Atkinson, New Hampshire

Atkinson, NH
Community Contact	Atkinson Planning Board Shirley Galvin, Planning Assistant 21 Academy Avenue Atkinson, NH 03811
Telephone	(603) 362-5761
Fax	(603) 362-5305
E-mail	sgalvin@atkinson-nh.gov
Web Site	www.town-atkinsonnh.com
Municipal Office Hours	Town Administrator: Monday through Friday, 8 am - 4 pm
County	Rockingham
Labor Market Area	Haverhill MA-NH NECTA Division, NH Portion
Tourism Region	Merrimack Valley
Planning Commission	Rockingham
Regional Development	Rockingham Economic Development Corp.
Election Districts
US Congress	District 2
Executive Council	District 3
State Senate	District 22
State Representative	Rockingham County District 6

Incorporated: 1767

Origin: Atkinson was named in 1767 for Colonel Theodore Atkinson, whose farm once covered nearly all of the several hundred acres set aside from Plaistow that became the town. Colonel Atkinson was a brother-in-law to Governor Benning Wentworth, served as secretary of the colony until the Revolution, and was one of the Masonian Proprietors who parceled out New Hampshire lands to over 30,000 settlers. Colonel Atkinson bequested funds to establish Atkinson Academy, incorporated in 1787. In 1809, the state granted 13,000 acres of land in Coos County to the Academy, an unincorporated place now known as Atkinson & Gilmanton Academy Grant.

Villages and Place Names: Atkinson Heights, Conleys Grove, Westville, Atkinson Depot

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 479 residents in 1790

Population Trends: Atkinson had the sixth highest 50-year percent change in population, growing over 12 times larger. The largest decennial percent change was a 125 percent increase between 1960 and 1970. Population change totaled 5,738, from 492 in 1950 to 6,230 in 2000. The 2007 Census estimate for Atkinson was 6,572 residents, which ranked 48th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2007: 577.5 persons per square mile of land area. Atkinson contains 11.2 square miles of land area and 0.2 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2007	$7,124,083
Budget: School Appropriations, 2007	$12,334,154
Zoning Ordinance	1940/07
Master Plan	1998
Capitol Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

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

Public Library

Kimball Public

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department	Full & part-time
Fire Department	Volunteer
Town Fire Insurance Rating	9
Emergency Medical Service	Private

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Parkland Medical Center, Derry	11 miles	86

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	Unitil; PSNH
Natural Gas Supplier	Northern Utilities
Water Supplier	Hampstead Water Company & private wells

Sanitation	Private septic
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant	No
Solid Waste Disposal
Curbside Trash Pickup	Private
Pay-As-You-Throw Program	No
Recycling	Voluntary

Telephone Company	Fairpoint
Cellular Telephone Access	Yes
Cable Television Access	Yes
Public Access Television Station	Yes
High Speed Internet Service:
Business	Yes
Residential	Yes

2007 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$14.10

2007 Equalization Ratio

103

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

$14.39

2007 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	95.4%
Commercial Land and Buildings	4.2%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	0.5%

2007 Total Housing Units

2,682

2007 Single-Family Units

1,945

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Multi-Family Units

725

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Manufactured Housing Units

Total Population

Community

County

2007

6,572

296,543

2000

6,230

278,748

1990

5,141

246,744

1980

4,397

190,345

1970

2,291

138,951

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	3,008	Female	3,170

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	397
Age 5 to 19	1,232
Age 20 to 34	808
Age 35 to 54	2,276
Age 55 to 64	760
Age 65 and over	705
Median Age	40.9 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	95.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	39.2%

Per capita income

$30,412

Median 4-person family income

$77,631

Median household income

$69,729

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$53,229
Female	$34,760

Families below the poverty level

2.3%

Annual Average

1997

2007

Civilian Labor Force

3,913

3,797

Employed

3,717

3,626

Unemployed

196

171

Unemployment Rate

5.0%

4.5%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1997

2007

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

242

309

Average Weekly Wage

$623

$1,097

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

423

630

Average Weekly Wage

$594

$761

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

665

939

Average Weekly Wage

$605

$871

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

$215

$551

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

734

1,007

Average Weekly Wage

$568

$849

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Grades 1-12 are part of Timberlane Regional (Atkinson, Danville, Plaistow, Sandown)	District: SAU 55
Career Technology Center(s):	Pinkerton Academy, Derry; Salem High School Vocational Center	Region: 17

Educational Facilities	Elementary	Middle/Junior High	High School	Private/Parochial
Number of Schools	1			1
Grade Levels	K 1-5			n/a
Total Enrollment	480			252

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2008:

Total Facilities: 2

Total Capacity: 93

Nearest Community/Technical College: Great Bay; Manchester; Nashua

Nearest Colleges or Universities: University of NH; Chester College of New England

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Lewis Builders, Inc.	Builder	68	1953
Busby Construction	Contractor	35-50	1979
GEX	Graphics, printing	120	1985
Palmer Gas Company	Propane gas	75	1969
Atkinson Concessions	Country club	226	2002

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes
	State Routes	111, 121
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-495 (MA), Exit 51
	Distance	4 miles
Railroad	Boston & Maine
Public Transportation	No

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Lawrence (MA) Municipal
Runway		5,000 ft. asphalt
Lighted?	Yes	Navigational Aids?	Yes
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Manchester-Boston Regional		Distance	27 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			8

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	27 miles
Portland, ME	84 miles
Boston, MA	40 miles
New York City, NY	243 miles
Montreal, Quebec	284 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	87.8%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	4.4%
Public transportation	0.7%
Walked	0.3%
Other Means	0.7%
Worked at home	6.1%
Mean Travel Time to Work	30.7 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	11%
Commuting to another NH community	33%
Commuting out-of-state	55%

RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
X	Municipal Parks
	YMCA/YWCA
	Boys Club/Girls Club
X	Golf Courses
	Swimming: Indoor Facility
	Swimming: Outdoor Facility
	Tennis Courts: Indoor Faclity
X	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
X	Youth Sports: Football
X	Youth Sports: Basketball
	Youth Sports: Hockey
	Campgrounds
X	Fishing/Hunting
	Boating/Marinas
	Snowmobile Trails
	Bicycle Trails
X	Cross Country Skiing
	Beach or Waterfront Recreational Area
	Overnight or Day Camps

	Nearest Ski Area(s): Bradford (MA)

	Other: NH Cultural & Scenic By-Way

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2008. Community Response Received 08/01/08

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