Bennington, New Hampshire

Bennington, NH
Community Contact	Town of Bennington Denise French, Town Administrator 7 School Street, Unit 101 Bennington, NH 03442
Telephone	(603) 588-2189
Fax	(603) 588-8005
E-mail	office@townofbennington.com
Web Site	www.townofbennington.com
Municipal Office Hours	Monday through Thursday, 9 am - 4 pm; Town Clerk: Monday and Saturday, 9 am - 12 noon, Tuesday, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm, and Thursday, 4:30 pm - 8:30 pm
County	Hillsborough
Labor Market Area	Peterborough NH LMA
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 7
State Representative	Hillsborough County District 2

Incorporated: 1842

Origin: Formed from portions of Hancock, Greenfield, Deering, and Francestown, in 1842 this community was named in commemoration of the Battle of Bennington (Vermont), one of the most decisive battles of the Revolution, fought August 14-16, 1777. Bennington was originally a part of Hancock called Factory Village, as there was substantial industry powered by the Great Falls on the Contoocook River. According to the Town of Bennington history, the first papermaking machinery was installed in 1835 near the current Monadnock Paper Mills location.

Villages and Place Names: unknown

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 541 residents in 1850

Population Trends: Population change for Bennington totaled 811 over 50 years, from 593 in 1950 to 1,404 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was a 39 percent increase between 1970 and 1980, followed by a 38 percent increase between 1980 and 1990. The 2007 Census estimate for Bennington was 1,475 residents, ranking 161st among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2007: 132.3 persons per square mile of land area. Bennington contains 11.4 square miles of land area and 0.2 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2006	$1,362,857
Budget: School Appropriations,	not available
Zoning Ordinance	1986/07
Master Plan	2005
Capitol Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

Boards and Commissions
Elected:	Selectmen; Planning; Library; Cemetery; Trust Funds; Water & Sewer
Appointed:	Conservation; Zoning

Public Library

G E P Dodge

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

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Monadnock Community, Peterborough	9 miles	25

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	PSNH
Natural Gas Supplier	None
Water Supplier	Bennington Water Department

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

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

2007 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$21.24

2007 Equalization Ratio

86.5

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

$18.19

2007 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	86.3%
Commercial Land and Buildings	10.8%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	2.9%

2007 Total Housing Units

704

2007 Single-Family Units

486

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Multi-Family Units

174

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Manufactured Housing Units

Total Population

Community

County

2007

1,475

402,302

2000

1,404

382,384

1990

1,230

336,549

1980

890

276,608

1970

639

223,941

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	692	Female	709

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	84
Age 5 to 19	356
Age 20 to 34	258
Age 35 to 54	486
Age 55 to 64	104
Age 65 and over	113
Median Age	35.1 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	87.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.8%

Per capita income

$19,675

Median 4-person family income

$52,153

Median household income

$46,150

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$34,063
Female	$26,734

Families below the poverty level

8.4%

Annual Average

1997

2007

Civilian Labor Force

728

793

Employed

710

770

Unemployed

Unemployment Rate

2.5%

2.9%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1997

2007

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

294

380

Average Weekly Wage

$855

$849

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

$325

$528

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

317

403

Average Weekly Wage

$818

$831

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Grades K-12 are part of Contoocook Valley Cooperative (Antrim, Bennington, Dublin, Francestown, Greenfield, Hancock, Peterborough, Sharon, Temple)	District: SAU 1
Career Technology Center(s):	Region 14 Applied Technology Center, Peterborough	Region: 14

Educational Facilities	Elementary	Middle/Junior High	High School	Private/Parochial
Number of Schools	1
Grade Levels	K 1-4
Total Enrollment	91

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2008:

Total Facilities: 1

Total Capacity: 12

Nearest Community/Technical College: NHTI-Concord; Manchester

Nearest Colleges or Universities: New England

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Crotched Mt. Ski and Ride Area	Ski - seasonal	250+/-	2003
Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc.	Printing specialty papers	235	1819
Alberto's Restaurant	Restaurant
Bennington Country Store	Convenience store
Common Place Eatery	Restaurant
Harris's 202 Convenience Store	Convenience store
Pierce Elementary School	Education
Town of Bennington	Municipal services

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes	202
	State Routes	31, 47
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-89, Exit 5
	Distance	23 miles
Railroad	No
Public Transportation	No

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Hawthorne-Feather, Antrim
Runway		3,260 ft. asphalt
Lighted?	Yes	Navigational Aids?	No
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Manchester-Boston Regional		Distance	32 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			8

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	29 miles
Portland, ME	128 miles
Boston, MA	76 miles
New York City, NY	247 miles
Montreal, Quebec	259 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	83.0%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	11.0%
Public transportation	0.3%
Walked	2.8%
Other Means	1.3%
Worked at home	1.6%
Mean Travel Time to Work	23.7 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	13%
Commuting to another NH community	85%
Commuting out-of-state	2%

RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
X	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
X	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
X	Beach or Waterfront Recreational Area
	Overnight or Day Camps

	Nearest Ski Area(s): Crotched Mountain

	Other:

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

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