Franconia, New Hampshire

Franconia, NH
Community Contact	Town of Franconia Sally Small, Administrative Assistant PO Box 900 Franconia, NH 03580
Telephone	(603) 823-7752
Fax	(603) 823-5581
E-mail	selectmen@franconianh.org
Web Site	www.franconianh.org
Municipal Office Hours	Selectmen: Monday through Friday, 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm; Town Clerk/Tax Collector: Monday and Thursday, 8 am - 1 pm, Tuesday, 8 am - 1 pm and 5 pm - 7 pm
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: 1764

Origin: Franconia was first chartered in 1764, but settlers were unable to meet the prescribed terms, and in 1772 it was regranted along with a substantial portion of Lincoln as Morristown. There was considerable conflict of claim between the original grantees of Franconia and Lincoln and the Morristown grantees, and following a court decision that forfeiture of grant was illegal, ownership was returned to the original settlers. The western section of Franconia was at one time mined for copper and magnetic iron ore. Franconia Notch is well known for its natural features, including the Old Man of the Mountains, which fell on May 3, 2003, Profile and Echo Lakes, the Flume, and the Basin. Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway was the first passenger tramway built in North America.

Villages and Place Names: Mittersill, Franconia Notch

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 72 residents in 1790

Population Trends: Population change for Franconia totaled 377 over 50 years, from 549 in 1950 to 925 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was a 33 percent increase between 1960 and 1970, which followed an 11 percent population decrease over the previous decade. The 2007 Census estimate for Franconia was 1,040 residents, which ranked 184th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2007: 15.6 persons per square mile of land area. Franconia contains 65.7 square miles of land area and 0.1 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2007	$1,851,694
Budget: School Appropriations, 2007	$2,650,546
Zoning Ordinance	1970/93
Master Plan	2007
Capitol Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

Boards and Commissions
Elected:	Selectmen; Library; Water; Trust Funds
Appointed:	Planning; Conservation; Zoning; Recreation

Public Library

Abbie Greenleaf

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

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Littleton Regional, Littleton	9 miles	25

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	PSNH
Natural Gas Supplier	None
Water Supplier	Franconia Village Water; Mittersill Water

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

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

2007 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$13.82

2007 Equalization Ratio

100

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

$13.77

2007 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	88.3%
Commercial Land and Buildings	10.6%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	1.2%

2007 Total Housing Units

834

2007 Single-Family Units

661

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Multi-Family Units

129

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Manufactured Housing Units

Total Population

Community

County

2007

1,040

85,514

2000

926

81,826

1990

823

74,998

1980

743

65,806

1970

655

54,914

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	434	Female	490

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	32
Age 5 to 19	170
Age 20 to 34	92
Age 35 to 54	296
Age 55 to 64	145
Age 65 and over	189
Median Age	47.1 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	91.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	45.0%

Per capita income

$20,351

Median 4-person family income

$46,979

Median household income

$40,114

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$29,500
Female	$24,000

Families below the poverty level

7.8%

Annual Average

1997

2007

Civilian Labor Force

441

574

Employed

419

558

Unemployed

Unemployment Rate

5.0%

2.8%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1997

2007

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

$365

$558

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

536

616

Average Weekly Wage

$325

$630

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

615

662

Average Weekly Wage

$330

$625

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

195

Average Weekly Wage

$396

$425

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

645

857

Average Weekly Wage

$333

$580

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Grades K-6 are part of Lafayette Regional (Easton, Franconia, Sugar Hill); grades 7-12 are part of Profile (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
Grade Levels	K 1-6
Total Enrollment	116

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2008:

Total Facilities: 2

Total Capacity: 60

Nearest Community/Technical College: White Mountains

Nearest Colleges or Universities: Granite State College-Littleton

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Garnet Hill Catalog Sales	Clothing (natural fibers)	200
Cannon Mountain	Tourism
Franconia Notch State Park	Tourism

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes	3
	State Routes	18, 116, 117, 141, 142
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-93, Exits 34B, 34C, or 35 - 38
	Distance	Local access
Railroad	No
Public Transportation	No

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Franconia Airport
Runway		2,305 ft. turf
Lighted?	No	Navigational Aids?	No
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Lebanon Municipal		Distance	68 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			1

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	96 miles
Portland, ME	114 miles
Boston, MA	146 miles
New York City, NY	327 miles
Montreal, Quebec	175 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	79.4%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	8.9%
Public transportation	0.0%
Walked	5.2%
Other Means	2.2%
Worked at home	4.3%
Mean Travel Time to Work	16.9 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	40%
Commuting to another NH community	55%
Commuting out-of-state	5%

RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
X	Municipal Parks
	YMCA/YWCA
X	Boys Club/Girls Club
X	Golf Courses
	Swimming: Indoor Facility
	Swimming: Outdoor Facility
	Tennis Courts: Indoor Faclity
	Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility
X	Ice Skating Rink: Indoor Facility
	Bowling Facilities
X	Museums
	Cinemas
	Performing Arts Facilities
X	Tourists Attractions
	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
X	Beach or Waterfront Recreational Area
	Overnight or Day Camps

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

	Other: Franconia Notch State Park; Flume Gorge; Old Man of the Mountain Memorial; Cannon Mountain Tramway

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2008. Community Response Received 09/17/08

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