ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA New Hampshire The Granite State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
4 NEW HAMPSHIRE INTRODUCTION New Hampshire is one of the original 13 colonies and the site of some of the most important democratic events in the history of the United States On Jan 5 1776 New Hampshire adopted its own constitution and became the first state to declare independence from Great Britain New Hampshire’s announcement came six months before the official Declaration of Independence Since 1920 the long road to the White House has begun in New Hampshire Every four years this quiet New England state becomes the focus of the nation’s attention as it holds the first presidential primary election New Hampshirites take their role seriously and have one of the highest voter turnouts in the country New Hampshire was once home to more than 400 covered bridges Nearly 350 of the bridges have been destroyed by flooding fires or neglect New Hampshire’s 13-mile coastline is the shortest coastline in the country Captain John Mason named the state after the British town of Hampshire He lived in Hampshire as a young man The official state song is Old New Hampshire but there are another eight honorary state songs as well Concord is New Hampshire’s capital city New Hampshire is one of six New England states The others are Connecticut Maine Massachusetts Rhode Island and Vermont In 1885 the famous sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens set up a studio in Cornish
INTRODUCTION 5 New Hampshire is located in the northeastern United States To the east lie Maine and the waters of the Atlantic Ocean Massachusetts forms New Hampshire’s southern border and Vermont makes up its western edge The state shares its northern border with the Canadian province of Quebec Getting to New Hampshire is as easy as boarding a plane or climbing into a car More than 17,000 miles of highway carry traffic into and out of the state For air travelers Manchester Airport the state’s largest airport is a major destination In addition there are more than 20 other airports in the state While New Hampshire’s miles of railroad track are used less today than in the past some trains still offer sightseeing trips These trips provide visitors with a memorable way to experience the state New Hampshire has more than 220 miles of federal interstate highways New Hampshire joined the Union on June 21 1788 It was the ninth state to become part of the United States The New Hampshire Turnpike was completed in 1950 The state flag has the state seal in the center of a blue background Nine stars represent the nine states of the Union when New Hampshire joined New Hampshire Location Map Capital Concord Interstate highways 15 24 0 0 Scale 30 48 Mi Km Population 1,235,786 Size 9,283 square miles Highest peak Mount Washington 6,288 feet
