Bethlehem, New Hampshire

Bethlehem, NH
Community Contact	Bethlehem Board of Selectmen Richard Ubaldo, Chairman PO Box 189 Bethlehem, NH 03574
Telephone	(603) 869-3351
Fax	(603) 869-5500
E-mail	tobeth@adelphia.net
Web Site	not available
Municipal Office Hours	Monday through Thursday, 8 am - 4 pm, and Friday, 8 am - 12 noon
County	Grafton
Labor Market Area	Littleton NH-VT LMA, NH Portion
Tourism Region	White Mountains
Planning Commission	North Country Council
Regional Development	Grafton County Economic Development Council
Election Districts
US Congress	District 2
Executive Council	District 1
State Senate	District 1
State Representative	Grafton County District 2

Incorporated: 1799

Origin: This community was first established in 1774 as Lloyd's Hills, the last of the provincial land grants. Probably because James Lloyd, for whom the town was named, was a loyalist, voters elected to change to name following the Revolution. The name Bethlehem was selected on the last Christmas Day in the century, and the town was so incorporated on December 27, 1799. According to the US Postal Service, Bethlehem is one of several US communities with holiday-themed names who have special holiday postmarks.

Villages and Place Names: Alderbrook, Five Corners, Maplewood, Pierce Bridge

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 171 residents in 1800

Population Trends: Population change for Bethlehem totaled 1,324 over 50 years, from 882 in 1950 to 2,206 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was between 1970 and 1980, when population increased by 56 percent. The 2007 Census estimate for Bethlehem was 2,438 residents, which ranked 120th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2007: 27.1 persons per square mile of land area. Bethlehem contains 90.9 square miles of land area and 0.1 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2006	$2,088,453
Budget: School Appropriations,	not available
Zoning Ordinance	1972/07
Master Plan	2004
Capitol Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

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

Public Library

Bethlehem Public

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department	Full-time
Fire Department	Volunteer
Town Fire Insurance Rating	6/9
Emergency Medical Service	Volunteer

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Littleton Regional, Littleton	8 miles	25

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	PSNH; Littleton Water & Light
Natural Gas Supplier	None
Water Supplier	Bethlehem Village District

Sanitation	Private septic & municipal
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant	Yes
Solid Waste Disposal
Curbside Trash Pickup	Municipal
Pay-As-You-Throw Program	Yes
Recycling	Voluntary

Telephone Company	Fairpoint
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)

$24.14

2007 Equalization Ratio

89.7

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

$21.36

2007 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	85.2%
Commercial Land and Buildings	11.8%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	3.0%

2007 Total Housing Units

1,523

2007 Single-Family Units

1,031

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Multi-Family Units

397

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Manufactured Housing Units

Total Population

Community

County

2007

2,438

85,514

2000

2,206

81,826

1990

2,018

74,998

1980

1,784

65,806

1970

1,142

54,914

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	1,119	Female	1,080

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	120
Age 5 to 19	459
Age 20 to 34	350
Age 35 to 54	833
Age 55 to 64	201
Age 65 and over	236
Median Age	39 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	88.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.1%

Per capita income

$20,155

Median 4-person family income

$48,333

Median household income

$35,547

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$30,133
Female	$24,333

Families below the poverty level

7.9%

Annual Average

1997

2007

Civilian Labor Force

1,250

1,478

Employed

1,190

1,438

Unemployed

Unemployment Rate

4.8%

2.7%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1997

2007

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

$358

$712

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

248

465

Average Weekly Wage

$371

$599

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

276

485

Average Weekly Wage

$370

$603

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

111

173

Average Weekly Wage

$444

$639

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

387

658

Average Weekly Wage

$391

$613

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Bethlehem operates grades K-6; grades 7-12 are part of Profile Cooperative (Bethlehem, Easton, Franconia, Sugar Hill)	District: SAU 35
Career Technology Center(s):	Gallen Regional Voc. Center, Littleton; White Mountain Regional High, Whitefield	Region: 03

Educational Facilities	Elementary	Middle/Junior High	High School	Private/Parochial
Number of Schools	1	1	1	3
Grade Levels	K 1-6	7-8	9-12	1-12
Total Enrollment	204	98	188	124

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2008:

Total Facilities: 4

Total Capacity: 53

Nearest Community/Technical College: White Mountains

Nearest Colleges or Universities: Granite State College-Littleton

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Profile Junior/Senior High School	Education	55	1976
White Mountain School	Education	54
Bethlehem Elementary School	Education	35
Pinetree Power Inc.	Electric plant	20	1988
Town of Bethlehem	Municipal services	15

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes	3, 302
	State Routes	18, 116, 142
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-93, Exits 39 - 40
	Distance	Local access
Railroad	No
Public Transportation	No

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Twin Mountain
Runway		2,640 ft. asphalt
Lighted?	Call ahead	Navigational Aids?	No
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Lebanon Municipal		Distance	67 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			1

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	100 miles
Portland, ME	107 miles
Boston, MA	150 miles
New York City, NY	333 miles
Montreal, Quebec	173 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	77.7%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	10.3%
Public transportation	0.4%
Walked	3.7%
Other Means	1.0%
Worked at home	6.9%
Mean Travel Time to Work	20.3 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	26%
Commuting to another NH community	71%
Commuting out-of-state	3%

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
X	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
X	Youth Sports: Basketball
	Youth Sports: Hockey
X	Campgrounds
X	Fishing/Hunting
	Boating/Marinas
X	Snowmobile Trails
X	Bicycle Trails
X	Cross Country Skiing
	Beach or Waterfront Recreational Area
	Overnight or Day Camps

	Nearest Ski Area(s): Cannon Mountain, Bretton Woods

	Other: Antiques; The Rocks Tree Farm; Hiking; Moutain Biking

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2008. Community Response Received 08/12/08

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