Laconia is a city in

Belknap County, New Hampshire Belknap County () is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 63,705. The county seat is Laconia. It is located in New Hampshire's Lakes Region, slightly southeast of the state's geographic center. ...

, United States. The population was 16,871 at the 2020 census, up from 15,951 at the 2010 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Belknap County. Laconia, situated between

Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...

and

Lake Winnisquam Lake Winnisquam is in Belknap County in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, in the communities of Meredith, Laconia, Sanbornton, Belmont, and Tilton. At , it is the fourth-largest lake entirely in New Hampshire. The lak ...

, includes the villages of Lakeport and Weirs Beach. Each June, the city hosts

Laconia Motorcycle Week Laconia Motorcycle Week is an annual motorcycle rally held in Laconia, New Hampshire, United States. The rally originated as a motorcycle Gypsy tour in 1916 as, the New Hampshire Lakes Region became a popular riding destination for early motorcy ...

, also more simply known as "Bike Week", one of the country's largest rallies.

Name

Laconia is named after the Greek region of

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word ''laconic''—to speak in a blunt, c ...

(Greek: Λακωνία, ''Lakonía'', Greek pronunciation: akoˈni.a in the southeastern part of the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...

peninsula.

History

A large

Abenaki The Abenaki (Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was predom ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

settlement called

Aquadoctan Aquadoctan was one of the largest known Native American villages in what is now the U.S. state of New Hampshire. In an area commonly known today as The Weirs (for the semi-permanent fishing weirs the natives had built on the river), the village l ...

once existed at the point now known as The Weirs, named by

colonist A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

s for

fishing weir A fishing weir, fish weir, fishgarth or kiddle is an obstruction placed in tidal waters, or wholly or partially across a river, to direct the passage of, or trap fish. A weir may be used to trap marine fish in the intertidal zone as the tide reced ...

s discovered at the outlet of the

Winnipesaukee River The Winnipesaukee River is a river that connects Lake Winnipesaukee with the Pemigewasset and Merrimack rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire. The river is in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire. The river's drainage area is approximately . ...

. Early explorers had hoped to follow the

Piscataqua River The Piscataqua River (Abenaki: ''Pskehtekwis'') is a tidal river forming the boundary of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine from its origin at the confluence of the Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River. The drainage basin of the river ...

north to

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

in search of the

great lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

and

rivers A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

mentioned in Indian

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

. About 1652, the Endicott

surveying Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

party visited the area, an event commemorated by Endicott Rock, a local landmark. A fort would be built at Laconia in 1746. But ongoing hostilities between the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, and their respective Native American allies prevented settlement until 1761, after which it remained for many years a part of Meredith and Gilford called Meredith Bridge. Beginning in 1765,

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

and grist mills were established on Mill Street, with

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...

s built soon thereafter on Parade Street. About 1822, the courthouse was built, which would become county seat at the creation of Belknap County in 1840. In 1823, the Belknap Mill was built to manufacture

textiles Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

; in operation by 1828, the structure is today a museum listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

and is the oldest unaltered brick textile mill in the country. Local industry produced

, textiles, shoes,

hosiery Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...

, knitting machinery and needles. But the city's largest employer would be the

Laconia Car Company Laconia Car Company manufactured railway cars in Laconia, New Hampshire from 1848 to 1928. The Ranlet Manufacturing Company began building horse-drawn wagons, carriages and stagecoaches in 1844. The company was identified as Ranlet Car Compan ...

, builder of

rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...

, trolley and

subway Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to: Transportation * Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems * Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle * Subway (George Bush Interconti ...

cars. Started in 1848, it lasted until the 1930s. The

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

entered town in 1849, carrying both freight and an increasing number of summer tourists to popular Weirs Beach. In 1855, Laconia was incorporated as a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

from land in Meredith Bridge, Lakeport, Weirs and part of Gilmanton. The name was probably derived from the old Laconia Company, formed by Captain John Mason and the Masonian Proprietors to sell parcels of land during the

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

era. The Great Fire of 1860 destroyed most of Main Street from Mill to Water streets, followed by the Great Lakeport Fire of 1903, a blaze so fierce that fire companies were brought by train from as far away as

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

. Laconia was incorporated as a city in 1893.

Geography

Laconia is located northwest of the geographic center of Belknap County. The city lies at the center of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

's Lakes Region, and all or part of four major bodies of water lie within its limits:

Opechee Bay Opechee Bay is a New Hampshire GRANIT database
lake located in Paugus Bay Paugus Bay is a water body located in Belknap County in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, in the city of Laconia. A short channel at its north end connects it with Lake Winnipesaukee in the village of Weirs Beach, and ...

(sometimes counted as an arm of Winnipesaukee, but historically a separate body of water). Laconia contains three main villages. Downtown Laconia, where the Belknap County Courthouse is located, can be found in the southern tip of the city, along the

between Opechee Bay to the north and Lake Winnisquam to the southwest. Lakeport, located between Opeechee Bay and Paugus Bay, is near the geographic center of the city. Weirs Beach, around the channel connecting Paugus Bay with Lake Winnipesaukee, lies at the northern edge of the city.

U.S. Route 3 U.S. Route 3 (US 3) is a United States highway running from Cambridge, Massachusetts, through New Hampshire, to the Canada–US border near Third Connecticut Lake, where it connects to Quebec Route 257. Massachusetts Route 3 connects to ...

passes through parts of the city, bypassing downtown but passing through Weirs Beach.

New Hampshire Route 11 New Hampshire Route 11 is a east–west state highway in New Hampshire, running completely across the central part of the state. Its western terminus is at the Vermont state line in Charlestown, where it continues west as Vermont Route 11. The e ...

bypasses the city in a concurrency with US 3. The two highways lead southwest from Laconia to Tilton and

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

New Hampshire Route 11A New Hampshire Route 11 is a east–west state highway in New Hampshire, running completely across the central part of the state. Its western terminus is at the Vermont state line in Charlestown, where it continues west as Vermont Route 11. The e ...

represents the old routes 11 and 3 through downtown as Court Street and Union Avenue, but then turns east on Gilford Avenue to lead to Gilford and West Alton.

New Hampshire Route 106 New Hampshire Route 106 is a secondary north–south highway in Merrimack and Belknap counties in central New Hampshire. It connects the town of Pembroke with Meredith in the Lakes Region. The first green LED traffic light in the nation was ...

runs north-south through downtown, leading south to

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

and north to Meredith.

New Hampshire Route 107 New Hampshire Route 107 is a north–south state highway in eastern New Hampshire. It connects Laconia in the Lakes Region with Seabrook on the Atlantic coast. The southern terminus of NH 107 is at U.S. Route 1 in Seabrook near the entrance to ...

leads southeast from downtown towards Gilmanton and

Pittsfield Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

. Route 107 turns north in downtown and follows Union Avenue (former Route 3) to a junction with US 3 near the north end of the Laconia Bypass. US 3 continues north along the east shore of Paugus Bay, through Weirs Beach and into Meredith. Route 11 leads east from the Laconia Bypass past

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

and into

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland *Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario * Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

New Hampshire Route 11B New Hampshire Route 11 is a east–west state highway in New Hampshire, running completely across the central part of the state. Its western terminus is at the Vermont state line in Charlestown, where it continues west as Vermont Route 11. The e ...

leads east from Weirs Beach into Gilford. The former

Boston and Maine Railroad The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022). At the end of 1970, B ...

White Mountain Branch, originally built as the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad, enters Laconia at the Belmont town line near Lake Winnisquam and runs north through the city, through Lakeport and along Paugus Bay to Weirs Beach and Meredith. Purchased by the State of New Hampshire in 1975, the tracks are actively used for freight purposes by the

New England Southern Railroad The New England Southern Railroad is a Class III shortline railroad that operates out of Canterbury, New Hampshire, and serves industries in central New Hampshire, in the United States. History In 1975, the Boston & Maine Railroad Corporation ...

and for tourist train service by the Plymouth & Lincoln Railroad between Meredith and Lakeport, with occasional service out of Laconia. The line is also a vital active link to the

National rail network In United States railroading, the term national rail network, sometimes termed "U.S. rail network", refers to the entire network of interconnected standard gauge rail lines in North America. It does not include most subway or light rail lines. F ...

for the tourist operator to ship and receive equipment for their own use and also to perform contract work at the railroad's

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

repair shops.

Laconia Municipal Airport Laconia Municipal Airport is a general aviation airport located three miles (5 km) northeast of the central business district (CBD) of Laconia, a city in Belknap County, New Hampshire, USA. It covers and has two runways. It is included in the F ...

is located just east of the city limits in Gilford. A recreational trail called the W.O.W. Trail (

Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...

– Opechee– Winnisquam) links several parts of the city, following the railroad tracks from Lake Winnisquam, skirting the downtown area, and running to Lakeport. A desire to extend the trail to Weirs Beach has been contested by residents in private communities abutting the rail corridor. The proposed removal of active rail for said extension is contested also by railroad companies actively using the tracks and the State of New Hampshire Bureau of Rail and Transit. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 23.93% of the city. Laconia is drained by the Winnipesaukee River. It is bounded in the southwest by

, and by Lake Winnipesaukee in the northeast. Laconia lies fully within the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Mas ...

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

. The highest point in Laconia is a hill in the northern part of the city, west of Paugus Bay's Pickerel Cove and just east of Route 106.

Adjacent municipalities

* Meredith (north) * Gilford (east) *

Belmont Belmont may refer to: People * Belmont (surname) Places * Belmont Abbey (disambiguation) * Belmont Historic District (disambiguation) * Belmont Hotel (disambiguation) * Belmont Park (disambiguation) * Belmont Plantation (disambiguation) * Belmon ...

(south) * Sanbornton (west)

Climate

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 16,411 people, 6,724 households, and 4,168 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 809.3 people per square mile (312.4/km²). There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 421.8 per square mile (162.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.79%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.55%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.41% Native American, 0.73%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.27% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.22% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.99% of the population. There were 6,724 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% 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 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,796, and the median income for a family was $45,307. Males had a median income of $31,714 versus $22,818 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $19,540. About 7.5% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Laconia is governed by a mayor-council and

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...

system. The Mayor and council are elected in a citywide vote, while the city manager is hired by the council. The council consists of six members who are elected from the six single-member wards. In the

New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on population ...

, Laconia is in the 7th District, represented by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Harold F. French Harold F. French (born November 5, 1955) is an American politician and a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the New Hampshire Senate who represented the New Hampshire's 7th State Senate district, 7th district between 2016 and 2 ...

. On the

New Hampshire Executive Council The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire (commonly known as the Governor's Council) is the executive body of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check on the governor ...

, Laconia is in the 1st District, represented by

Joseph Kenney Joseph D. "Joe" Kenney (born July 12, 1960) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who represented District 1 of the Executive Council of New Hampshire from 2014 to 2019. He previously served as a member of the New Hamps ...

. In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, Laconia is in

New Hampshire's 1st congressional district New Hampshire's 1st congressional district covers parts of Southern New Hampshire and the eastern portion of the state. The district contains parts of Hillsborough, Rockingham, Merrimack, Grafton, and Belknap counties; and the entirety of ...

, represented by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Chris Pappas. Laconia leans Republican, but occasionally has votes for Democratic candidates.

Education

Laconia's public school system is run by the Laconia School District, School Administrative Unit 30. ;Public schools Laconia School District has one public high school, one middle school and three elementary schools: * Laconia High School * Laconia Middle School (formerly Memorial Middle School) * Elm Street Elementary School * Pleasant Street Elementary School * Woodland Heights Elementary School ;Private schools There are two

parochial school A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The ...

s within the city limits of Laconia: * Laconia Christian Academy, serving grades K–12 * Holy Trinity Catholic School, serving grades K–8 ;Post-secondary schools There is one area institution of higher education with a total enrollment of approximately 1,000 students: *

Lakes Region Community College Lakes Region Community College (LRCC) is a public community college in Laconia, New Hampshire. It is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire. Academics The college offers 29 associate degree programs in fields such as Nursing, Fir ...

Culture

Sports

Laconia is home to the

Winnipesaukee Muskrats The Winnipesaukee Muskrats were a collegiate summer baseball team in Laconia, New Hampshire, playing in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), a wood bat league operating in the northeastern United States. The team's home field was Ro ...

of the

New England Collegiate Baseball League The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June ...

(NECBL). The franchise began play in 2010 at Robbie Mills Field in Laconia. Each winter, the city hosts the Laconia World Championship

Sled Dog A sled dog is a dog trained and used to pull a land vehicle in Dog harness, harness, most commonly a Dog sled, sled over snow. Sled dogs have been used in the Arctic for at least 8,000 years and, along with watercraft, were the only transport ...

Derby.

Theater

Laconia is home to th
Colonial Theatre
th
CAKE Theatre
and th
Opera House

Laconia Motorcycle Week

One of the largest motorcycle rallies in the world takes place in Laconia during nine days in June, ending on Father's Day. Founded in 1923, attendance was 375,000 in 2004 and 188,000 in 2010. Events include races, shows, and a motorcycle hill climb competition.

Laconia Multicultural Festival

Held annually, the Laconia Multicultural Festival is a community event that highlights the music, arts, crafts and cuisine of cultural artists. The festival was created by former Mayor Matthew Lahey and former Police Chief Bill Baker in 2000.

New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival

After the city council of

Keene, New Hampshire Keene is a city in, and the County seat, seat of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Keene is ho ...

, rejected the permit for their annual

Pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

Festival to be held there following riots in the city's neighborhoods in 2014, it was announced that Laconia would host the festival for the city's first time in 2015. The twenty-fifth New Hampshire Pumpkin Fest was held on October 24, 2015, with fewer than ten thousand

jack-o'-lantern A jack-o'-lantern (or jack o'lantern) is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin or a root vegetable such as a rutabaga or turnip. Jack-o'-lanterns are associated with the Halloween holiday. Its name comes from the reported phenomen ...

s lit. The festival has continued to be held in Laconia annually since.

Sites of interest

Funspot Family Fun Center Funspot Family Entertainment Center (or simply Funspot) is an arcade which features one of the largest collections of late-1970s to mid-1980s games in the world. It is located in the village of Weirs Beach in Laconia, New Hampshire, United Sta ...

, named "Largest Arcade in the World" by

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

; home of the International Classic Video & Pinball Tournament * Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society Museum * Robbie Mills Field, home of the

of the

* Weirs Beach The city has multiple sites listed in the

: *

Belknap-Sulloway Mill The Belknap-Sulloway Mill, now the Belknap Mill Museum, is a historic mill at 25 Beacon Street East in Laconia, New Hampshire, a city in Belknap County. Built sometime between 1823 and 1828, it is a rare well-preserved example of an early rural t ...

, now the Belknap Mill Museum * John W. Busiel House *

Busiel-Seeburg Mill The Busiel-Seeburg Mill is a historic mill building in Laconia, New Hampshire, since converted into an office building known as 1 Mill Plaza. This 3-1/2 story brick structure achieved its present configuration in stages, beginning in 1853, and suc ...

Colonial Theatre Complex The Colonial Theatre Complex is a group of historic buildings in Laconia, New Hampshire. There are three sections to the complex: the Piscopo Block, Colonial Theatre, and Canal Street Annex. The Piscopo Block, which contains the main entrance to ...

* Evangelical Baptist Church *

Federal Building A federal building is a building housing local offices of various government departments and agencies in countries with a federal system, especially when the central government is referred to as the "federal government". Federal buildings in t ...

Gale Memorial Library The Gale Memorial Library is the public library of Laconia, New Hampshire. It is located at 695 Main Street in a Richardsonian Romanesque building, whose 1901–03 construction was funded by a bequest from Napoleon Bonaparte Gale, a local banker. T ...

* Laconia District Court *

Laconia Passenger Station The Laconia Passenger Station is a historic railroad station at 9-23 Veterans Square in downtown Laconia, New Hampshire. It was built in 1892 for the Boston and Maine (B&M) Railroad and is a prominent regional example of Richardsonian Romanesque ...

* U.S. Post Office-Laconia Main *

Ossian Wilbur Goss Reading Room The Ossian Wilbur Goss Reading Room is a historic library building at 188 Elm Street in the Lakeport, New Hampshire, Lakeport section of Laconia, New Hampshire. The architecturally eclectic single-story brick building was designed by Boston archite ...

* United Baptist Church of Lakeport *

Endicott Rock Endicott Rock is a state park located on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee in the Weirs Beach village of Laconia, New Hampshire. Its principal attraction is a large rock originally in the lake that was incised with lettering in 1652 by surveyors fo ...

New Hampshire Veterans' Association Historic District The New Hampshire Veterans' Association Historic District encompasses a large cluster of late 19th-century summer resort properties in the Weirs Beach area of Laconia, New Hampshire, United States. The district is a nearly area developed by th ...

* The Weirs

In popular culture

The

Jack Reacher Jack Reacher is the protagonist of a series of crime thriller novels by British author Lee Child. In the stories, Jack Reacher was a major in the US Army's military police. Having left the Army at age 36, Reacher roams the United States, t ...

novel, ''

Past Tense The past tense is a grammatical tense whose function is to place an action or situation in the past. Examples of verbs in the past tense include the English verbs ''sang'', ''went'' and ''washed''. Most languages have a past tense, with some hav ...

'', was set in and around Laconia.

Notable people

* Donald C. Bolduc (born 1962), U.S. Army brigadier general and U.S. Senate candidate; born in Laconia * Charles A. Busiel (1842–1901), 45th Governor of New Hampshire; mayor of Laconia *

Pearl Chertok Pearl Chertok (June 18, 1918, in Laconia, New Hampshire – August 1, 1981 in White Plains, New York) was an internationally regarded harpist and composer for harp. After studying ballet, piano and flute as a child, Chertok forwent her senior yea ...

(1918–1981), professional harpist and composer; born in Laconia (1918) *

Connie Converse Elizabeth Eaton Converse (born August 3, 1924, disappeared August 1974), known professionally as Connie Converse, was an American singer-songwriter and musician, active in New York City in the 1950s. Her work is among the earliest known recordin ...

(born 1924), disappeared singer-songwriter *

Werner Doehner Werner Gustav Doehner (March 14, 1929 – November 8, 2019) was a German-born Mexican and American electrical engineer and last living survivor of the Hindenburg disaster, ''Hindenburg'' disaster, when the German passenger-carrying rigid airs ...

(1929–2019), General Electric engineer who was last survivor of the 1937 Hindenburg disaster *

Chas Guldemond Charles 'Chas' Guldemond (born April 22, 1987) is an American snowboarder. Personal life Originally from Laconia, New Hampshire, Guldemond now resides in Truckee, California. Career Guldemond competes on the TTR World Tour. In the 2007/2008 S ...

(born 1987), snowboarder; two time bronze medalist in the X Games *

Doris Haddock Doris "Granny D" Haddock (born Ethel Doris Rollins; January 24, 1910 – March 9, 2010) was an American political activist from New Hampshire. Haddock achieved national fame when, between the ages of 88 and 90, starting on January 1, 1999, and cul ...

(1910–2010), activist known as "Granny D"; walked 3,200 miles across the US to advocate for campaign finance reform *

Fletcher Hale Fletcher Hale (January 22, 1883 – October 22, 1931) was an American politician and a United States representative from New Hampshire. Early life Born in Portland, Maine, on January 22, 1883, Hale was the son of Frederick Fletcher Hale and Ade ...

(1883–1931), U.S. congressman, served 1925–1931 *

John Adams Harper John Adams Harper (November 2, 1779 – June 18, 1816) was an American politician and a United States Representative from New Hampshire. Early life Born in Derryfield, New Hampshire, Harper attended Phillips Exeter Academy in 1794. He studied ...

(1779–1816), U.S. congressman, served 1811–1813 *

Martin Alonzo Haynes Martin Alonzo Haynes (July 30, 1842 – November 28, 1919) was an American politician and a United States Representative from New Hampshire. Early life Born in Springfield, Sullivan County, New Hampshire, Haynes moved with his parents to ...

(1842–1919), U.S. congressman, served 1883–1887 * Ellery Albee Hibbard (1826–1903), U.S. congressman, served 1871–1873 *

Joseph Oliva Huot Joseph Oliva Huot (August 11, 1917 – August 5, 1983) was a U.S. Representative from New Hampshire. Born in Laconia, Huot was educated at Sacred Heart Parochial School and Laconia High School. From 1935 until 1956, he was a supervisor in t ...

(1917–1983), U.S. congressman, served 1965–1967, born in Laconia *

Tony Lavelli Anthony Lavelli, Jr. (July 11, 1926 – January 8, 1998) was an American professional basketball player and musician. He averaged 6.9 points per game during his two-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career (1949–1951) while also providi ...

(1926–1998), basketball player with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks *

Thomas J. McIntyre Thomas James McIntyre (February 20, 1915August 8, 1992) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from New Hampshire from 1962 to 1979. Early life and education Thomas McIntyr ...

(1915–1992), U.S. senator, served 1962–1979, born in Laconia *

Penny Pitou Penelope Theresa "Penny" Pitou (born October 8, 1938) is a former United States Olympic alpine skier, who in 1960 became the first American skier to win a medal in the Olympic downhill event. In 2001, Pitou was inducted into the New England Wome ...

(born 1938), first U.S. Olympic skier to win a medal in an Olympic downhill event *

Claude Rains William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. After his American film debut as Dr. Jack Griffin in ''The Invisible Man'' (1933), he appeared in such highly regarded films as '' ...

(1889–1967), actor; died in Laconia *

Paul W. K. Rothemund Paul Wilhelm Karl Rothemund is a research professor at the Computation and Neural Systems department at Caltech. He has become known in the fields of DNA nanotechnology and synthetic biology for his pioneering work with DNA origami. He shared bo ...

(born ), recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship in 2007 *

Daniel E. Somes Daniel Eton Somes (May 20, 1815 – February 13, 1888) was a United States representative from Maine. Early life Daniel Eton Somes was born in Meredith, New Hampshire (now Laconia) on May 20, 1815. He received an academic education, then m ...

(1815–1888), U.S. congressman from Maine, served 1856–1858 *

Dawn Zimmer Dawn Zimmer (born April 16, 1968) is an American politician who served as the 38th mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. As president of the Hoboken City Council, she became acting mayor after incumbent Peter Cammarano's resignation on July 31, 2009 fol ...

(born 1968), mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, served 2009–2017

Gallery

Image:Courthouse, Laconia, NH.jpg, Courthouse, 1906 Image:R. R. Station, Laconia, NH.jpg, Railroad station, Image:Panorama of central business district.jpg, Panorama of central business district, File:Bird's-eye View, Laconia, NH.jpg, Bird's-eye view of Laconia, Image:Church Street & Laconia Tavern.jpg, Church Street, File:Shore Path, The Weirs, NH.jpg, Shore Path, Image:BelknapMills.jpg, Belknap Mills in downtown Laconia, 2008

References

External links

*
Laconia Public Library

{{authority control Cities in Belknap County, New Hampshire Cities in New Hampshire Populated places established in 1855 Populated places on Lake Winnipesaukee County seats in New Hampshire Micropolitan areas of New Hampshire 1855 establishments in New Hampshire