Lancaster, New Hampshire

Lancaster, NH
Community Contact	Town of Lancaster Edward Samson, Town Manager 25 Main Street Lancaster, NH 03584
Telephone	(603) 788-3391
Fax	(603) 788-2114
E-mail	info@lancasternh.org
Web Site	www.lancasternh.org
Municipal Office Hours	Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am - 5 pm, and Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
County	Coos
Labor Market Area	Littleton NH-VT LMA, NH Portion
Tourism Region	Great North Woods
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 2

Incorporated: 1763

Origin: Lancaster was first granted to Captain David Page and others in 1763, an early settlement on the northern portion of the Connecticut River. The town was subject to many Indian troubles, and a grant renewal was issued in 1769. The town was named for Lancaster, Massachusetts, hometown of Joseph Wilder, an early settler. Reverend Joshua Weeks, also a grantee, was among the group of explorers who named the mountains in the Presidential Range. Another resident was Benjamin Sawyer, who, with Timothy Nash, discovered the White Mountain Notch, making a shorter route to Portland possible.

Villages and Place Names: Coos Junction, Grange, Lost Nation, South Lancaster

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 161 residents in 1790

Population Trends: Population change for Lancaster totaled 172 over 50 years, from 3,113 in 1950 to 3,285 in 2000. Lancaster had the third-smallest 50 year percent change in population, with the largest decennial percent change a seven percent increase between 1970 and 1980. The 2008 Census estimate for Lancaster was 3,250 residents, which ranked 105th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2008: 64.7 persons per square mile of land area. Lancaster contains 50.2 square miles of land area and 1.0 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2009	$5,180,171
Budget: School Appropriations, 2008	$16,476,156
Zoning Ordinance	1908/05
Master Plan	2001
Capital Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

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

Public Library

NH State; Weeks Memorial

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department	Full-time
Fire Department	Full-time & volunteer
Town Fire Insurance Rating	6/9
Emergency Medical Service	Municipal

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Weeks Medical Center, Lancaster	Local	25

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

Sanitation	Municipal
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant	Yes
Solid Waste Disposal
Curbside Trash Pickup	Municipal & private
Pay-As-You-Throw Program	Yes
Recycling	Voluntary

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)

$19.51

2008 Equalization Ratio

100.0

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

$19.84

2008 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	70.8%
Commercial Land and Buildings	22.1%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	7.1%

2008 Total Housing Units

1,620

2008 Single-Family Units

1,075

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2008 Multi-Family Units

401

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2008 Manufactured Housing Units

144

Total Population

Community

County

2008

3,250

31,971

2000

3,285

33,156

1990

3,532

34,879

1980

3,401

35,014

1970

3,166

34,189

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	1,544	Female	1,736

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	206
Age 5 to 19	703
Age 20 to 34	515
Age 35 to 54	973
Age 55 to 64	323
Age 65 and over	560
Median Age	39.8 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	86.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.4%

Per capita income

$19,905

Median 4-person family income

$43,333

Median household income

$40,305

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$36,923
Female	$21,458

Families below the poverty level

6.8%

Annual Average

1998

2008

Civilian Labor Force

1,600

1,696

Employed

1,533

1,619

Unemployed

Unemployment Rate

4.2%

4.5%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1998

2008

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

248

286

Average Weekly Wage

$459

$641

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

1,180

1,331

Average Weekly Wage

$438

$653

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

1,428

1,617

Average Weekly Wage

$441

$651

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

197

232

Average Weekly Wage

$426

$633

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

1,625

1,848

Average Weekly Wage

$439

$648

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Grades K-12 are part of White Mountains Regional (Carroll, Dalton, Jefferson, Lancaster, Whitefield)	District: SAU 36
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			1
Grade Levels	P K 1-8			UG
Total Enrollment	460			9

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2009:

Total Facilities: 3

Total Capacity: 98

Nearest Community/Technical College: White Mountains

Nearest Colleges or Universities: Granite State College-Littleton or Berlin

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Weeks Memorial Hospital	Health care services	320
Country Village Health Care	Health care services	112
Lancaster School	Education	70
Pak 2000	Four color shopping bags	53	1987
Shaw's Supermarket	Supermarket	48
Town of Lancaster	Municipal services	40
Timberland	Machinery	30
PJ Noyes Company, Inc.	Pharmaceutical	30	1868
PSNH	Utility	25
Salmon Press, LLC	Newspaper	21

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes	2, 3
	State Routes
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-93, Exit 41
	Distance	20 miles
Railroad	Boston & Maine
Public Transportation	Yes

Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Mt Washington Reg, Whitefield
Runway		4,001 ft. asphalt
Lighted?	Yes	Navigational Aids?	Yes
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Lebanon Municipal		Distance	82 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			1

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	119 miles
Portland, ME	116 miles
Boston, MA	169 miles
New York City, NY	350 miles
Montreal, Quebec	164 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	79.1%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	8.6%
Public transportation	0.0%
Walked	2.0%
Other Means	1.6%
Worked at home	8.6%
Mean Travel Time to Work	22.8 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	47%
Commuting to another NH community	47%
Commuting out-of-state	5%

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

	Other: Lancaster Fair; Weeks Historic Site; Farmers Market

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2009. Community Response Received 09/17/09

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