Gilsum, New Hampshire

Gilsum, NH
Community Contact	Town of Gilsum Robin L. Cantara, Town Clerk/Tax Collector 650 Route 10, PO Box 67 Gilsum, NH 03448
Telephone	(603) 357-0320
Fax	(603) 352-0845
E-mail	not available
Web Site	www.keenenh.com/gilsum
Municipal Office Hours	Town Clerk: Tuesday, 6 pm - 8 pm, and Wednesday, 8 am - 12 noon; Tax Collector: Thursday, 8 am - 12 noon
County	Cheshire
Labor Market Area	Keene NH Micro-NECTA
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 8
State Representative	Cheshire County District 1

Incorporated: 1763

Origin: First granted by the New Hampshire proprietors in 1752, the town was given the name Boyle, after Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington and a distinguished architect. No claims were settled within the prescribed time because of danger from Indian attacks. A new charter was issued in 1763 to Benjamin Sumner, who surveyed the area and established a settlement along with several relatives from Connecticut. One of those settlers was Captain Samuel Gilbert, who became the first moderator. The name Gilsum was adopted in their honor. Gilsum's Lower Village is the site of the much-photographed Stone Arch over the Ashuelot River.

Villages and Place Names: Lower Village, Roundys Corner

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 298 residents in 1790

Population Trends: Population change for Gilsum totaled 201 over 50 years, from 578 in 1950 to 779 in 2000. The largest decennial percent increase was a 17 percent increase between 1990 and 2000, accounting for over half of the total 50-year numeric increase. The 2007 Census estimate for Gilsum was 808 residents, which ranked 198th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2007: 48.4 persons per square mile of land area. Gilsum contains 16.7 square miles of land area and 0.02 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2008	$531,178
Budget: School Appropriations,	not available
Zoning Ordinance	1956/06
Master Plan	2001
Capitol Improvement Plan	No
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

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

Public Library

Gilsum Public

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department	Cheshire County Sheriff & part-time
Fire Department	Volunteer
Town Fire Insurance Rating	9/10
Emergency Medical Service	Volunteer

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Cheshire Medical Center, Keene	8 miles	169

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	PSNH
Natural Gas Supplier	None
Water Supplier	Private wells

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	Yes
Public Access Television Station	No
High Speed Internet Service:
Business	Limited
Residential	Limited

2007 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$21.79

2007 Equalization Ratio

80.9

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

$17.67

2007 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	91.3%
Commercial Land and Buildings	4.6%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	4.2%

2007 Total Housing Units

366

2007 Single-Family Units

316

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

808

77,725

2000

779

73,993

1990

667

70,223

1980

652

62,116

1970

570

52,364

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	385	Female	392

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	35
Age 5 to 19	153
Age 20 to 34	118
Age 35 to 54	302
Age 55 to 64	85
Age 65 and over	84
Median Age	41 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	82.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.8%

Per capita income

$20,956

Median 4-person family income

$50,469

Median household income

$43,359

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$35,150
Female	$24,205

Families below the poverty level

1.9%

Annual Average

1997

2007

Civilian Labor Force

405

431

Employed

387

419

Unemployed

Unemployment Rate

4.4%

2.8%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1997

2007

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

$420

$581

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

$377

$544

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

103

Average Weekly Wage

$402

$567

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

Average Weekly Wage

$465

$692

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

114

132

Average Weekly Wage

$415

$595

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Grades K-12 are part of Monadnock Regional Cooperative (Fitzwilliam, Gilsum, Richmond, Roxbury, Sullivan, Surry, Swanzey, Troy)	District: SAU 38
Career Technology Center(s):	Cheshire Center of Applied Science, Keene; Fall Mountain High School, Langdon	Region: 13

Educational Facilities	Elementary	Middle/Junior High	High School	Private/Parochial
Number of Schools	1	1
Grade Levels	K	4-6
Total Enrollment	14	45

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2008:

Total Facilities: 1

Total Capacity: 15

Nearest Community/Technical College: River Valley

Nearest Colleges or Universities: Keene State; Antioch New England; New England

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
W.S. Badger Co., Inc.	Hand lotion, balm	15+	1996
RJ Sports	Fabricated textile products	10+	1985

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes
	State Routes	10
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-91 (VT), Exit 3 or 5
	Distance	25 miles
Railroad	No
Public Transportation	No

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Dillant-Hopkins, Keene
Runway		6,201 ft. asphalt
Lighted?	Yes	Navigational Aids?	Yes
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Lebanon Municipal		Distance	54 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			1

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	64 miles
Portland, ME	153 miles
Boston, MA	102 miles
New York City, NY	229 miles
Montreal, Quebec	235 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	83.2%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	11.5%
Public transportation	0.0%
Walked	2.6%
Other Means	1.0%
Worked at home	1.8%
Mean Travel Time to Work	26 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	14%
Commuting to another NH community	79%
Commuting out-of-state	8%

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
	Tourists Attractions
	Youth Organizations (i.e., Scouts, 4-H)
X	Youth Sports: Baseball
	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
	Beach or Waterfront Recreational Area
	Overnight or Day Camps

	Nearest Ski Area(s): Stratton

	Other: Gilsum Rock Swap; Old Home Day; Natural Bear Dens

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2008. Community Response Received 08/07/08

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