Swanzey, New Hampshire

Swanzey, NH
Community Contact	Town of Swanzey Elizabeth Fox, Town Administrator Town Hall, PO Box 10009 Swanzey, NH 03446-0009
Telephone	(603) 352-7411
Fax	(603) 352-6250
E-mail	efox@town.swanzey.nh.us
Web Site	www.town.swanzey.nh.us
Municipal Office Hours	Monday through Friday, 9 am - 5 pm
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 5
State Senate	District 10
State Representative	Cheshire County District 6

Incorporated: 1753

Origin: This town was one of the fort towns established by Governor Belcher of Massachusetts, and was first granted in 1734 as Lower Ashuelot to Captain Nathaniel Hammond and Ephraim Jones. In 1753, residents petitioned Governor Benning Wentworth for a grant under authority of the New Hampshire government, since they had settled and been making improvements for over 18 years. The town was chartered that year as Swanzey, the name being suggested by Governor Brenton of Rhode Island, who owned land at Brenton's Farm (Litchfield), and Swansea, Massachusetts. There are four covered bridges located in Swanzey: Carleton, Thompson, Slate, and Cresson.

Villages and Place Names: East Swanzey, West Swanzey, Westport, North Swanzey, Swanzey Center

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 1,157 residents in 1790

Population Trends: Population change for Swanzey totaled 4,008 over 50 years, from 2,806 in 1950 to 6,814 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was an increase of 29 percent between 1950 and 1960; the smallest, a 13 percent increase between 1980 and 1990. The 2007 Census estimate for Swanzey was 7,285 residents, which ranked 43rd among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2007: 159.8 persons per square mile of land area. Swanzey contains 44.9 square miles of land area and 0.4 square miles of inland water area.

Type of Government	Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2008	$5,585,387
Budget: School Appropriations, 2008	$6,497,008
Zoning Ordinance	1947/06
Master Plan	2006
Capitol Improvement Plan	Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By	Planning Board

Boards and Commissions
Elected:	Selectmen; Planning; Zoning
Appointed:	Conservation; Swanzey Revenue; Economic Dev; Open Space

Public Library

Mt. Caesar Union; Stratton Free

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department	Full-time
Fire Department	Full-time Chief & volunteer
Town Fire Insurance Rating	5/9
Emergency Medical Service	Municipal

Nearest Hospital(s)	Distance	Staffed Beds
Cheshire Medical Center, Keene	6 miles	169

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier	PSNH
Natural Gas Supplier	None
Water Supplier	North Swanzey Fire Precinct; West Swanzey Water Co.

Sanitation	Private septic & municipal
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant	Yes
Solid Waste Disposal
Curbside Trash Pickup	Private
Pay-As-You-Throw Program	No
Recycling	Mandatory

Telephone Company	Fairpoint
Cellular Telephone Access	Yes
Cable Television Access	Yes
Public Access Television Station	Yes
High Speed Internet Service:
Business	Limited
Residential	Limited

2007 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value)

$22.39

2007 Equalization Ratio

78.1

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

$17.32

2007 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings	84.4%
Commercial Land and Buildings	14.5%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other	1.1%

2007 Total Housing Units

3,140

2007 Single-Family Units

2,138

Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Multi-Family Units

732

Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units

2007 Manufactured Housing Units

270

Total Population

Community

County

2007

7,285

77,725

2000

6,814

73,993

1990

5,864

70,223

1980

5,183

62,116

1970

4,254

52,364

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male	3,354	Female	3,446

Population by Age Group
Under age 5	401
Age 5 to 19	1,467
Age 20 to 34	1,132
Age 35 to 54	2,283
Age 55 to 64	636
Age 65 and over	881
Median Age	38.4 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher	83.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.6%

Per capita income

$20,150

Median 4-person family income

$51,500

Median household income

$44,819

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male	$32,421
Female	$25,607

Families below the poverty level

3.0%

Annual Average

1997

2007

Civilian Labor Force

3,498

4,044

Employed

3,385

3,899

Unemployed

113

145

Unemployment Rate

3.2%

3.6%

Annual Average Covered Employment

1997

2007

Goods Producing Industries

Average Employment

305

367

Average Weekly Wage

$458

$703

Service Providing Industries

Average Employment

619

1,014

Average Weekly Wage

$433

$581

Total Private Industry

Average Employment

923

1,382

Average Weekly Wage

$441

$613

Government (Federal, State, and Local)

Average Employment

572

734

Average Weekly Wage

$483

$634

Total, Private plus Government

Average Employment

1,496

2,116

Average Weekly Wage

$457

$620

n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

Schools students attend:	Grades K-12 are part of Monadnock Regional (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	2	1	1
Grade Levels	P K 1-6	7-8	9-12
Total Enrollment	654	333	752

NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2008:

Total Facilities: 5

Total Capacity: 110

Nearest Community/Technical College: River Valley

Nearest Colleges or Universities: Keene State; Franklin Pierce University; Antioch New England

LARGEST BUSINESSES	PRODUCT/SERVICE	EMPLOYEES	ESTABLISHED
Monadnock Regional School District	Education	425 FT/338 PT	1962
William F Fenton Inc	Automobile dealership	90 FT/25 PT	1985
Laidlaw Transit	Bus transportation	100	2000
State of New Hampshire	Transportation and liquor store	92
Town of Swanzey	Municipal services	39 FT/35 PT	1753
Port-o-Lite	Millwork	40	1952
Tree Free Greetings	Graphic arts, greeting cards	20 FT/3 PT

TRANSPORTATION (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access	US Routes
	State Routes	10, 12, 32
Nearest Interstate, Exit		I-91 (VT), Exit 3
	Distance	20 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
Manchester-Boston Regional		Distance	60 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport			8

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH	58 miles
Portland, ME	155 miles
Boston, MA	83 miles
New York City, NY	224 miles
Montreal, Quebec	247 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK	(US Census)
Workers 16 years and over
Drove alone, car/truck/van	81.3%
Carpooled, car/truck/van	12.0%
Public transportation	0.0%
Walked	3.0%
Other Means	0.2%
Worked at home	3.5%
Mean Travel Time to Work	22.2 minutes

Percent of Working Residents:
Working in community of residence	19%
Commuting to another NH community	74%
Commuting out-of-state	7%

RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
X	Municipal Parks
	YMCA/YWCA
	Boys Club/Girls Club
X	Golf Courses
	Swimming: Indoor Facility
	Swimming: Outdoor Facility
	Tennis Courts: Indoor Faclity
X	Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility
X	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
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
	Cross Country Skiing
X	Beach or Waterfront Recreational Area
	Overnight or Day Camps

	Nearest Ski Area(s): Mount Ascutney (VT)

	Other: Cheshire Fair; Covered Bridges

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2008. Community Response Received 10/24/08

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