Bristol, New Hampshire

Bristol, NH
Community Contact	Town of Bristol Paul Weston, Town Manager 230 Lake Street Bristol, NH 03222
Telephone	(603) 744-3354
Fax	(603) 744-2521
E-mail	pweston@townofbristolnh.org
Web Site	www.townofbristolnh.org
Municipal Office Hours	Monday through Friday, 8 am - 4 pm; Town Clerk/Tax Collector: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8 am - 4 pm, Thursday, 8 am - 7 pm
County	Grafton
Labor Market Area	Plymouth NH LMA
Tourism Region	Lakes
Planning Commission	Lakes Region
Regional Development	Grafton County Economic Development Council
Election Districts
US Congress	District 2
Executive Council	District 1
State Senate	District 2
State Representative	Grafton County District 8

Incorporated: 1819

Origin: Bristol was incorporated in 1819, established on land taken from Bridgewater and New Chester (Hill). Extensive deposits of fine sand or clay similar to the Bristol sand used in Bristol, England, to make fine china and pottery gave this town its name. Here the sand was used to make a superior quality brick, marketed as Bristol brick. The town was center of manufacturing in the early days for such diverse goods as paper, leather, woolens, flannel, bedsteads, and piano stools. Bristol encompasses the lower two-thirds of Newfound Lake, including Wellington State Park.

Villages and Place Names: unknown

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 675 residents in 1820

Population Trends: Population change for Bristol totaled 1,447 over 50 years, from 1,586 in 1950 to 3,033 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was a 32 percent increase between 1970 and 1980, accounting for over one-third of the total numeric change. The 2007 Census estimate for Bristol was 3,113 residents, which ranked 106th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2007: 184.4 persons per square mile of land area. Bristol contains 17.1 square miles of land area and 4.8 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Town Manager
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2008	$5,398,431
Budget: School Appropriations,	not available
Zoning Ordinance	1985/08
Master Plan	2003
Capitol Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

Boards and Commissions
Elected:	Selectmen, Budget
Appointed:	Planning; Zoning; Library; Conservation; Historic District

Public Library

Minot-Sleeper

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
Speare Memorial, Plymouth	14 miles	25

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	PSNH; NH Electric Coop
Natural Gas Supplier	None
Water Supplier	Bristol Public Works

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

Telephone Company	Fairpoint
Cellular Telephone Access	Limited
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)

$14.19

2007 Equalization Ratio

100

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

$14.36

2007 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	89.2%
Commercial Land and Buildings	7.8%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	3.0%

2007 Total Housing Units

2,265

2007 Single-Family Units

1,571

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Multi-Family Units

561

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Manufactured Housing Units

133

Total Population

Community

County

2007

3,113

85,514

2000

3,033

81,826

1990

2,614

74,998

1980

2,198

65,806

1970

1,670

54,914

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	1,496	Female	1,537

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	180
Age 5 to 19	637
Age 20 to 34	514
Age 35 to 54	953
Age 55 to 64	319
Age 65 and over	430
Median Age	38.5 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	84.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.5%

Per capita income

$19,807

Median 4-person family income

$44,766

Median household income

$38,032

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$31,088
Female	$22,406

Families below the poverty level

5.5%

Annual Average

1997

2007

Civilian Labor Force

1,297

1,600

Employed

1,259

1,540

Unemployed

Unemployment Rate

2.9%

3.8%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1997

2007

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

448

Average Weekly Wage

$996

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

592

Average Weekly Wage

$473

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

1,937

1,040

Average Weekly Wage

$531

$698

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

258

304

Average Weekly Wage

$461

$648

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

2,194

1,344

Average Weekly Wage

$523

$687

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Grades K-12 are part of Newfound Area (Alexandria, Bridgewater, Bristol, Danbury, Groton, Hebron, New Hampton)	District: SAU 4
Career Technology Center(s):	Plymouth Regional High School	Region: 05

Educational Facilities	Elementary	Middle/Junior High	High School	Private/Parochial
Number of Schools	1	1	1
Grade Levels	K 1-5	6-8	9-12
Total Enrollment	227	372	465

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2008:

Total Facilities: 3

Total Capacity: 44

Nearest Community/Technical College: Lakes Region

Nearest Colleges or Universities: Plymouth State University; Granite State College-Laconia

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Newfound Area Schools	Education	250
Freudenberg-NOK	Oil, grease seals, molded rubber	210	1949
Town of Bristol	Municipal services	32 FT/53 PT	1819
Shop 'n Save	Supermarket	30
TD Banknorth	Banking services	25	1970
Homestead Restaurant	Restaurant	25	1975
RP Williams & Sons	Retail lumber store	21	1950
Shackett's Grocery	Convenience store	20	1945

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes
	State Routes	3A, 104
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-93, Exit 23
	Distance	6 miles
Railroad	No
Public Transportation	No

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Newfound Valley, Bristol
Runway		1,930 ft. asphalt
Lighted?	No	Navigational Aids?	No
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Manchester-Boston Regional		Distance	60 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			8

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	55 miles
Portland, ME	107 miles
Boston, MA	105 miles
New York City, NY	305 miles
Montreal, Quebec	228 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	78.5%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	13.0%
Public transportation	0.0%
Walked	4.0%
Other Means	1.0%
Worked at home	3.6%
Mean Travel Time to Work	27.5 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	29%
Commuting to another NH community	67%
Commuting out-of-state	4%

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

	Nearest Ski Area(s): Ragged, Tenney, Waterville Valley Mountains

	Other: Wellington State Park

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2008. Community Response Received 08/05/08

For Source Information Click Here