest held in late October.

Geography

Keene is located at (42.942452, -72.288368).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 97.3 km² (37.6 mi²). km² (37.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.67%) is water. The highest point in Keene is Grays Hill (1,388 feet / 423 meters above sea level), in the city's northwest corner.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,955 people, 9,013 households, and 5,118 families residing in the city. The population density was 233.5/km² (611.2/mi²). There were 9,295 housing units at an average density of 96.2/km² (249.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.66% White, 0.39% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.

There were 9,013 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 18.9% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,033, and the median income for a family was $49,935. Males had a median income of $32,720 versus $25,488 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,544. About 5.2% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

Keene has over 20 churches and 1 synagogue. The symbol or trademark logo for Keene is the United Church of Christ, colloquially known in town as the "White Church" or the "Church at the Head of the Square."

Keene has 2 Roman Catholic churches, St. Bernard's (which is the Parish seat for several churches in Cheshire County) and St. Margaret Mary's. Keene is within the see of the Diocese of Manchester. Keene has 1 Episcopal church, St. James, which is within the see of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Keene also has 1 Greek Orthodox church, St. George's under the see of the Metropolis of Boston.

The town's synagogue is the Congregation Ahavas Achim.

Festivals

Each year in October, Keene hosts an annual Pumpkin Festival. This has seen world records set for the largest simultaneous number of jack-o'-lanterns on display. Besides the pumpkins stacked on massive towers set in the streets (see photo at right), thousands of additional pumpkins line the streets of the city. Face painting, fireworks, music, and other entertainments are also provided.

In late August or early September the city hosts the Keene Music Festival. Several stages are located throughout the downtown area during the day's events, which are free to the public and sponsored by locally-owned businesses. Visitors, mostly from the local community, roam the city's sidewalks listening to the dozens upon dozens of bands.

Keene in the movies

Keene was the setting for the movie Jumanji, much of it filmed on-location in Keene. Frank's Barber Shop is featured prominently in this movie. The Parish Shoe sign was painted on the side of that block for the film. It can still be seen there today

There is also brief footage of Keene in the 2003 film The Brown Bunny as the main character drives down Washington Street.

Two episodes of Showtime's election-based reality show, American Candidate, were recorded in Keene. The contestants were accommodated by the E.F. Lane Hotel on Main Street.

Keene has a brief mention in the 2002 film The Rules Of Attraction as well.

Music & Theatre

Many community groups perform on a regular basis, including the Keene Chamber Orchestra, the Keene Chamber Singers, the Keene Pops Choir, and the Keene Jazz Orchestra.

Every year, the Keene branch of the Lions Clubs International performs a Broadway musical at the Colonial Theatre (not to be confused with the Colonial Theatre in Boston), to raise money for the community. Other theatres and auditoriums include the new Keene High School Auditorium and the county's largest auditorium, the Larrecy Auditorium at Keene Middle School. Keene Cinemas is the local movie theater located off of Key Road. The Putnam Arts Lecture Hall located on the campus of Keene State is also an excellent place to see films ranging from mainstream movies to brilliant obscure films.

Education

Keene is often considered a minor college town due to Keene State College, whose 6,400 students make up over 1/4 of the city's population, and Antioch New England Graduate School. However, Keene is not solely identified by its college, unlike other college towns in New England such as Orono, Maine, Storrs, Connecticut and Durham, New Hampshire. Keene also hosts a branch of the New Hampshire Community Technical College and a satellite campus of Franklin Pierce College.

At the secondary level, Keene serves as the educational nexus of the area, due in large part to its status as the primate city of Cheshire County. Keene High School, home of the Blackbirds, is the largest of the two primary regional High Schools of Cheshire County, along with Monadnock Regional High School in neighboring Swanzey, home of the Huskies. Another high school that seves the area is Fall Mountain Regional High School

Keene has one middle school, Keene Middle School, which is located on Washington Street near Center Square and Robin Hood Park.

Keene has six elementary schools. Jonathan Daniels Elementary School, Fuller Elementary School, Franklin Elementary School, Symonds Elementary School, Wheelock Elementary School, and the TNT School, which is a juvenile corrections school.

Keene is part of New Hampshire's School Administrative Unit 29, or SAU 29.

References

External links

Cheshire County, New Hampshire | Cities in New Hampshire

Keene

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