Laconia, New Hampshire

Laconia, NH
Community Contact	City of Laconia Eileen Cabanel, City Manager 45 Beacon Street East Laconia, NH 03246
Telephone	(603) 527-1270
Fax	(603) 527-1292
E-mail	citymanager@city.laconia.nh.us
Web Site	www.cityoflaconianh.org
Municipal Office Hours	Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
County	Belknap
Labor Market Area	Laconia NH Micro-NECTA
Tourism Region	Lakes
Planning Commission	Lakes Region
Regional Development	Belknap County Economic Development Council
Election Districts
US Congress	District 1 (All Wards)
Executive Council	District 1 (All Wards)
State Senate	District 4 (All Wards)
State Representative	Belknap County District 4 (All Wards)

Incorporated: 1855

Origin: The name Laconia was first used in documents granting the land between the Merrimack and Sagadahock Rivers to Captain John Mason and Sir Ferdinando Gorges. Some documents call the grant the Province of Maine, others call it the Province of Laconia, named after a region of Greece. In the 1620s explorers had hoped to follow the Piscataqua River north to Lake Champlain, in search of the great lakes and rivers of Canada told of in Indian lore. These explorers were known as the Laconia Adventurers. The town was originally a portion of Meredith and Gilford named Meredith Bridge, and was incorporated as Laconia in 1855. Incorporated as a city in 1893, Laconia includes Weirs Beach, which bears the name of primitive fishing devices discovered at the outlet of Lake Winnipesaukee.

Villages and Place Names: Lakeport, Weirs Beach

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 1,806 residents in 1860

Population Trends: Population change for Laconia totaled 1,706 over 50 years, from 14,745 in 1950 to 16,451 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was five percent between 1970 and 1980, and the city's population increased just 12 percent over five decades. The 2007 Census estimate for Laconia was 16,950 residents, which ranked 15th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2007: 852.6 persons per square mile of land area. Laconia contains 20.1 square miles of land area and 6.0 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Manager & Council
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2007-2008	$54,293,000
Budget: School Appropriations,	included with Municipal appropriations
Zoning Ordinance	1948/05
Master Plan	2007
Capitol Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	City Planner

Boards and Commissions
Elected:	City Council; Police
Appointed:	Planning; Zoning; Library; Conservation; Assessors; Building Code; Housing; Parks & Recreation; Putnam Fund; Trust Funds; Water; Personnel

Public Library

Laconia Public

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department	Full-time
Fire Department	Full-time
Town Fire Insurance Rating	3/9
Emergency Medical Service	Municipal

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Lakes Region General, Laconia	Local	137

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	PSNH; NH Electric Coop
Natural Gas Supplier	KeySpan
Water Supplier	Laconia Water Works

Sanitation	Municipal
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant	Yes
Solid Waste Disposal
Curbside Trash Pickup	Municipal
Pay-As-You-Throw Program	No
Recycling	Voluntary

Telephone Company	Fairpoint
Cellular Telephone Access	Yes
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)

$16.20

2007 Equalization Ratio

95.2

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

$15.26

2007 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	83.7%
Commercial Land and Buildings	15.2%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	1.1%

2007 Total Housing Units

9,398

2007 Single-Family Units

4,851

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Multi-Family Units

4,282

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Manufactured Housing Units

265

Total Population

Community

County

2007

16,950

61,048

2000

16,451

56,576

1990

15,831

49,294

1980

15,575

42,884

1970

14,888

32,367

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	7,969	Female	8,442

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	869
Age 5 to 19	3,186
Age 20 to 34	3,203
Age 35 to 54	4,746
Age 55 to 64	1,579
Age 65 and over	2,828
Median Age	38.8 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	81.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.6%

Per capita income

$19,540

Median 4-person family income

$45,307

Median household income

$37,796

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$31,714
Female	$22,818

Families below the poverty level

7.5%

Annual Average

1997

2007

Civilian Labor Force

8,867

8,434

Employed

8,600

8,089

Unemployed

267

345

Unemployment Rate

3.0%

4.1%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1997

2007

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

3,274

2,334

Average Weekly Wage

$580

$865

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

6,717

6,507

Average Weekly Wage

$434

$660

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

9,991

8,841

Average Weekly Wage

$482

$714

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

1,355

1,526

Average Weekly Wage

$549

$781

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

11,346

10,367

Average Weekly Wage

$490

$724

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Laconia operates grades K-12	District: SAU 30
Career Technology Center(s):	J. Oliva Huot Technical Center, Laconia; Winnisquam Regional High School, Tilton	Region: 08

Educational Facilities	Elementary	Middle/Junior High	High School	Private/Parochial
Number of Schools	3	1	1	3
Grade Levels	P K 1-5	6-8	9-12	K 1-12
Total Enrollment	1,006	445	818	232

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2008:

Total Facilities: 20

Total Capacity: 988

Nearest Community/Technical College: Lakes Region

Nearest Colleges or Universities: Plymouth State University

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Aavid Engineering Corp.	Semiconductor heat sinks	620	1966
NH Ball Bearings, Inc.	Spherical bearings	478	1968
Lewis & Sanders, Inc.	Metal tubular assemblies	130	1956
Wilcom Products, Inc	Telecommunications test equipment	85
Baron Machine Co., Inc.	Machine parts, heat treating	70	1957
Freudenberg-NOK	Elastomeric seals and custom molded products		1999
Lakes Region General Hospital	Medical care services

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes	3
	State Routes	106, 107, 11, 11A, 11B
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-93, Exit 20
	Distance	8 miles
Railroad	State owned line
Public Transportation	Yes

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Laconia Municipal
Runway		5,286 ft. asphalt
Lighted?	Yes	Navigational Aids?	Yes
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Manchester-Boston Regional		Distance	50 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			8

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	45 miles
Portland, ME	89 miles
Boston, MA	95 miles
New York City, NY	298 miles
Montreal, Quebec	235 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	78.9%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	12.1%
Public transportation	0.8%
Walked	3.7%
Other Means	1.6%
Worked at home	3.0%
Mean Travel Time to Work	21.3 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	52%
Commuting to another NH community	45%
Commuting out-of-state	2%

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

	Nearest Ski Area(s): Gunstock

	Other: Mount Washington Cruises; Weirs Beach; Scenic Railroad; Prescott Farm Audubon Center

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2008. Community Response Received 08/06/08

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