Jefferson is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,043 at the 2020 census. a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Colonel Whipple renamed the town "Jefferson" four years prior to Thomas Jefferson's election as president. The state legislature granted the town a new charter as "Jefferson" on December 8, 1796.

In the mid-19th century, the boundary with the adjacent township of Kilkenny was moved so as to include that township's few residents in Jefferson.

thumb|left|Cherry Mountain from the Waumbek Hotel,

Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, a local farm boy born in 1832, became a world-famous inventor of aerostats (dirigibles) and other devices. Consulting President Abraham Lincoln, he organized a balloon corps during the Civil War, and went on to invent the ice-making machine, and later the water-gas process. For years, the latter was used to fuel gas lights in hundreds of cities. His father, Clovis Lowe, had been part owner in 1832 of nearby Low and Burbank's Grant, which contains much of Mount Adams and Mount Madison. Lowe is featured on a New Hampshire historical marker (number 19) in Jefferson.

In 1885, a landslide on the north side of Cherry Mountain demolished the Stanley farm, mortally wounding a worker. Local hotels immediately arranged daily excursions to view the scene, now marked by a New Hampshire historical marker (number 152) titled "Cherry Mountain Slide". Jefferson's third marker (number 229) honors Deborah Vicker, known as "Granny Stalbird",

Geography

thumb|right|Presidential Range

Jefferson is located on U.S. Route 2 between Lancaster and Randolph, west of the midpoint between the Vermont and Maine borders. Set astride the broad Israel River valley, the town commands remarkable views of the Presidential Range and other White Mountain summits. Mount Starr King, with an elevation of and named for Thomas Starr King, is the highest point in town, near the town's northern border. It is regularly traversed by hikers scaling nearby Mount Waumbek, one of the "four-thousand footers"—the 48 peaks above in New Hampshire. Jefferson lies fully within the Connecticut River watershed.

In the past few years, thousands of acres of Jefferson have been sold or donated by private interests to the White Mountain National Forest. These include the Randolph Town Forest, a part of which is within the boundaries of Jefferson, the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, and Mount Starr King.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 0.66% of the town.

|source 2 = National Weather Service (mean maxima and minima 2006–2020)

Demographics

thumb|left|Highland House

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,006 people, 407 households, and 295 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 582 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.31% White, 0.10% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.10% of the population.

There were 407 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.84.

thumb|right|upright=.8|Pliny Range House in 1911

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 32.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,089, and the median income for a family was $42,067. Males had a median income of $27,130 versus $21,382 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,556. About 4.7% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

  • Jefferson Historical Museum, located in the former St. John's Methodist church, on US Route 2, east of village center. From June to October it is open free to the public on Thursday and Sunday afternoons.
  • Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge

Notable person

  • Thaddeus S. C. Lowe (1832–1913), scientist, inventor

See also

  • White Mountain art

Notes

References

  • New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile