Gorham, New Hampshire

Gorham, NH
Community Contact	Town of Gorham William Jackson, Town Manager 20 Park Street Gorham, NH 03581
Telephone	(603) 466-3322
Fax	(603) 466-3100
E-mail	info@gorhamnh.org
Web Site	www.gorhamnh.org
Municipal Office Hours	Selectmen, Town Manager: Monday through Friday, 8 am - 5 pm; Town Clerk/Tax Collector: Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
County	Coos
Labor Market Area	Berlin NH Micro-NECTA
Tourism Region	White Mountains
Planning Commission	North Country Council
Regional Development	Coos Economic Development Corp.
Election Districts
US Congress	District 2
Executive Council	District 1
State Senate	District 1
State Representative	Coos County District 3

Incorporated: 1836

Origin: This territory was first granted in 1770 as part of Shelburne called Shelburne Addition. Shelburne settlers petitioned the Legislature in 1786 for an addition of land because they felt a large portion of their grant was useless due to the mountains and rocks. It was incorporated as a separate town in 1836 and renamed Gorham at the suggestion of Sylvester Davis, a resident from Gorham, Maine, and a relative of the Gorham family who founded that town in 1764. The Gorham family has long been part of New England history, first settling in Barnstable, Massachusetts, in 1643.

Villages and Place Names: Mount Washington, Upper Village, Cascade, Lead Mines

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 111 residents in 1830

Population Trends: Population change for Gorham totaled 263 over 50 years, from 2,639 in 1950 to 2,902 in 2000. Population growth in Gorham tied with Colebrook as the fourth smallest percent change among the cities and towns, increasing just ten percent over 50 years. The 2008 Census estimate for Gorham was 2,798 residents, which ranked 111th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2008: 87.7 persons per square mile of land area. Gorham contains 31.9 square miles of land area and 0.4 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2008	$5,203,702
Budget: School Appropriations,	not available
Zoning Ordinance	1988/07
Master Plan	2005
Capital Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

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

Public Library

Gorham Public

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department	Full-time
Fire Department	Full-time Chief & volunteer
Town Fire Insurance Rating	5/8B
Emergency Medical Service	Volunteer

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Androscoggin Valley, Berlin	9 miles	25

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	PSNH
Natural Gas Supplier	None
Water Supplier	Gorham Water Department

Sanitation	Gorham Sewer Department
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant	Yes
Solid Waste Disposal
Curbside Trash Pickup	Municipal
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	Yes

2008 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$21.66

2008 Equalization Ratio

100.0

2008 Full Value Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$23.21

2008 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	50.5%
Commercial Land and Buildings	31.9%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	17.6%

2008 Total Housing Units

1,546

2008 Single-Family Units

838

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2008 Multi-Family Units

433

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2008 Manufactured Housing Units

275

Total Population

Community

County

2008

2,798

31,971

2000

2,902

33,156

1990

3,204

34,879

1980

3,322

35,014

1970

2,998

34,189

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	1,427	Female	1,468

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	126
Age 5 to 19	559
Age 20 to 34	439
Age 35 to 54	946
Age 55 to 64	257
Age 65 and over	568
Median Age	42 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	79.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.4%

Per capita income

$16,649

Median 4-person family income

$41,008

Median household income

$32,250

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$34,659
Female	$20,278

Families below the poverty level

3.9%

Annual Average

1998

2008

Civilian Labor Force

1,640

1,585

Employed

1,593

1,515

Unemployed

Unemployment Rate

2.9%

4.4%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1998

2008

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

427

Average Weekly Wage

$532

$843

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

1,611

1,656

Average Weekly Wage

$360

$479

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

1,709

2,083

Average Weekly Wage

$370

$553

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

233

251

Average Weekly Wage

$515

$700

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

1,942

2,333

Average Weekly Wage

$387

$569

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Gorham operates grades K-12	District: SAU 20
Career Technology Center(s):	Berlin High School	Region: 02

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	203	115	178

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2009:

Total Facilities: 4

Total Capacity: 291

Nearest Community/Technical College: White Mountains

Nearest Colleges or Universities: Granite State College-Berlin

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Fraser Paper Co.	Paper making	275
Berlin City Dealerships	Car sales, service	207
Wal-Mart	Retail store	278	1998
Coos County Family Health Service	Medical center	30
Town of Gorham	Municipal services	59
Royalty Health Club/Inn/Restaurant	Health club, motel, restaurant	60
Gorham Sand & Gravel/Pike Industries	Aggregate	12
Steel Elements, Inc.	Steel Truss Fabrication	45

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes	2
	State Routes	16
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-93, Exit 35
	Distance	35 miles
Railroad	St. Lawrence & Atlantic
Public Transportation	Yes

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Gorham Airport
Runway		2,800 ft. turf
Lighted?	No	Navigational Aids?	No
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Portland (ME) International Jetport		Distance	92 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			6

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	120 miles
Portland, ME	91 miles
Boston, MA	165 miles
New York City, NY	375 miles
Montreal, Quebec	200 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	85.2%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	7.9%
Public transportation	0.0%
Walked	3.7%
Other Means	1.4%
Worked at home	1.9%
Mean Travel Time to Work	17.4 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	44%
Commuting to another NH community	51%
Commuting out-of-state	5%

RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
X	Municipal Parks
	YMCA/YWCA
	Boys Club/Girls Club
X	Golf Courses
X	Swimming: Indoor Facility
X	Swimming: Outdoor Facility
	Tennis Courts: Indoor Faclity
X	Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility
	Ice Skating Rink: Indoor Facility
	Bowling Facilities
X	Museums
	Cinemas
X	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
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): Wildcat

	Other: Moose Tours; Mount Washington Auto Road; Moose Brook State Park; Summer Concert Series; 4th of July Celebration; Hiking & Fitness Trails; Wildman Biathalon

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2009. Community Response Received 09/16/09

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