Canaan, New Hampshire
Canaan, New Hampshire | ||
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Town | ||
FIPS code 33-08980 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0873557 | |
Website | www |
Canaan is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,794 at the 2020 census.[2] It is the location of Mascoma State Forest. Canaan is home to the Cardigan Mountain School, the town's largest employer.
The main village of the town, where 442 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Canaan census-designated place (CDP), and is located at the junction of [[U.S. Route 4 in New Hampshire|U.S. Route 4]] with New Hampshire Route 118.
History
Chartered in 1761 by Governor
In 1828 attorney
The
Canaan was the site of a famous train wreck on September 15, 1907. Four miles west of Canaan Station, the southbound Quebec to Boston express, crowded with passengers returning from the Sherbrooke Fair, collided head-on with a northbound Boston & Maine freight train. Twenty-five people died, and an equal number were seriously injured. The accident was "due to a mistake in train dispatcher's orders."[7]
On June 2, 1923, the Great Canaan Fire burned 48 homes and businesses, destroying the heart of Canaan Village (East Canaan).
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Old North Church c. 1915
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Canaan Village c. 1915 (before 1923 fire)
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B. & M. R. R. depot in 1911
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View of the Canaan Fair c. 1906
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 55.1 square miles (142.8 km2), of which 53.4 square miles (138.2 km2) are land and 1.8 square miles (4.6 km2) are water, comprising 3.20% of the town.[1] Canaan is drained by the Mascoma River and its tributary, the Indian River, which flows past Canaan village. Canaan Street Lake is in the center, and Goose Pond is in the northwest.
Mount Cardigan, overlooking Canaan village, lies to the east in the neighboring town of Orange. A mountain road leads from Canaan to a trailhead in Cardigan Mountain State Forest, where hiking trails on the west slope of the mountain lead to the 3,155-foot (962 m) bare-rock summit. The highest point in Canaan is the top of an unnamed ridge (approximately 2,270 feet (690 m) above sea level) in the northeastern corner of town, overlooking Derby Pond.
Canaan lies almost fully within the Connecticut River watershed, except for the northeastern corner of the town, which drains north to the Baker River and is part of the Merrimack River watershed.[8]
The town is crossed by U.S. Route 4 and New Hampshire Route 118.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 483 | — | |
1800 | 835 | 72.9% | |
1810 | 1,094 | 31.0% | |
1820 | 1,198 | 9.5% | |
1830 | 1,428 | 19.2% | |
1840 | 1,576 | 10.4% | |
1850 | 1,682 | 6.7% | |
1860 | 1,762 | 4.8% | |
1870 | 1,877 | 6.5% | |
1880 | 1,762 | −6.1% | |
1890 | 1,417 | −19.6% | |
1900 | 1,444 | 1.9% | |
1910 | 1,408 | −2.5% | |
1920 | 1,236 | −12.2% | |
1930 | 1,301 | 5.3% | |
1940 | 1,377 | 5.8% | |
1950 | 1,465 | 6.4% | |
1960 | 1,507 | 2.9% | |
1970 | 1,923 | 27.6% | |
1980 | 2,456 | 27.7% | |
1990 | 3,045 | 24.0% | |
2000 | 3,319 | 9.0% | |
2010 | 3,909 | 17.8% | |
2020 | 3,794 | −2.9% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[2][9] |
As of the
There were 1,588 households, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were headed by married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42, and the average family size was 2.81.[11]
In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.3 males.[11]
For the period 2007–2011, the estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $62,226, and the median income for a family was $63,930. Male full-time workers had a median income of $46,250 versus $37,287 for females. The
In 2014 the largest ancestry groups reported in Canaan were
Sites of interest
- Canaan Historical Museum
- Canaan Motor Club, auto racetrack
- Northern Rail Trail
Notable people
- Gavin Bayreuther (born 1994), NHL player
- Daniel Blaisdell (1762–1833), US congressman[14]
- Henry G. Burleigh (1832–1900), US congressman from New York[15]
- Frank Dunklee Currier (1853–1921), US congressman[16]
- Joshua Smith (1760–1795), author (Divine Hymns, or Spiritual Songs)
- Anna Augusta Truitt (1837–1920), philanthropist, temperance reformer, essayist
References
- ^ a b "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files – New Hampshire". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Canaan town, Grafton County, New Hampshire: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- ^ a b Child, Hamilton (1886). Gazetteer of Grafton County, N. H. 1709-1886. Syracuse, New York. pp. 233–234.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Child (1886), pp. 73 and 234
- ^ "Canaan, New Hampshire". UpperValleyNHVT.com. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 432.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Canaan, NH Train Wreck of 1907", Reporter, September 20, 1907, hosted at Rootsweb
- ^ Foster, Debra H.; Batorfalvy, Tatianna N.; Medalie, Laura (1995). Water Use in New Hampshire: An Activities Guide for Teachers. U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Canaan town, Grafton County, New Hampshire". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
- ^ "Selected Economic Characteristics: 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (DP03): Canaan town, Grafton County, New Hampshire". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
- ^ "People Reporting Single Ancestry: 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (B04004); Canaan town, Grafton County, New Hampshire". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ^ "BLAISDELL, Daniel, (1762 - 1833)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ^ "BURLEIGH, Henry Gordon, (1832 - 1900)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
- ^ "CURRIER, Frank Dunklee, (1853 - 1921)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 16, 2014.