As part of our ongoing series on the 50 states, this POST will cover the state of New Hampshire, which was the 9th state to formally ratify the United States constitution, following South Carolina and just ahead of Virginia.
Quite often, as we work the fifty states for awards and/or endorsements, we may not be aware of some of the fun facts associated with those states. This series focuses on some historical, as well as fun facts about our fifty states.
As part of the New England states, New Hampshire is boarded on the west by Vermont, on the south by Massachusetts and to the east by Maine. It also has a beautiful coast line, along the Atlantic Ocean. Of course, to the far north region of N.H. it boarders Canada, province of Quebec.
New Hampshire is the 5th smallest state, in terms of physical size and is the 10th least populous. The southern part of New Hampshire, over the last 25-30 years, has been invaded by residents of Massachusetts, attempting to escape income and sale taxes in MA, drastically changing the demographics of the state.
The state motto is; “Live Free or Die” and it is proudly displayed on several state emblems, and has even been part of their automobile license plates.
New Hampshire’s nickname is “The Granite State” referring to the extensive granite formations and quarries. Another state landmark, which appeared on the commemorative “state” quarters, “The Old Man of the Mountain” was a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain. Sadly, the old man grew tired of his perch, and has since sloughed off the side of Cannon Mountain, and is no longer there.
Fun facts about New Hampshire:
1. New Hampshire, was named after Hampshire County in England
2. In 1776, New Hampshire became the first colony to create a constitution and declare its independence from Great Britain
3. Ground winds as high as 231 mph were recorded atop the peaks of Mt. Washington on April 12, 1934. This remained a world record until 1996.
4. New Hampshire has the shortest coastline of any U.S. state. The coastline is just 18 miles long.
5. New Hampshire is one of the thirteen original colonies. It was initially named “North Virginia,” then “New England” and finally “New Hampshire.”
6. Cornish-Windsor Bridge in New Hampshire is the longest wooden covered bridge and the longest two-span covered bridge in the world. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge is approximately 449 feet (137 m) long and 24 feet (7 m) wide, and links NH to VT spanning over the Connecticut River.
7. A local CCC camp in Stark, N.H. was transformed into a POW camp and approximately 250 German and Austrian prisoners were held there between 1944 and 1946
8. The only FAA-approved ice runway in the lower 48 states is a stretch of New Hampshire’s Winnipesaukee’s lake water. Formerly known as the Alton Bay Seaplane Base, it was first opened to airplane traffic in 2009. The runway is 2,730 feet long and 100 feet wide.
We hope you have enjoyed some of the history and fun facts about the Granite State. Feel free to drop a “comment” regarding this post, or any of our State Information posts, and let us know what other facts you can share about our wonderful 50 states !!
73 for now, Kevin N1KL