Waterville Valley is 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 ...

in Grafton County,

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 508 at the 2020 census, up from 247 at the 2010 census. Waterville Valley attracts many visitors in the winter months with

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

Waterville Valley Resort Waterville Valley is a ski resort in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, United States. It is located within the White Mountain National Forest. Built on Mount Tecumseh, with a summit elevation of above sea level, the ski trails extend to a high p ...

and many miles of trails for

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. During the summer, attractions include a golf course, tennis courts, and a variety of hiking options. The Mad River flows through the town, providing great views all year round.

History

The area was first settled in the 1760s, and incorporated as "Waterville" in 1829. The name "Waterville Valley" was adopted in 1967.

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 the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 0.20% of the town. The central part of the town is drained by the Mad River, which flows southwest toward the

Pemigewasset River The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and (with its tributaries) drains approximately . The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word ''bemijijoase ...

, part of 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. The southeast part of town is drained by the Whiteface and Wonalancet rivers, south-flowing tributaries of the

Bearcamp River The Bearcamp River is a river at the southern edge of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the United States. It is the largest tributary of Ossipee Lake, part of the Saco River watershed leading to the Atlantic Ocean. The Bearcamp River ris ...

and part of the

Saco River The Saco River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Sαkóhki'') is a river in northeastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine in the United States. It drains a rural area of of forests and farmlands west and southwest of Portland, Maine, Portland ...

watershed. The northeast part of the town is drained by the Swift River, another tributary of the Saco. The highest point in Waterville Valley is the North Peak of Mount Tripyramid, 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 standardised g ...

. Other

4000-footers Four-thousand footers (sometimes abbreviated 4ks) are a group of forty-eight mountains in New Hampshire at least above sea level. To qualify for inclusion a peak must also meet the more technical criterion of topographic prominence important in t ...

in the town include

Mount Tecumseh Mount Tecumseh is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is named after the Shawnee leader Tecumseh (–1813), and is a part of the White Mountains. The east side of Tecumseh drains into the Mad River; the west si ...

in the west (formerly listed as but recently revised to ), and Mounts Whiteface () and

Passaconaway Passaconaway was a 17th century sachem and later ''bashaba'' (chief of chiefs) of the Pennacook people in what is now southern New Hampshire in the United States, who was famous for his dealings with the Plimouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies. ...

{{{convert, 4043, ft, m, disp=x, /) in the east. {{convert, 3983, ft, m, adj=on Sandwich Mountain is on the southern border.

Demographics

{{US Census population , 1830= 96 , 1840= 63 , 1850= 42 , 1860= 48 , 1870= 33 , 1880= 54 , 1890= 39 , 1900= 50 , 1910= 16 , 1920= 95 , 1930= 23 , 1940= 26 , 1950= 11 , 1960= 14 , 1970= 109 , 1980= 180 , 1990= 151 , 2000= 257 , 2010= 247 , 2020= 508 , estyear= , estimate= , estref= , footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web, url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html, title=Census of Population and Housing, publisher=Census.gov, access-date=June 4, 2016 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 ...

{{cite web, url=https://www.census.gov, publisher=

, access-date=2008-01-31, title=U.S. Census website of 2000, there were 257 people, 121 households, and 75 families residing in the town. 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 4.0 people per square mile (1.5/km{{sup, 2). There were 1,097 housing units at an average density of 16.9 per square mile (6.5/km{{sup, 2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.28%

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 ...

, 1.95%

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 ...

, 0.78% 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 ...

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 1.56% of the population. There were 121 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% 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, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.72. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 37.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $40,417, and the median income for a family was $55,625. Males had a median income of $34,167 versus $34,063 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 $26,400. About 6.8% of families and 6.2% 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 6.7% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

Education

The Waterville Valley Elementary School is also known as the "Little Red School" and had 41 students enrolled in kindergarten through 8th grade for the 2011–2012 school year. The children at the school are able to bike, swim, ski, skate, and play tennis in Waterville Valley. There is a recreation department attached to the "Little Red School". The Waterville Valley Academy (WVA) is a ski academy, founded in 1972. The campus is located at 88 Boulder Path Rd, at the foot of Snow's Mountain. It has around 160 students and is part of the WVBBTS ski club, the oldest ski club in America. In 2013, the school expanded its academic programming and began to offer a full-year program known as the Pinnacle Program.

Culture

Since 1994, Waterville Valley has hosted the

Russell Sage Foundation The Russell Sage Foundation is an American non-profit organisation established by Margaret Olivia Sage in 1907 for “the improvement of social and living conditions in the United States.” It was named after her recently deceased husband, rail ...

Summer Institute in

Behavioral Economics Behavioral economics studies the effects of psychological, cognitive, emotional, cultural and social factors on the decisions of individuals or institutions, such as how those decisions vary from those implied by classical economic theory. ...

(BE). 2016 Economics Nobel Laureate

Richard Thaler Richard H. Thaler (; born September 12, 1945) is an American economist and the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In 2015, Thaler was pr ...

describes the institute as an important driver of the early growth of behavioral economics.{{cite book , last=Thaler , first=Richard , author-link=Richard Thaler , date=May 7, 2015 , title=Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics , url= , location= , publisher=W. W. Norton & Company , page= , isbn=978-0393352795

Notable people

* Tom Corcoran (1931–2017), resort founder, Olympic skier *

John E. Sununu John Edward Sununu (born September 10, 1964) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senator from New Hampshire. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire ...

(born 1964), US congressman, senator

References

{{portal, New Hampshire {{reflist

External links

{{wikivoyage, Waterville Valley * {{Official, www.watervillevalley.org
New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile

Waterville Valley resort

Waterville Valley Association Records
at Dartmouth College Library {{Geographic location , Centre = Waterville Valley , North = Livermore , Northeast = Livermore , East = Albany , Southeast = , South =

Sandwich A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...

, Southwest = Thornton , West = Thornton , Northwest = Livermore {{Grafton County, New Hampshire {{Authority control Towns in Grafton County, New Hampshire Towns in New Hampshire