Orford, New Hampshire

Orford is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,237 at the 2020 census, By 1859, it had 1,406 inhabitants, most involved in agriculture. There was a large tannery, a chair factory, ten sawmills, a starch factory, a gristmill, a sash, blind and door factory, and two boot and shoe factories. Of the famous sequence of seven early homes built on The Ridge, Dartmouth Professor of Architecture Hugh Morrison said, "As a row and counting the setting, this is the finest group of Federal-style houses in the United States." Built between 1773 and 1839, the dwellings show the influence of architect Asher Benjamin.

Geography

thumb|[[Connecticut River Valley , with Orford from Fairlee, Vermont]]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 2.93% of the town.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,091 people, 470 households, and 308 families residing in the town. The population density was 23.4 people per square mile (9.0/km). There were 561 housing units at an average density of 12.0 per square mile (4.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 96.98% White, 0.09% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 1.10% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.

There were 470 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $46,250, and the median income for a family was $50,577. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $25,833 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,196. About 3.1% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

Crime

In the winter of 2011, Orford experienced a rash of street sign theft, at one point leaving the town with only six signs remaining. With an addition of a new police officer, 66 of the signs were recovered and two of the thieves admitted to stealing the signs.

Education

It is in the Rivendell Interstate School District.

Notable people

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Deborah Arnie Arnesen (born 1953), NH gubernatorial candidate, commentator
Daniel Doan (1914–1993), hiking enthusiast, writer
Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel Prize-winning economist
Charles R. Jackson (1903–1968), writer
Paul I. LaMott (1917–2011), politician
Ben Lovejoy (born 1984), defenseman with the Pittsburgh Penguins
Gilman Marston (1811–1890), US senator, congressman, and US Army general
Samuel Morey (1762–1843), inventor
Jameson Parker (born 1947), actor
Fanny Huntington Runnells Poole (1863–1940), writer, book reviewer
Meldrim Thomson, Jr. (1912–2001), 73rd governor of New Hampshire
Jeduthun Wilcox (1768–1838), US congressman
Leonard Wilcox (1799–1850), US senator

References

External links

History of Orford
New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
History of East Orford