Francestown, New Hampshire

Francestown, NH
Community Contact	Francestown Board of Selectmen William McAuley PO Box 5 Francestown, NH 03043
Telephone	(603) 547-3469
Fax	(603) 547-2818
E-mail	francestownnh@comcast.net
Web Site	www.francestown-nh.gov
Municipal Office Hours	Monday through Thursday, 8 am - 12 noon
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: 1772

Origin: Incorporated in 1772, Francestown was named for Frances Deering Wentworth, wife of Governor John Wentworth. She was the source of some scandal, marrying John just ten days after the death of her first husband, Theodore Atkinson. Three years after Francestown was incorporated, the Wentworths fled to exile. Situated on the Second New Hampshire Turnpike, the only through route between Boston and Vermont, the town collected a toll of one cent per mile from travelling coaches and wagons. Francestown was also the site of a high-quality soapstone quarry, which was mined until the 1890s.

Villages and Place Names: unknown

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 982 residents in 1790

Population Trends: Population change for Francestown totaled 1,085 over 50 years, from 405 in 1950 to 1,490 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was a 58 percent increase between 1970 and 1980, followed by a 47 percent increase over the next decade. The 2007 Census estimate for Francestown was 1,579 residents, which ranked 156th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2007: 52.9 persons per square mile of land area. Francestown contains 29.8 square miles of land area and .5 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2004	$1,635,955
Budget: School Appropriations,	not available
Zoning Ordinance	1937/07
Master Plan	1996
Capitol Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

Boards and Commissions
Elected:	Selectmen; Planning; Trust Fund; Cemetary; Library
Appointed:	Zoning; Conservation; Budget; Recreation

Public Library

George Holmes Bixby Memorial

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department	Part-time
Fire Department	Volunteer
Town Fire Insurance Rating	9/10
Emergency Medical Service	Volunteer

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Monadnock Community, Peterborough	10 miles	25

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	PSNH
Natural Gas Supplier	None
Water Supplier	Francestown Village Water

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

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

2007 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$23.81

2007 Equalization Ratio

80.6

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

$19.20

2007 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	94.1%
Commercial Land and Buildings	4.4%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	1.5%

2007 Total Housing Units

729

2007 Single-Family Units

662

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Multi-Family Units

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Manufactured Housing Units

Total Population

Community

County

2007

1,579

402,302

2000

1,490

382,384

1990

1,220

336,549

1980

830

276,608

1970

525

223,941

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	754	Female	726

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	86
Age 5 to 19	344
Age 20 to 34	194
Age 35 to 54	534
Age 55 to 64	146
Age 65 and over	176
Median Age	40.2 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	95.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher	44.3%

Per capita income

$28,942

Median 4-person family income

$71,471

Median household income

$64,259

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$50,521
Female	$32,778

Families below the poverty level

1.2%

Annual Average

1997

2007

Civilian Labor Force

655

807

Employed

647

780

Unemployed

Unemployment Rate

1.2%

3.3%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1997

2007

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

$765

$683

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

114

Average Weekly Wage

$357

$584

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

147

125

Average Weekly Wage

$447

$608

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

$199

$386

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

177

157

Average Weekly Wage

$404

$563

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	69

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2008:

Total Facilities: 1

Total Capacity: 12

Nearest Community/Technical College: Manchester

Nearest Colleges or Universities: New England; St. Anselm; Hesser; UNH-Manchester

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Crotched Mountain Resort & Spa	Golf course, restaurant, and time share resort	45	1991
Francestown Village Store	Convenience store	12	1814

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes
	State Routes	47, 136
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-293, Exit 4
	Distance	22 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	26 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			8

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	22 miles
Portland, ME	121 miles
Boston, MA	70 miles
New York City, NY	238 miles
Montreal, Quebec	266 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	83.6%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	4.3%
Public transportation	0.0%
Walked	0.9%
Other Means	0.6%
Worked at home	10.7%
Mean Travel Time to Work	39.3 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	20%
Commuting to another NH community	71%
Commuting out-of-state	10%

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
X	Museums
	Cinemas
	Performing Arts Facilities
	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
	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): Crotched Mountain, Bennington

	Other: Hiking

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2008. Community Response Received 08/15/08

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