Bedford, New Hampshire

Bedford, NH
Community Contact	Town of Bedford Rick Sawyer, Planning Director 24 North Amherst Road Bedford, NH 03110
Telephone	(603) 472-5242
Fax	(603) 472-4573
E-mail	rsawyer@ci.bedford.nh.us
Web Site	www.bedfordnh.org
Municipal Office Hours	Monday through Friday, 8 am - 4:30 pm
County	Hillsborough
Labor Market Area	Manchester NH Metro-NECTA
Tourism Region	Merrimack Valley
Planning Commission	Southern NH
Regional Development	Capital Regional Development Council
Election Districts
US Congress	District 1
Executive Council	District 4
State Senate	District 9
State Representative	Hillsborough County District 18

Incorporated: 1750

Origin: Bedford was established in 1730 as Narragansett Number 5 for the benefit of soldiers who fought against the Narragansett Indians in Rhode Island. Twenty years later little had been done to the land, and it was regranted first as Souhegan East, then as Bedford in 1750. The town was named for Lord John Russell, fourth Duke of Bedford, a close friend of Governor Benning Wentworth, whose first wife, Diana Spencer, was cousin to the Duke of Marlborough. The town's first moderator was Major John Goffe, son of Colonel John Goffe for whom Goffstown was named.

Villages and Place Names: unknown

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 898 residents in 1790

Population Trends: Bedford ranked ninth in percent change and eighth in numeric change over 50 years. Population change totaled 16,316, from 2,176 in 1950 to 18,492 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was 67 percent between 1950 and 1960. The 2007 Census estimate for Bedford was 21,146 residents, which ranked 12th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2007: 635.9 persons per square mile of land area. Bedford contains 32.8 square miles of land area and 0.3 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Manager & Council
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2007	$23,638,835
Budget: School Appropriations, 2006	$56,383,163
Zoning Ordinance	1953/08
Master Plan	2000
Capitol Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

Boards and Commissions
Elected:	Town Council; Library
Appointed:	Planning; Zoning; Conservation; Historic District

Public Library

Bedford Public

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department	Full-time
Fire Department	Full-time
Town Fire Insurance Rating	5/9
Emergency Medical Service	Municipal

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Elliot Hospital, Manchester	6 miles	296
Catholic Medical Center, Manchester	4 miles	330

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	PSNH
Natural Gas Supplier	KeySpan
Water Supplier	Manchester Water Works; Pennichuck Water Works

Sanitation	Private septic & municipal
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant	No
Solid Waste Disposal
Curbside Trash Pickup	none
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)

$18.99

2007 Equalization Ratio

86.9

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

$16.46

2007 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	83.3%
Commercial Land and Buildings	15.7%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	1.0%

2007 Total Housing Units

7,703

2007 Single-Family Units

6,330

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Multi-Family Units

1,372

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Manufactured Housing Units

Total Population

Community

County

2007

21,146

402,302

2000

18,492

382,384

1990

12,513

336,549

1980

9,481

276,608

1970

5,859

223,941

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	8,988	Female	9,286

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	1,329
Age 5 to 19	4,212
Age 20 to 34	2,190
Age 35 to 54	6,703
Age 55 to 64	1,737
Age 65 and over	2,103
Median Age	39.2 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	92.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher	49.3%

Per capita income

$37,730

Median 4-person family income

$91,868

Median household income

$84,392

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$69,987
Female	$39,507

Families below the poverty level

1.6%

Annual Average

1997

2007

Civilian Labor Force

8,615

11,374

Employed

8,462

11,057

Unemployed

153

317

Unemployment Rate

1.8%

2.8%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1997

2007

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

1,571

1,321

Average Weekly Wage

$666

$1,271

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

10,024

12,038

Average Weekly Wage

$643

$933

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

11,594

13,359

Average Weekly Wage

$646

$966

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

557

902

Average Weekly Wage

$590

$799

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

12,151

14,262

Average Weekly Wage

$643

$955

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Bedford operates grades K-12	District: SAU 25
Career Technology Center(s):	Manchester School of Technology	Region: 15

Educational Facilities	Elementary	Middle/Junior High	High School	Private/Parochial
Number of Schools	3	2	1
Grade Levels	P K 1-4	5-8	9-12
Total Enrollment	1,725	1,425	588

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2008:

Total Facilities: 30

Total Capacity: 1,940

Nearest Community/Technical College: Manchester

Nearest Colleges or Universities: St. Anselm; Southern NH University; Hesser; UNH-Manchester

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Bedford School District	Education	325
Wal-Mart	Retail store	204
Macy's	Department store	199
Lowe's	Home improvement center	196
Graham Packaging	Research & manufacturing of plastic bottles	165
Kelly Services	Temporary employment agency	151
Target	Department store	150
Harvey Construction	Construction	100
Wayfarer/Quality Inn	Hotel, restaurant, convention center	78

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes	3
	State Routes	101, 114
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-293, Exit 3
	Distance	Local access
Railroad	Boston & Maine
Public Transportation	Yes

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Manchester-Boston Regional
Runway		9,250 ft. asphalt
Lighted?	Yes	Navigational Aids?	Yes
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Manchester-Boston Regional		Distance	7 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			8

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	5 miles
Portland, ME	101 miles
Boston, MA	55 miles
New York City, NY	252 miles
Montreal, Quebec	263 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	86.0%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	5.4%
Public transportation	0.3%
Walked	0.5%
Other Means	1.5%
Worked at home	6.3%
Mean Travel Time to Work	27.2 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	26%
Commuting to another NH community	62%
Commuting out-of-state	12%

RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
X	Municipal Parks
	YMCA/YWCA
	Boys Club/Girls Club
X	Golf Courses
	Swimming: Indoor Facility
X	Swimming: Outdoor Facility
	Tennis Courts: Indoor Faclity
X	Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility
	Ice Skating Rink: Indoor Facility
	Bowling Facilities
X	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
	Fishing/Hunting
	Boating/Marinas
	Snowmobile Trails
	Bicycle Trails
	Cross Country Skiing
	Beach or Waterfront Recreational Area
X	Overnight or Day Camps

	Nearest Ski Area(s): McIntyre, Pat's Peak

	Other:

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2008. Community Response Received 08/21/08

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