Editing Bradford, New Hampshire

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Bradford, New Hampshire
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = BradfordNH TownHall.jpg
|image_seal               = Bradford Town Seal.png
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Bradford Town Hall
|image_flag               = 
|image_map                = Merrimack County New Hampshire incorporated and unincorporated areas Bradford highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 300px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Merrimack County, New Hampshire|Merrimack County]] and the state of [[New Hampshire]].
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|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        = [[Merrimack County, New Hampshire|Merrimack]]
| parts_type              = Villages
| parts                   = {{ubl|[[Bradford (CDP), New Hampshire|Bradford]]|Bradford&nbsp;Center}}
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Select Board]]
|leader_name              = {{ubl|Beth Downs, Chair|Marlene Freyler|Charles F. Meany III}}
|leader_title1            = Town Administrator
|leader_name1             = Karen Hambleton
|established_title        = [[Incorporation (municipal government)|Incorporated]]
|established_date         = 1787
|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 13, 2021}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 93.1
|area_total_sq_mi         = 
|area_land_km2            = 91.3
|area_land_sq_mi          = 
|area_water_km2           = 1.8
|area_water_sq_mi         = 
|area_water_percent       = 1.92
|population_as_of         = 2020
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=0600000US3301306980&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=Bradford town, Merrimack County, New Hampshire: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=December 13, 2021}}</ref>
|population_total         = 1662
|population_density_km2   = 18.2
|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|43|16|12|N|71|57|36|W|region:US-NH|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_m              = 
|elevation_ft             = 686
|website                  = {{URL|www.bradfordnh.org}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 03221
|area_code                = [[Area code 603|603]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 33-06980
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0873549
|footnotes                = 
}}
'''Bradford''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Merrimack County, New Hampshire|Merrimack County]], [[New Hampshire]], United States. The population was 1,662 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2020"/> The main village of the town, where 372 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the [[Bradford (CDP), New Hampshire|Bradford census-designated place]] (CDP), and is located in the northeast part of the town, west of the junction of New Hampshire routes [[New Hampshire Route 103|103]] and [[New Hampshire Route 114|114]]. The town also includes the village of Bradford Center.

==History==

[[Image:Depot Square, Bradford, NH.jpg|thumb|left|Depot Square in 1913]]
Granted by Governor [[Benning Wentworth]] in 1765 <ref>[http://newenglandtowns.org/new-hampshire/bradford Hayward's ''New England Gazetteer of 1839'']</ref> to John Pierce and George Jaffrey of [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire|Portsmouth]], it was settled in 1771 by Deacon William Presbury and family.<ref>[[Nathaniel Bouton]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=be87AAAAIAAJ&dq=John%20Pierce%20George%20Jaffrey%20William%20Presbury%20Bradford&pg=PA825 ''Documents and Records Relating to Towns in New Hampshire;'' Concord, New Hampshire 1875]</ref> Three years later other settlers arrived, several of them from [[Bradford, Massachusetts]], after which the town was named "New Bradford". Later, it was called "Bradfordton", but upon incorporation by the [[New Hampshire General Court|General Court]] on September 27, 1787, it was officially named Bradford.<ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=OcoMAAAAYAAJ&dq=coolidge%20mansfield%20history%20description%20new%20england%201859&pg=PA427 Austin J. Coolidge & John B. Mansfield, ''A History and Description of New England;'' Boston, Massachusetts 1859]</ref>

Parts of the town are hilly, but the largest portion is in a valley with varied soil. Streams provided [[water power]] for [[watermill]]s. By 1859, when Bradford's population reached 1,341, industries included one [[woolen]] mill, one [[window sash|sash]], [[window shutter|blind]] and [[door]] factory, one [[wheelwright]] shop, two [[sawmill]]s, one [[gristmill]], one [[Tanning (leather)|tannery]], and one [[clothing]] mill.<ref name="books.google.com" /> In 1850, the [[Concord & Claremont Railroad]] opened from [[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]] to Bradford, which would remain its [[terminal train station|terminus]] until the line was extended to [[Claremont, New Hampshire|Claremont]] in 1871–1872.<ref>[http://www.nashuacitystation.org/?railroad=claremont Nashua City Station Railroad History -- ''The Concord & Claremont Railroad'']</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|93.1|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|91.3|km2|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|1.8|sqkm|order=flip}} are water, comprising 1.92% of the town.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021"/> The village of Bradford is located near the northern border of the town, at the intersection of routes [[New Hampshire Route 103|103]] and [[New Hampshire Route 114|114]], just north of the [[Warner River]] and adjacent to the outlet of Todd Lake. The largest water body in the town is [[Lake Massasecum]], near the town's eastern border. The Warner River and its tributaries drain the northern and central parts of town, while the southern part is drained by tributaries of the [[Contoocook River]]. Bradford lies fully within the [[Merrimack River]] [[Drainage basin|watershed]].<ref name="watershed">{{Cite book |last1=Foster |first1=Debra H. |url=http://nh.water.usgs.gov/Publications/nh.intro.html |title=Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers |last2=Batorfalvy, Tatianna N. |last3=Medalie, Laura |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey |year=1995}}</ref>

The highest point in Bradford is an unnamed {{convert|2096|ft|m|adj=on}} summit overlooking Ayers Pond on the town's western border. Knights Hill ({{convert|1910|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and Rowes Hill ({{convert|1950|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=or}}) constitute a large, hilly mass occupying the southern portion of town.

==Demographics==

{{US Census population
|1790= 217
|1800= 740
|1810= 1034
|1820= 1318
|1830= 1285
|1840= 1331
|1850= 1341
|1860= 1180
|1870= 1081
|1880= 950
|1890= 810
|1900= 805
|1910= 695
|1920= 580
|1930= 587
|1940= 661
|1950= 606
|1960= 508
|1970= 679
|1980= 1115
|1990= 1405
|2000= 1454
|2010= 1650
|2020= 1662
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="Census 2020"/><ref name="DecennialCensus">{{Cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |access-date=June 4, 2016 |publisher=Census.gov}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]] of 2010, there were 1,650 people, 667 households, and 471 families residing in the town. There were 917 housing units, of which 250, or 27.3%, were vacant. 203 of the vacant units were for seasonal or recreational uses. The racial makeup of the town was 97.5% [[White Americans|white]], 0.1% [[African American]], 0.4% [[Native Americans of the United States|Native American]], 0.2% [[Asia]]n, 0.1% [[Native Hawaiian]] or Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race, and 1.6% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were [[Hispanic]] or [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latino]] of any race.<ref name="Census 2010 DP">{{Cite web |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (DP-1): Bradford town, Merrimack County, New Hampshire |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/SF1DP1/0600000US3301306980 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213235246/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/SF1DP1/0600000US3301306980 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=November 2, 2017 |website=American Factfinder |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>

Of the 667 households, 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were headed by [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47, and the average family size was 2.86.<ref name="Census 2010 DP" />

In the town, 20.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.3% were from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 38.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.6 males.<ref name="Census 2010 DP" />

For the period 2011–2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $59,783, and the median income for a family was $68,750. Male full-time workers had a median income of $55,119 versus $40,000 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $28,152. 7.1% of the population and 4.8% of families were below the poverty line. 7.8% of the population under the age of 18 and 8.5% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Selected Economic Characteristics: 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (DP03): Bradford town, Merrimack County, New Hampshire |url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_5YR/DP03/0600000US3301306980 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213160727/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_5YR/DP03/0600000US3301306980 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=November 2, 2017 |website=American Factfinder |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>

==Sites of interest==
* [[Bement Covered Bridge]], built 1854
* Bradford Bog
* [[Bradford Center Meetinghouse]]
* Bradford Pines State Forest
* [[Bradford Town Hall (New Hampshire)|Bradford Town Hall]]
* [[Lake Massasecum]]
* Lake Todd <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.laketoddvillagedistrict.us/ |title=Lake Todd Village District: Home}}</ref>
* [[Warner River]]
* [[West Branch Warner River]]

== Notable people ==
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· The article must mention how they are associated with Bradford, whether born, raised, or residing.
· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.
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· All others will be deleted.
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* [[Odds Bodkin]] (born 1953), storyteller, musician
* [[John Q. A. Brackett]] (1842–1918), 36th [[List of Governors of Massachusetts|governor of Massachusetts]]
* [[John Milton Hawks]] (1826–1910), abolitionist, physician
* [[Thorkild Jacobsen]] (1904–1993), Danish-American historian
* [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] (born 1961), [[socialite]], founder of [[The TerraMar Project]], associate of [[Jeffrey Epstein]], daughter of [[Robert Maxwell]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2, 2020 |title=Inside the Secret Sale of Ghislaine Maxwell's Swanky New Hampshire Hideout |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-we-know-about-ghislaine-maxwells-swanky-new-hampshire-hideout |access-date=July 2, 2020 |publisher=Daily Beast}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=LaCrosse |first=Mike |date=July 2, 2020 |title=Ghislaine Maxwell Arrested at 'Gorgeous Property' in Bradford, NH |url=https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/07/02/ghislaine-maxwell-arrested-jeffrey-epstein-bradford-new-hampshire/ |access-date=July 3, 2020 |publisher=CBS Boston}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Ruth |date=July 2, 2020 |title=Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell Was Hiding in a Million-Dollar House in a Tiny New Hampshire Town |url=https://slate.com/culture/2020/07/ghislaine-maxwell-bradford-new-hampshire-jeffrey-epstein.html |access-date=July 3, 2020 |publisher=Slate}}</ref>
* [[Mason Tappan]] (1817–1886), United States congressman, New Hampshire Attorney General
* [[Bainbridge Wadleigh]] (1831–1891), United States senator

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Depot, Bradford, NH.jpg|Concord & Claremont Railroad depot in 1906
Image:Bradford Hotel, Bradford, NH.jpg|The Bradford Hotel in 1906
Image:Lake Massasecum, Bradford, NH.jpg|Lake Massasecum in 1909
</gallery>

==References==
{{portal|New Hampshire}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|www.bradfordnh.org}}
*[https://www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/products/cp/profiles-htm/bradford.htm New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile]

{{Geographic location
 | Centre = Bradford
 | North = [[Newbury, New Hampshire|Newbury]]
 | Northeast = [[Sutton, New Hampshire|Sutton]]
 | East = [[Warner, New Hampshire|Warner]]
 | Southeast = [[Henniker, New Hampshire|Henniker]]
 | South = [[Hillsborough, New Hampshire|Hillsborough]]
 | Southwest = [[Washington, New Hampshire|Washington]]
 | West = [[Washington, New Hampshire|Washington]]
 | Northwest = [[Goshen, New Hampshire|Goshen]]
}}

{{Merrimack County, New Hampshire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Bradford, New Hampshire| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Merrimack County, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Towns in New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1771]]
[[Category:1771 establishments in New Hampshire]]