Editing Atkinson, New Hampshire

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Atkinson, New Hampshire
| nickname           = 
| motto              = 
| image_skyline      = Main Street, Atkinson NH.jpg
| image_seal         = Seal of Atkinson, New Hampshire.png
| imagesize          = 250px
| image_caption      = Main Street
| image_flag         = 
| image_map          = Rockingham County New Hampshire incorporated and unincorporated areas Atkinson highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 260px
| map_caption        = Location in [[Rockingham County, New Hampshire|Rockingham County]] and the state of [[New Hampshire]].
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[New Hampshire]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in New Hampshire|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Rockingham County, New Hampshire|Rockingham]]
| parts_type         = Villages
| parts              = 
| government_type    = SB2
| leader_title       = [[Board of selectmen|Board of Selectmen]]
| leader_name        = {{ubl|David Paquette, Chair|William Baldwin|Robert Worden|Wendy Barker|Gregory Spero}}
| leader_title1      = Town Administrator
| leader_name1       = John Apple
| established_title  = [[Incorporation (municipal government)|Incorporated]]
| established_date   = 1767<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/products/cp/profiles-htm/atkinson.htm| title=Community Profiles: Atkinson, NH| publisher=NH Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau| access-date=February 2, 2023}}</ref>
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021">{{cite web |title=2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files – New Hampshire |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2021_Gazetteer/2021_gaz_cousubs_33.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 29.4
| area_total_sq_mi   = 
| area_land_km2      = 28.9
| area_land_sq_mi    = 
| area_water_km2     = 0.5
| area_water_sq_mi   = 
| area_water_percent = 1.61
| population_as_of   = 2020
| population_footnotes = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=0600000US3301502340&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=Atkinson town, Rockingham County, New Hampshire: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=December 17, 2021}}</ref>
| population_total   = 7087
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_est     = 
| population_density_km2 = 245.3
| population_density_sq_mi = 
| timezone           = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Daylight Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| coordinates        = {{coord|42|50|18|N|71|08|49|W|region:US-NH|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_ft       = 302
| website            = {{URL|www.town-atkinsonnh.com}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 03811
| area_code          = [[Area code 603|603]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 33-02340
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0873535
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Atkinson''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Rockingham County, New Hampshire]], United States. The population was 7,087 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020"/> It is located 34 miles north of [[Boston]], and part of the [[Greater Boston]] region. 

== History ==

Atkinson's history dates back to the [[American Revolution]]. The community was incorporated September 3,<ref name="Atk1875">Article in [http://gedcomindex.com/Reference/New_Hampshire_1875/057.html ''Statistics and Gazetteer of New-Hampshire'' (1875)]</ref><ref name="HaywardsAtkinson">Article in [http://gedcomindex.com/Reference/Haywards/frame034.html Hayward's New England Gazetteer (1839)]</ref> 1767,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.town-atkinsonnh.com/ |title= Town of Atkinson New Hampshire |publisher= Town of Atkinson New Hampshire |access-date= November 10, 2012}}</ref> and was named after Colonel Theodore Atkinson,<ref name="Atk1875" /> a local landowner.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=18807|title= Profile for Atkinson, New Hampshire, NH|publisher= ePodunk |access-date= November 10, 2012}}</ref>

[[Atkinson Academy]], the second-oldest co-educational school in the country,<ref name=Montalto>{{cite news |author=Montalto, Jim |title=School to many of Atkinson's own |work=[[The Eagle-Tribune]] |url=http://plus.eagletribune.com/cgi-bin/etwwl06.pl?free++++atkinson.ss-wwl |date=July 28, 2006 |access-date=December 21, 2009}}</ref> was founded as a boys' school in 1787 by Reverend Stephen Peabody, General [[Nathaniel Peabody]] and Doctor William Cogswell; it began admitting girls in 1791. The school building burned to the ground in 1802, and was rebuilt in 1803 at a cost of $2,500. That building remains a part of the academy, which has since been expanded, with only four classrooms.

The Kimball House Museum occupies a structure that was built in 1772 by the Reverend Stephen Peabody. In April 1907, Rev. Joseph A. Kimball, a summer resident, purchased the building from the Maddocks family in order to create a library for the town.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atkinsonhistoricalsociety.org/atkinson_nh_historical_society_museum.html |title=Kimball House Museum/Library History |publisher=Atkinson NH Historical Society |access-date=November 10, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812182428/http://atkinsonhistoricalsociety.org/atkinson_nh_historical_society_museum.html |archive-date=August 12, 2013 }}</ref>

Atkinson's history can be read about in the book ''Atkinson Then and Now'', which can be purchased at the Atkinson Public Library on Academy Avenue.

Atkinson celebrated its 250th anniversary on Labor Day weekend 2017.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.atkinsonnh250th.com/| title=Celebrate Atkinson| publisher=atkinsonnh250th.com| access-date=August 30, 2017}}</ref>

== Geography ==
Atkinson is in southeastern [[New Hampshire]], in the southwestern part of Rockingham County. It is bordered to the south by the city of [[Haverhill, Massachusetts|Haverhill]] in [[Essex County, Massachusetts]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|29.4|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|28.9|km2|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|0.5|km2|order=flip|1}} are water, comprising 1.61% of the town.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021"/> The highest point in Atkinson is Hog Hill, north of the town center, at {{convert|430|ft|m}} above [[sea level]]. Atkinson is drained to the west by tributaries of the [[Spicket River]] and to the east by tributaries of the [[Little River (Merrimack River tributary)|Little River]], both southward-flowing tributaries of the [[Merrimack River]].<ref name=watershed>{{cite book |title=Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers |url=http://nh.water.usgs.gov/Publications/nh.intro.html |last=Foster |first=Debra H. |author2=Batorfalvy, Tatianna N.|author3= Medalie, Laura |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey |year=1995}}</ref>

In 2011 the New Hampshire Scenic and Cultural Byways program named {{convert|3.74|mi}} of Main Street the "Stage Coach Byway".<ref>{{cite news |author=Hogan, Cara|url= http://www.eagletribune.com/latestnews/x50800870/Atkinsons-Main-Street-earns-special-designation|title= Atkinson's Main Street earns special designation|newspaper= Eagle Tribune |date= August 3, 2011|access-date=April 24, 2013}}</ref>

===Adjacent municipalities===
* [[Hampstead, New Hampshire|Hampstead]] (north)
* [[Plaistow, New Hampshire|Plaistow]] (east)
* [[Haverhill, Massachusetts]] (south)
* [[Salem, New Hampshire|Salem]] (west)
* [[Derry, New Hampshire|Derry]] (northwest)

== Demographics ==
{{US Census population
|1790= 479
|1800= 474
|1810= 556
|1820= 563
|1830= 555
|1840= 567
|1850= 600
|1860= 546
|1870= 488
|1880= 502
|1890= 483
|1900= 442
|1910= 440
|1920= 413
|1930= 407
|1940= 434
|1950= 492
|1960= 1017
|1970= 2291
|1980= 4397
|1990= 5188
|2000= 6178
|2010= 6751
|2020= 7087
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="Census 2020"/><ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Census.gov |access-date=June 4, 2016 }}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 6,178 people, 2,317 households, and 1,777 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|555.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 2,431 housing units at an average density of {{convert|218.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 97.62% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.26% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.06% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.18% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.21% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.66% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.70% of the population.

There were 2,317 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $69,729, and the median income for a family was $77,631. Males had a median income of $53,229 versus $34,760 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $30,412.  About 2.3% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

== Transportation ==
Two [[List of state routes in New Hampshire|New Hampshire state route]]s cross Atkinson.

*[[New Hampshire Route 111|NH 111]] crosses the extreme northern part of the town, passing just to the south of [[Island Pond (Rockingham County, New Hampshire)|Island Pond]]. It connects with [[Windham, New Hampshire|Windham]] to the southwest and [[Hampstead, New Hampshire|Hampstead]] to the east.  
*[[New Hampshire Route 121|NH 121]] is Atkinson's Main Street, crossing the center of town from north to southeast. It connects Hampstead in the north to [[Plaistow, New Hampshire|Plaistow]] in the south, before ending in the northern part of [[Haverhill, Massachusetts]].

The nearest airport is [[Manchester–Boston Regional Airport]] along the border of Londonderry and Manchester. The nearest rail service is the [[Haverhill Line]] of the [[MBTA Commuter Rail]] at [[Haverhill station (Massachusetts)|Haverhill station]] in Massachusetts, which also serves as the [[Amtrak]] station.

==Education==
Atkinson Public Schools are part of the [[Timberlane Regional School District]]. The district serves the communities of Atkinson, [[Danville, New Hampshire|Danville]], [[Plaistow, New Hampshire|Plaistow]] and [[Sandown, New Hampshire|Sandown]]. The district has five elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. Students in Atkinson attend [[Atkinson Academy]] (claimed to be the oldest co-educational school still standing in the United States), [[Timberlane Regional Middle School]], and [[Timberlane Regional High School]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.timberlane.net/|title= Timberlane Regional School District |publisher= Timberlane Regional School District |access-date= November 10, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/new-hampshire/district/timberlane-regional-school-district/ |title= Timberlane Regional School District |publisher= education.com |access-date= November 10, 2012}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
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* [[Brad Delp]] (1951–2007), lead singer of [[Boston (band)|Boston]] and [[RTZ (band)|RTZ]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/10/arts/music/10cnd-delp.html|title=Brad Delp, 55, Lead Singer for Boston, Dies|last=Pareles|first=Jon|date=March 10, 2007|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=March 30, 2016}}</ref>
* [[Karoline Leavitt]] (born 1997), [[White House Press Secretary]]
* [[John Noyes (politician)|John Noyes]] (1764–1841), member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] from [[Vermont]]
* [[Elizabeth Barrows Ussher]] (1873–1915), Christian missionary and [[Witnesses and testimonies of the Armenian Genocide|witness of the Armenian Genocide]]

== References ==
{{portal|New Hampshire}}
{{reflist|2}}
<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Atkinson, New Hampshire}} <!-- for current and future use if material is uploaded -->
* {{Official website|www.town-atkinsonnh.com}}
* [https://www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/products/cp/profiles-htm/atkinson.htm New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile]
* [https://www.timberlane.net/ Timberlane Regional School District]

{{Geographic location
 | Centre    = Atkinson
 | North     = [[Hampstead, New Hampshire|Hampstead]]
 | Northeast = [[Plaistow, New Hampshire|Plaistow]]
 | East      = [[Plaistow, New Hampshire|Plaistow]]
 | Southeast = [[Haverhill, Massachusetts]]
 | South     = [[Haverhill, Massachusetts]]
 | Southwest = [[Salem, New Hampshire|Salem]]
 | West      = [[Salem, New Hampshire|Salem]]
 | Northwest = [[Derry, New Hampshire|Derry]]
}}

{{Rockingham County, New Hampshire}}
{{Merrimack River}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Atkinson, New Hampshire| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Rockingham County, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Towns in New Hampshire]]