Manchester, New Hampshire

Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the largest city of northern New England, an area composed of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It is in Hillsborough County on the banks of the Merrimack River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,007. As of 2004 the population has been estimated by the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning to be nearly 110,000.Manchester is the center of the Manchester, NH, New England City and Town Metropolitan Area (NECTA MA), with a population of 176,663.[http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t29/tab12.pdf

History

Incorporated as a city in 1846, Manchester is nicknamed the Queen City. In 1998, it was named the "Number One Small City in the East" by Money magazine. The Mall of New Hampshire, on Manchester's southern fringe, is the city's main retail center.

Historically, Manchester is important as a textile manufacturing center. The world's largest textile factory was once located along the Merrimack River.

Manchester is named after the much bigger city of Manchester, in Lancashire, England.

Geography

Manchester is located at (42.986284, -71.451560)¹. The city is sometimes considered the northernmost city of the BosWash megalopolis.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 90.4 km² (34.9 mi²). 85.5 km² (33.0 mi²) of it is land and 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²) of it (5.44%) is water. The highest point in Manchester is its extreme northwest corner, where the elevation reaches 560 feet (171 meters) above sea level.

Demographics

1773 - 279
1775 - 285
1786 - 338
1790 - 362
1800 - 557
1810 - 615
1820 - 761
1830 - 877
1840 - 3,235
1850 - 13,932
1860 - 20,107
1870 - 23,536
1880 - 32,630
1890 - 44,126
1900 - 56,987
1910 - 70,063
1920 - 78,384
1930 - 76,834
1940 - 77,685
1950 - 82,732
1960 - 88,282
1970 - 87,754
1980 - 90,936
1990 - 99,332
2000 - 107,006
2004 - 109,761 (estimate)

City of Manchester Population by year ^{^^}
1767 - 230

As of the census of 2000, there were 107,006 people, 44,247 households, and 26,105 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,251.6/km² (3,241.4/mi²). There were 45,892 housing units at an average density of 536.8/km² (1,390.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.75% White (this includes a large Bosnian population) 2.10% African American, 0.30% Native American, 2.32% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.76% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. 4.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Manchester is a national refugee relocation center.

There were 44,247 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,774, and the median income for a family was $50,039. Males had a median income of $34,287 versus $26,584 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,244. 10.6% of the population and 7.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.6% are under the age of 18 and 11.7% are 65 or older.

The city is a refugee resettlement center. More than 10% of the city's population is currently foreign-born.

Education

High schools

Manchester has four public high schools:

Manchester High School West ("West High School")
Manchester High School Central ("Central High School")
Manchester Memorial High School ("Memorial High School")
Manchester School of Technology ("MST")

Manchester is served by three private high schools:

Trinity High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Manchester
The Derryfield School is a private school serving students from sixth through twelfth grade.
Holy Family Academy is a small Roman Catholic private school serving students from seventh through twelfth grade.

Post-secondary schools

Area institutions of higher education, together enrolling more than 8,000 students, include:

University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Southern New Hampshire University (Mostly located within the town of Hooksett)
New Hampshire Community Technical College
Hesser College
Saint Anselm College (Mostly located within the town of Goffstown)
Springfield College School of Human Services
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Chester College of New England (Located in nearby Chester)
North Eastern Institute of Whole Health
New Hampshire Institute of Art

Culture and media

Cultural landmarks include the Palace Theater, home to the New Hampshire Symphony and the Opera League of New Hampshire, the Currier Museum of Art, the New Hampshire Institute of Art, the Manchester Historic Association Millyard Museum, the Massabesic Audubon Center, the Amoskeag Fishways Learning and Visitors Center, and the SEE Science Center.

The Verizon Wireless Arena is a civic center that hosts a variety of events, from sports such as hockey and arena football to concerts and fairs. It opened in November, 2001. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Coliseum is another, smaller venue located in Manchester. It was completed in 1963, and serves as home ice for Manchester Central and Memorial High School hockey teams, and is home of the Southern New Hampshire Skating Club. [http://www.manchesternh.gov/CityGov/PKS/Facilities/JFK.html

The city is served by three newspapers: New Hampshire Union Leader (daily) The Hippo (weekly) and the Manchester Mirror, a weekly produced by the New Hampshire Union Leader.

In addition to several commercial AM and FM radio stations, Manchester is also served by local cable television and one commercial television station:

MCAM TV-23, Is a public-access television facility. View programs online at MCAM Producer's Page
Manchester Community Television provides the government access (channel 22) and education access (channel 16) channels
WMUR-TV is the local ABC television affiliate

Sports

Manchester is home to four professional sports teams:

Manchester Wolves (af2 arena football)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats (minor league baseball) Double A Blue Jays
Manchester Monarchs (American Hockey League) L.A. Kings
Phantoms of New Hampshire USL Soccer team

Transportation

The city is served by Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation, and 4th largest in New England. It is the secondary airport serving Boston, Massachusetts.

Interstates 93 and 293 and US Highway 3 connect the area to Concord and the White Mountains to the north and Nashua and Boston to the south. NH 101 is a freeway-grade expressway that connects Manchester to the southeastern part of the state and Maine via Interstate 95.

Public transportation is provided by the Manchester Transit Authority, which runs several bus routes throughout the city and surrounding areas.

Concord Trailways runs commuter services to Boston and other parts of the state. Vermont Transit Lines (affiliated with Greyhound) has lines to Montreal.

Trivia

Manchester is a sister city of Nashville, Tennessee.
Manchester's main street, Elm Street, is believed to be the only main street in the country ending in two dead-ends.
The city is the hometown of fictional President Jed Bartlet and his family on the American television series, The West Wing.
"The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company and Manchester, New Hampshire, the city it had planned and developed starting in 1837, were products of the new industrial order launched in New England by a closely knit group of Boston-based entrepreneurs. The newly created town, strategically located by the Amoskeag Falls on the Merrimack River, was deliberately named after Manchester, England, already famous as the world's largest textile city." --Tamara K. Hareven, Amoskeag: Life and Work in an American Factory City
Manchester is the hometown of comedian Adam Sandler.
Segway and iBOT inventor Dean Kamen's company, DEKA, is based in Manchester.
An alternate nickname for the city is "ManchVegas," a name that has become widely used in recent years.

External links