52 Interesting and Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About New Hampshire

New Hampshire, the state that garners attention for being one of the wealthiest and most educated states in the United States has a colorful history and some truly fascinating details that make it incredibly unique. From being one of the only two states in the US that does not impose a state income tax or a state sales tax to being the birthplace of the ‘paintball game’, here are some interesting and fun facts about the small state of New Hampshire.

Interesting and Fun Facts About New Hampshire

State Facts

1. Named after the English county of Hampshire, the state of New Hampshire was one of the first American colonies to declare its independence from England in the year 1776.
2. New Hampshire was initially named ‘North Virginia’ and then ‘New England’ before finally adopting its current name.
3. Covering an area of 9,304 sq miles, New Hampshire is the fifth smallest state in the US in terms of land area.
4. It is one of the six New England states, alongside Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
5. Thanks to its abundant deposits of granite, the state is nicknamed the ‘Granite State‘.

Key Historical Facts

1. The state of New Hampshire has been holding the first-in-the-nation primary since the year 1920. Prior to the 1992 elections, no candidate has ever claimed the Presidency without securing victory in New Hampshire first.
2. Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth president of the United States, was born in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.
3. New Hampshire’s State House is the largest state house in the US, with 400 members.
4. The famous Bretton Woods Conference, which led to the establishment of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), commonly known as the World Bank, took place at the secluded Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.
5. It is one of the few states in the US that does not levy state sales tax or income tax.
6. New Hampshire was the first state in the US to have a legal lottery.

State Symbols

1. State Bird: Purple Finch
2. State Tree: White Birch
3. State Flower: Purple Lilac
4. State Animal: White-tailed Deer
5. State Insect: Lady Bug
6. State Amphibian: Red-spotted Newt
7. State Wildflower: Pink Ladyslipper
8. State Butterfly: Karner Blue
9. State Rock: Granite
10. State Mineral: Beryl
11. State Gem: Smokey Quartz
12. State Sport: Skiing
13. State Fresh Water Game Fish: Brook Trout
14. State Salt Water Game Fish: Striped Bass

Geography

1. New Hampshire earns the nickname the ‘Mother of Rivers’ as five major streams in New England originate in its granite hills.
2. The state also earns the moniker ‘Switzerland of America’ due to its scenic valleys, forest-lined lakes, and rugged mountains.
3. The White Mountains cover about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire. This has earned the state a third nickname, the ‘White Mountain State’.
4. The state has approximately 1,300 lakes or ponds and around 40 rivers, collectively spanning almost 41,800 miles in length.
5. Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire is one of the world’s most climbed mountains.
6. New Hampshire is the second-most forested state in the U.S. after Maine. Forests cover over four-fifths of its land.
7. New Hampshire has the shortest coastline in the US, measuring only 18 miles in length.
8. The mighty Piscataqua River that divides New Hampshire and Maine is the third-fastest tidal river in the United States.
9. Mt. Washington in New Hampshire is famous for its notoriously harsh weather conditions. Temperatures often plummet to as low as -47 degrees Fahrenheit. The region experiences approximately 256 inches of snowfall annually, and it holds the record for the second-highest recorded wind speed. In 1934, during a storm, wind gusts reached an astonishing 231 mph.

A State of Many Firsts

Another fun fact about New Hampshire is that it is a state of many firsts. Apart from some of the facts already mentioned, here are a few other firsts that the state has to its credit:

1. The first American to travel into space, Alan Bartlett Shephard Jr. was born in New Hampshire in 1961.
2. Peterborough, New Hampshire, houses the world’s first entirely tax-supported public library. The library was founded in the year 1833.
3. New Hampshire grew the nation’s first potato in the year 1719.
4. The country’s first organized strike by women workers took place in New Hampshire on December 30, 1828. The protest, held at the Dover Cotton Factory, aimed to oppose new policies that prohibited talking on the job.
5. Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, houses America’s first summer resort.
6. The state of New Hampshire constructed the world’s first cog railway in the year 1869. This historic railroad still ascends Mt. Washington and holds the title of the second steepest rack railway globally, after the Pilatus Railway in Switzerland.
7. The first passenger aerial tramway in North America was installed on the slope of Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire in the year 1938.

Other Fun Facts About New Hampshire

1. The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in Manchester, New Hampshire was once one of the world’s largest textile factories during the 19th-century industrialization boom.
2. The Alton Bay Ice Runway, recognized as the only FAA-designated ice runway in the Lower 48, is located in the state of New Hampshire
3. Concord, New Hampshire earns credit for the invention of the alarm clock.
4. Famous American Author Dan Brown best known for the Robert Langdon series is from New Hampshire.
5. The Cornish-Windsor Bridge in New Hampshire holds the titles of the world’s longest wooden covered bridge and the longest two-span covered bridge.
6. New Hampshire is the only state in the US that does not mandate the wearing of seat belts for adults when operating a motor vehicle. Neither does the state enforce helmet-wearing for motorcycle riders.
7. New Hampshire has the lowest poverty rate in the US.
8. The state ranks among the top ten states in the US for its total monthly energy costs. On average, a household in New Hampshire may pay up to $550 per month for electricity, home heating, natural gas, and motor fuel combined.
9. A crater on the moon is named after astronomer Ambrose Swasey, born in Exeter, New Hampshire, on December 19, 1846.
10. The game of paintball began in Henniker, New Hampshire in the year 1981. Bob Gurnsey wrote the official rules of the game.

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