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 o ...
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 ...
, United States. The population was 10,684 at the 2020 census. Part of
Pawtuckaway State Park
Pawtuckaway State Park is a preserve in New Hampshire, United States. It is one of the largest state parks in southeastern New HampshireRaymond census-designated place (CDP), and is located along the Lamprey River near New Hampshire Route 27.
History
The town was first settled by families from
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
as a
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
of
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
, and known as "Freetown" because it was exempt from the usual obligation of reserving its tall
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
. The town was incorporated in 1764 by colonial governor
Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth (July 24, 1696 – October 14, 1770) was an American merchant and colonial administrator who served as the List of colonial governors of New Hampshire, governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. While serving as governor, W ...
.
There are at least two theories regarding the source of the town's name. The earlier theory, stated by Joseph Fullonton in his ''History of Raymond'', published 1875, is that the name was chosen as "a new and classical one". Fullonton relates that the original name of Freetown "arose from the ship timber business" where the king claimed the best trees. The locals had other ideas and took the trees and "being successful here, none molesting, they called it Freetown." Fullonton states that at incorporation in 1764, changing the name from "Freetown" to "Raymond" was "taking a new and classical one, shows that there are minds not disposed to tread all the time in one path, but capable of thinking and advancing," and that the word "Raymond" means "the lustrous, luminous or shining world."
In a second theory, the town was named for Captain William Rayment, or Raymond, of
Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Shore, Beverly incl ...
, who had raised a company of soldiers to fight in the war against
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 to ...
in 1690. The
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...
in 1735 granted Captain Raymond and his company a township called "Beverly-Canada" (now Weare) as payment for their services, but that claim was ruled invalid after New Hampshire separated from
in 1741. So in 1767, heirs of the veterans were instead awarded land in
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...
. Originally called "Raymondtown Plantation", it today composes the Maine towns of Raymond, Casco and part of
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
.
In 1906,
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans in ...
awarded a grant of $2,000 toward the construction of a Carnegie library in Raymond, and in 1908 the Dudley-Tucker Library opened overlooking the Common.
The Concord and Portsmouth Railroad line from
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 ...
to
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most d ...
reached Raymond in 1861. In 1862 the alignment was altered, rerouting trains to
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
rather than Concord. However, freight and passenger trains still originated in Concord and traveled south on the New Hampshire Division Main Line before entering the Portsmouth Branch at Manchester. The line later became the Portsmouth Branch of the
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 ...
. Passenger service ended in 1954, with
mixed train
A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. Although common in the early days of railways, by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Typically, service ...
service continuing until 1960. Local freight service continued regularly until 1972 and as-needed afterwards, usually once or twice a week. A large gravel pit located near Onway Lake was a busy railroad customer until closing in 1971, as was the Regis Tannery downtown until a fire the same year. There were no regular rail customers in Raymond from 1971 until 1976, when Rehrig Pacific opened a plastics injection plant near Route 102. The last train served Raymond on July 31, 1980, and the tracks through town were abandoned in 1982 and removed between 1983 and 1985. The line is now a
rail trail
A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetc ...
, and the restored depot survives today as home to the Raymond Historical Society.
Geography
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 th ...
, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 2.68% of the town. Raymond is drained by the Lamprey River and the
Exeter River
The Exeter River is a river located in Rockingham County in southeastern New Hampshire, United States.
It rises in the town of Chester, southeast of Manchester. It follows a winding course east and northeast to Exeter, where it becomes the S ...
, both part of the Piscataqua River watershed. The highest point in town is Dumplingtown Hill, at above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...
, located near the town's western border.
The town is crossed by state routes 27, 101,
102 102 may refer to:
*102 (number), the number
* AD 102, a year in the 2nd century AD
*102 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
* 102 (ambulance service), an emergency medical transport service in Uttar Pradesh, India
* 102 (Clyde) Field Squadron, Royal En ...
Epping, New Hampshire
Epping is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,125 at the 2020 census, up from 6,411 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.
The ...
Candia, New Hampshire
Candia is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,013 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Candia, Candia Four Corners and East Candia.
History
Settled in 1743, Candia was once part of Che ...
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 inc ...
of 2010, there were 10,138 people, 3,925 households, and 2,796 families residing in the town. There were 4,254 housing units, of which 329, or 7.7%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the town was 97.0%
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 ...
, 0.7%
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 ...
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
n, 0.01%
Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawa ...
or Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race, and 1.4% from two or more races. 1.1% of the population were
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race.
Of the 3,925 households, 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were headed by
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 ...
living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58, and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town, 21.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.5% were from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 32.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males.
For the period 2011–2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $64,490, and the median income for a family was $77,345. Male full-time workers had a median income of $52,104 versus $34,484 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 town was $29,476. 6.9% of the population and 3.6% of families were below the poverty line. 7.2% of the population under the age of 18 and 5.8% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.