Alstead, New Hampshire

Alstead, NH
Community Contact	Alstead Board of Selectmen Matthew D. Saxton, Chairman PO Box 60 Alstead, NH 03602
Telephone	(603) 835-2986
Fax	(603) 835-2178
E-mail	townofalstead@comcast.net
Web Site	www.alsteadnh.org
Municipal Office Hours	Monday through Wednesday, 8 am - 4 pm, Thursday, 8 am - 6 pm, closed Friday
County	Cheshire
Labor Market Area	Keene NH Micro-NECTA
Tourism Region	Monadnock
Planning Commission	Southwest Region
Regional Development	Monadnock Economic Development Corp.
Election Districts
US Congress	District 2
Executive Council	District 2
State Senate	District 8
State Representative	Cheshire County District 2

Incorporated: 1763

Origin: Alstead began in 1735 as the fourth in a line of nine forts intended to protect southwestern New Hampshire from Indian attacks. The town was named for Johann Heinrich Alsted, a German professor whose Encyclopaedia (1630) was popular at Harvard, where Governor Benning Wentworth had been a student. According to the Town of Alstead municipal website, Alstead was one of the towns that wavered in its allegiance after the Revolutionary War. In April 1781 the citizens decided to join Vermont, but returned to New Hampshire authority early the next year. Alstead was the location of New Hampshire's first paper mill, established in 1793 on the Cold River.

Villages and Place Names: Alstead Center, East Alstead, Mill Hollow

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 1,111 residents in 1790

Population Trends: Population change for Alstead totaled 1,097 over 50 years, from 851 in 1950 to 1,948 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was a 41 percent increase between 1960 and 1970, close to one-third of the total numeric change. The 2007 Census estimate for Alstead was 2,095 residents, which tied with Hampton Falls in ranking 133rd among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2007: 51.6 persons per square mile of land area. Alstead contains 39.0 square miles of land area and 0.4 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2003	$1,000,000
Budget: School Appropriations,	not available
Zoning Ordinance	1987/06
Master Plan	2007
Capitol Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

Boards and Commissions
Elected:	Selectmen; Library
Appointed:	Planning; Zoning; Conservation

Public Library

Shedd-Porter Memorial

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department	Full-time
Fire Department	Part-time & volunteer
Town Fire Insurance Rating	9/10
Emergency Medical Service	Volunteer

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Cheshire Medical Center, Keene	17 miles	169
Valley Regional, Claremont	22 miles	25

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	PSNH; Granite State
Natural Gas Supplier	None
Water Supplier	Private wells

Sanitation	Private septic
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant	No
Solid Waste Disposal
Curbside Trash Pickup	none
Pay-As-You-Throw Program	No
Recycling	Mandatory

Telephone Company	Fairpoint
Cellular Telephone Access	Yes
Cable Television Access	Yes
Public Access Television Station	No
High Speed Internet Service:
Business	Limited
Residential	Limited

2007 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$21.83

2007 Equalization Ratio

90.1

2007 Full Value Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$19.56

2007 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	96.0%
Commercial Land and Buildings	2.2%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	1.8%

2007 Total Housing Units

1,018

2007 Single-Family Units

799

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Multi-Family Units

110

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Manufactured Housing Units

109

Total Population

Community

County

2007

2,095

77,725

2000

1,948

73,993

1990

1,724

70,223

1980

1,461

62,116

1970

1,185

52,364

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	993	Female	951

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	120
Age 5 to 19	434
Age 20 to 34	268
Age 35 to 54	702
Age 55 to 64	174
Age 65 and over	246
Median Age	39.5 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	86.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.4%

Per capita income

$20,444

Median 4-person family income

$47,311

Median household income

$43,191

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$35,481
Female	$23,785

Families below the poverty level

3.5%

Annual Average

1997

2007

Civilian Labor Force

923

1,196

Employed

887

1,157

Unemployed

Unemployment Rate

3.9%

3.3%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1997

2007

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

121

Average Weekly Wage

$576

$575

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

$382

$408

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

188

137

Average Weekly Wage

$507

$496

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

$309

$520

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

207

159

Average Weekly Wage

$489

$500

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Grades K-12 is part of Fall Mountain Regional (Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown, Langdon, Walpole)	District: SAU 60
Career Technology Center(s):	Cheshire Center of Applied Science, Keene; Fall Mountain High School, Langdon	Region: 13

Educational Facilities	Elementary	Middle/Junior High	High School	Private/Parochial
Number of Schools	1	1
Grade Levels	K 1-5	6-8
Total Enrollment	121	95

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2008:

Total Facilities: 2

Total Capacity: 55

Nearest Community/Technical College: River Valley

Nearest Colleges or Universities: Keene State; Antioch New England

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Blanceflower Lumber	Retail, wholesale lumber	15	1953
Fuller Machine Company	Job machine shop	5
Benson's Woodworking Company	Timber frame houses	10	1972

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes
	State Routes	12A, 123, 123A
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-91 (VT), Exit 6
	Distance	10 miles
Railroad	No
Public Transportation	No

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Claremont Municipal
Runway		3,100 ft. asphalt
Lighted?	Yes	Navigational Aids?	Yes
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Lebanon Municipal		Distance	42 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			1

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	67 miles
Portland, ME	152 miles
Boston, MA	114 miles
New York City, NY	230 miles
Montreal, Quebec	223 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	78.3%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	11.1%
Public transportation	0.4%
Walked	2.9%
Other Means	0.0%
Worked at home	7.4%
Mean Travel Time to Work	28.6 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	20%
Commuting to another NH community	65%
Commuting out-of-state	15%

RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
	Municipal Parks
	YMCA/YWCA
	Boys Club/Girls Club
	Golf Courses
	Swimming: Indoor Facility
	Swimming: Outdoor Facility
	Tennis Courts: Indoor Faclity
	Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility
	Ice Skating Rink: Indoor Facility
	Bowling Facilities
	Museums
	Cinemas
	Performing Arts Facilities
	Tourists Attractions
X	Youth Organizations (i.e., Scouts, 4-H)
X	Youth Sports: Baseball
X	Youth Sports: Soccer
	Youth Sports: Football
	Youth Sports: Basketball
	Youth Sports: Hockey
	Campgrounds
X	Fishing/Hunting
	Boating/Marinas
X	Snowmobile Trails
	Bicycle Trails
	Cross Country Skiing
	Beach or Waterfront Recreational Area
	Overnight or Day Camps

	Nearest Ski Area(s): Okemo

	Other:

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2008. Community Response Received 08/06/08

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