Editing Francestown, New Hampshire

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Francestown, New Hampshire
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = 
| image_skyline            = FrancestownNH TownHall.jpg
| image_seal               = 
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = Town hall
| image_flag               = 
| image_map                = Hillsborough-Francestown-NH.png
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location in [[Hillsborough County, New Hampshire|Hillsborough County]], [[New Hampshire]]
| settlement_type          = 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        = [[Hillsborough County, New Hampshire|Hillsborough]]
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = [[Select Board]]
| leader_name              = {{ubl|Scot D. Heath, Chair|Charles M. Pyle III|Karen Fitzgerald}}
| leader_title1            = Town Administrator
| leader_name1             = Jamie Pike
| established_title        = [[Incorporation (municipal government)|Incorporated]]
| established_date         = 1772
| 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 6, 2021}}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 78.7
| area_total_sq_mi         = 
| area_land_km2            = 77.2
| area_land_sq_mi          = 
| area_water_km2           = 1.5
| area_water_sq_mi         = 
| area_water_percent       = 1.85
| population_as_of         = 2020
| population_footnotes      = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=0600000US3301127140&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=Francestown town, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=December 6, 2021}}</ref>
| population_total         = 1610
| population_density_km2   = 20.9
| 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|59|15|N|71|48|45|W|region:US-NH|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m              = 253
| elevation_ft             = 831
| website                  = {{URL|www.francestownnh.org}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 03043
| area_code                = [[Area code 603|603]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 33-27140
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 0873598
| footnotes                = 
}}
'''Francestown''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Hillsborough County, New Hampshire|Hillsborough County]], [[New Hampshire]], United States. The population was 1,610 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020"/> The village of [[Francestown (CDP), New Hampshire|Francestown]], population 201 in 2020, is in the center of the town.

== History ==
[[File:FrancestownNH LeviWoodburyHomestead.jpg|thumb|left|[[Levi Woodbury Homestead]]]]
Incorporated in 1772, Francestown takes its name from [[Portrait of Mrs. Theodore Atkinson Jr.|Frances Deering Wentworth]],<ref>{{cite book | url={{Google books |9V1IAAAAMAAJ |pg=PA130 |plainurl=yes}}| title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office | last=Gannett | first=Henry | year=1905 | page=130}}</ref> the wife of colonial governor [[John Wentworth (governor)|John Wentworth]]. There were 928 residents when the first census was taken in 1790.<ref>{{cite web|title=Francestown|url=http://www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/products/cp/profiles-htm/francestown.htm|publisher=New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile|access-date=April 25, 2014}}</ref> For some time the town used its location on the Second New Hampshire Turnpike, the only route between [[Boston]] and [[Vermont]], to collect a toll of one cent per mile from coaches and wagons. High-quality [[soapstone]] was mined in Francestown from 1792 to 1912.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Starbuck |first=David R. |date=1994 |title=An Introduction to New Hampshire Industrial Archeology |jstor=40968279 |journal=[[IA, The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology]] |volume=20 |issue=1/2 |pages=4–18 |issn=0160-1040}}</ref>

== Geography ==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|78.7|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|77.2|sqkm|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|1.5|sqkm|order=flip}} are water, making up 1.85% of the town.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021"/> The highest point in Francestown is the summit of [[Crotched Mountain]], at {{convert|2066|ft|m}} above [[sea level]], on the town's western border. Francestown lies fully within the [[Merrimack River]] [[Drainage basin|watershed]],<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> entirely via tributaries of the [[Piscataquog River]]. The town is crossed by state routes [[New Hampshire Route 47|47]] and [[New Hampshire Route 136|136]].

== Demographics ==
{{US Census population
|1790= 982
|1800= 1355
|1810= 1451
|1820= 1479
|1830= 1540
|1840= 1308
|1850= 1114
|1860= 1082
|1870= 932
|1880= 937
|1890= 837
|1900= 693
|1910= 602
|1920= 385
|1930= 363
|1940= 342
|1950= 405
|1960= 495
|1970= 525
|1980= 830
|1990= 1217
|2000= 1480
|2010= 1562
|2020= 1610
|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>}}

=== 2000 ===
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 1,480 people, 552 households, and 418 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|49.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 656 housing units at an average density of {{convert|21.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.30% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.07% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.34% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.27% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.47% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.55% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 552 households, out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $64,259, and the median income for a family was $71,471. Males had a median income of $50,521 versus $32,778 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $28,942.  About 1.2% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

=== 2020 ===
Between the 2010 and 2020 census, the population of Francestown increased from 1,562 to 1,610 residents. There were 624 households and 740 total housing units, with 93 vacant housing units. Of the 1,610 residents, the median household income was $102,721, compared with $83,626 for Hillsborough County. The poverty level was 2.8%, and exclusively effected residents over the age of 18. Of the 66% employment rate, 60.9% of workers were employed at private companies, 20.2% were self employed, 6.9% were employed as private non-profits, and 12% were employed by local, state, and federal government entities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US3301127140|access-date=November 21, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
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* [[Samuel Bell (New Hampshire politician)|Samuel Bell]] (1770–1850), 14th  [[List of Governors of New Hampshire|governor of New Hampshire]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000345|title=BELL, Samuel, (1770 - 1850)|publisher= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= January 14, 2014}}</ref>
* [[James Wallace Black]] (1825–1896), photographer
* [[Titus Brown]] (1786–1849), US congressman<ref>{{cite web|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000945|title=BROWN, Titus, (1786 - 1849)|publisher=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= December 10, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Benjamin Pierce Cheney]] (1815–1895), businessman
* [[Ellen Cheney Johnson]] (1829–1899), prison reformer
* [[Sylvester H. Roper]] (1823–1896), inventor; inducted into the [[Motorcycle Hall of Fame]] (2002); inventor of the [[Choke (firearms)|shotgun choke]]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=264|title= Sylvester Roper|publisher= AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame |access-date= December 10, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Aaron Draper Shattuck]] (1832–1928), White Mountain School painter
* [[Wallace Tripp]] (1940–2018), illustrator
* [[Eri D. Woodbury]] (1837–1928), awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] for his actions during the Civil War<ref>{{cite web | title = Eri Davidson Woodbury | publisher = Military Times | url = https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/814 | access-date = July 18, 2014 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140726034916/http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=814 | archive-date = July 26, 2014 }}</ref>
* [[Levi Woodbury]] (1789–1851), associate justice of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]]; 15th [[List of Governors of New Hampshire|governor of New Hampshire]]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=w000711|title= WOODBURY, Levi, (1789 - 1851)|publisher= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |access-date= December 10, 2013}}</ref>

== Notable buildings ==
[[File:Francestown, New Hampshire - 5568892403.jpg|thumb|right|[[Francestown Town Hall and Academy and Town Common Historic District|Old Francestown Town Hall and Historic District]]]]
* [[Francestown Meetinghouse]]
* [[Francestown Town Hall and Academy and Town Common Historic District]]
* [[Levi Woodbury Homestead]]
* [[George Holmes Bixby Memorial Library]]

[[File:George Holmes Bixby Memorial Library, Francestown NH.jpg|right|alt=Photograph of a brick building with a modern addition on the left and a white picket fence.|thumb|George Holmes Bixby Memorial Library. Located at 52 Main St, Francestown, NH 03043.]]

== References ==

{{portal|New Hampshire}}
{{commons category}}
{{reflist}}

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

{{Geographic location
 | Centre = Francestown
 | North = [[Deering, New Hampshire|Deering]]
 | Northeast = [[Weare, New Hampshire|Weare]]
 | East = [[New Boston, New Hampshire|New Boston]]
 | Southeast = [[New Boston, New Hampshire|New Boston]]
 | South = [[Lyndeborough, New Hampshire|Lyndeborough]]
 | Southwest = [[Greenfield, New Hampshire|Greenfield]]
 | West = [[Bennington, New Hampshire|Bennington]]<br>[[Greenfield, New Hampshire|Greenfield]]
 | Northwest = [[Bennington, New Hampshire|Bennington]]
}}

{{Hillsborough County, New Hampshire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Francestown, New Hampshire| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Towns in New Hampshire]]