Center Harbor is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Belknap County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders 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. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 1,040. It is 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

Squam Lake Squam Lake is a lake located in the Lakes Region (New Hampshire), Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, south of the White Mountains (New Hampshire), White Mountains, straddling the borders of Grafton County, New Hampshire, Grafton ...

History

Center Harbor separated from the town of New Hampton and was first incorporated in 1797. The town name is derived from two sources: its location, centered between Meredith and Moultonborough harbors, as well as from the Senter family, who were owners of a large amount of property in the area. The town was a landing place for lake

steamers Steamer may refer to: Transportation * Steamboat, smaller, insular boat on lakes and rivers * Steamship, ocean-faring ship * Screw steamer, steamboat or ship that uses "screws" (propellers) * Steam yacht, luxury or commercial yacht * Paddle st ...

and

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

es, making it a popular summer resort. Center Harbor was a favorite spot of

John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...

, and the home of Dudley Leavitt, author of the first '' Farmers' Almanac'' in 1797. Center Harbor is the winter home of the paddle steamer MS ''Mount Washington'', the largest boat on

. Center Harbor witnessed the first intercollegiate sporting event in the United States, as

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

defeated

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

by two lengths in the first Harvard–Yale Regatta on August 3, 1852, on Lake Winnipesaukee.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 18.33% of the town. It has several miles of shoreline on

and another mile on

, where its main "harbor" lies. The town center sits eccentrically near Center Harbor's northeastern border, where it rises gently from the shore at the junction of New Hampshire Routes 25 and 25B. The commercial district including the town center extends for several hundred yards along NH 25 into the neighboring town of Moultonborough. The highest point in town, Sunset Hill, elevation above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, overlooks the town center from the west. Center Harbor 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 M ...

watershed. NH 25 passes through the eastern edge of town, including the town center, connecting Meredith to the south with Moultonborough to the northeast.

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

and NH 25 pass north–south through the western part of town, connecting Meredith to the south with

Holderness Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the north-east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common wit ...

to the northwest. NH 25B leads from the town center west to US 3 and NH 25, forming a shortcut for through travelers on NH 25. The Proctor Wildlife Sanctuary, owned by the Audubon Society of New Hampshire, occupies of woodlands northwest of the town center. Adjacent to this property is Center Harbor Woods, a conservation area owned by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust and protected by a conservation easement held by the Squam Lakes Conservation Society and the town of Center Harbor. The two properties abut a third conservation property in neighboring Moultonborough, resulting in a block of protected woodland comprising nearly .

Adjacent municipalities

* Moultonborough (east) * Meredith (south) * New Hampton (southwest) *

(northwest)

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 996 people, 414 households, and 293 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 653 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.80%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.00%

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino and 0.80% Asian. There were 414 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.75. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $51,806, and the median income for a family was $55,938. Males had a median income of $35,526 versus $24,231 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $25,627. 6.7% of the population and 4.4% of families 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 ...

. Out of the total population, 13.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Government

In the

New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire State Senate is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. The Senate has been meeting since 1784. The Senate consists of 24 members representing Senate distri ...

, Center Harbor is in the 2nd District, represented by Republican Bob Giuda. On the

Executive Council of New Hampshire The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire (colloquially referred to as the Governor's Council) is the executive body of New Hampshire in the United States. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check o ...

, Center Harbor is in the 1st District, represented by Republican Joseph Kenney. In the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, Center Harbor is in

New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district covers the western, northern, and some southern parts of New Hampshire. It includes the state's second-largest city, Nashua, New Hampshire, Nashua, as well as the state capital, Concord, New Hampshire, C ...

, represented by Democrat Ann McLane Kuster.

Economy

Aside from small

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

and truck farms, the community's main industry is

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. Restaurants and motels dot the shoreline, with a beach and playground at the town's center which is shared by residents of Moultonborough.

Education

Center Harbor's one-room schoolhouse closed in the 1970s, and students now attend Inter-Lakes Elementary and Inter-Lakes Junior-Senior High in Meredith, joining students from that town and from

Sandwich A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...

. During the period 1963–1973, a college existed in Center Harbor. Named Belknap College, it occupied several locations in town, using old hotels for dorms, though the academic campus was located several miles away. Anchored by a mansion recently used for the New Hampshire Music Festival, and several other buildings, the campus was a center of activity. The town was the home of Immaculate Conception Apostolic School, an all-male Roman Catholic boarding school, educating between 80 and 100 students from grades 7 to 12. It is sponsored by the Legionaries of Christ, a religious congregation of the Roman Catholic Church. It was listed for sale in 2021.

Notable people

* Samuel Chamberlain (1829–1908), brevet general, former outlaw * Phoebe Foster (1896–1975), actress * Harriet Lane Huntress (1860–1922), Deputy Superintendent Public Instruction in New Hampshire * Dudley Leavitt (1772–1851), publisher * Brad Leighton (born 1962), driver with

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

* Maud Worcester Makemson (1891–1977), astronomer * Penny Pitou (born 1938), Olympic downhill skier

Culture

Center Harbor hosts a

Fourth of July Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing th ...

celebration featuring a road race (including a children's race around the library), parade, band concert, and

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

over the lake. The Center Harbor Town Band, founded in 1878, offers free concerts on Fridays in the summer. In the winter, the town is a stop for

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

enthusiasts.

References

External links

*
James E. Nichols Memorial Library

Center Harbor - NHLiving Magazine

* ttps://www.centerharbornh.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif4246/f/uploads/center_harbor_community_planning_survey.pdf Center Harbor Community Planning Survey, 2018- includes town history {{authority control Towns in Belknap County, New Hampshire Towns in New Hampshire Populated places on Lake Winnipesaukee