Gourt Home::Gourt :: Sunapee, New Hampshire
Sunapee is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 3,055 at the 2000 census. Sunapee is home to part of Lake Sunapee. The town includes the village of George's Mills.
History
Like many other towns, this one went through name changes before its incorporation in 1781: "Saville," "Corey's Town," and then "Wendell," for one of the Masonian Proprietors, John Wendell. The name "Sunapee" was substituted for "Wendell" by the legislature in 1850. The town, Lake Sunapee and Mount Sunapee share the name which comes from the Algonquian Indian words "suna" meaning "goose," and "apee," meaning "lake." The Indians called the area "Goose Lake" because it was a favorite spot of wild geese.
The town has long been a popular tourist destination. The major attraction was the pristine lake, once surrounded by a number of grand hotels. Lake Sunapee is the only lake in New Hampshire with three working lighthouses, built in the 1890s and maintained by the Lake Sunapee Protective Asscociation. The town was the birthplace of the rock band, Aerosmith.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 65.3 km² (25.2 mi²). 54.7 km² (21.1 mi²) of it is land and 10.6 km² (4.1 mi²) of it (16.19%) is water. Sunapee is drained by the Sugar River. The highest point in town is approximately 1,600 feet (488 meters) above sea level, along the town's northern border, just north of Ledge Pond.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 3,055 people, 1,294 households, and 878 families residing in the town. The population density was 55.8/km² (144.7/mi²). There were 2,143 housing units at an average density of 39.2/km² (101.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.97% White, 0.20% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.46% of the population.
There were 1,294 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% 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 2.83.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $49,353, and the median income for a family was $55,909. Males had a median income of $40,720 versus $27,237 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,184. About 3.8% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
One of the exceptions to the rest of Sullivan County, which is largely Democratic, Sunapee is represented at both levels of the New Hampshire General Court by Republicans Harry S. Gale in the House and Bob Odell in the Senate.
External links
"Sunapee, New Hampshire"