Hopkinton 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
Merrimack 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. The population was 5,914 at the 2020 census.
The town has three distinct communities: Hopkinton village, mainly a residential area in the center of the town;
Contoocook, the town's business hub, located in the north; and
West Hopkinton, within the more agricultural portion of the town. The town is home to the
Hopkinton State Fair, adjacent to Contoocook village, and to the historic
Contoocook Railroad Depot and the
Contoocook Railroad Bridge, the oldest
covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of ...
railroad bridge in the United States.
History
The town was granted by
colonial Governor
Jonathan Belcher in 1735 as "Number 5" to settlers from
Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Hopkinton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, west of Boston. The town is best known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriots' Day each April, and as the he ...
, who renamed it "New Hopkinton". First settled in 1736, colonists were required to build homes, fence in their land, plant it with English grass, and provide a home for a minister, all within seven years. The community was incorporated in 1765 by Governor
Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth (July 24, 1696 – October 14, 1770) was an American merchant, landowner and colonial administrator who served as the List of colonial governors of New Hampshire, governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. He is best known ...
,
predating the establishment of counties in the colonial province. Built in 1789, the
Congregational Church
Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...
has a
Revere bell.
The
state legislature met in Hopkinton occasionally between 1798 and 1807. In 1808, the town competed for the coveted position of state capital, but was defeated by neighboring
Concord. Since 1823, the town has been within Merrimack County.
A substantial portion of the town in the north was named "Contoocook Village", for a tribe of the
Pennacook
The Pennacook, also known by the names Penacook and Pennacock, were Algonquian Indigenous people who lived in what is now Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and southern Maine. They were not a united tribe but a network of politically and culturally ...
people
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
who once lived there. Due to its position along the
Contoocook River, it became a center for
water-powered industry, particularly
lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
and
textiles
Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...
. The
Contoocook covered railroad bridge in the village is a remnant of the
Boston & Maine Railroad and is the oldest
covered bridge of its kind still standing in the United States.
Next to the bridge is the
Contoocook Railroad Depot, one of the original
railroad depots for the
Concord and Claremont Railroad.
Since 1915, Hopkinton has been home to the
Hopkinton State Fair, an event which attracts thousands of visitors each year during the
Labor Day
Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
weekend.
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 3.97% of the town.
Hopkinton is drained by the
Contoocook River and its tributary, the
Warner River, except for the southeast part of town, which drains to the
Turkey River. The highest point in town is Shaker Hill, on the border with
Henniker, with an elevation of 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 ...
. Hopkinton 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.
Adjacent municipalities
*
Webster (north)
*
Concord (east)
*
Bow (southeast)
*
Dunbarton (southeast)
*
Weare (south)
*
Henniker (west)
*
Warner (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 2010, there were 5,589 people, 2,204 households, and 1,631 families residing in the town. The population density was . The racial makeup of the town was 97.7%
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 ...
, 0.3%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.1%
Native American, 0.6%
Asian, 0.07%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 0.1% from
other races, and 1.2% from two or more races.
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 of any race were 1% of the population.
There were 2,204 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 20, 3.3% from 20 to 24, 20.1% from 25 to 44, 35.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.8 years.
The median income for a household in the town was $84,911, and the median income for a family was $88,796. Males had a median income of $53,806 versus $45,656 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 $40,580. About 4.2% of the population was 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 ...
.
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 ...
, Hopkinton is in the 15th District, represented by
Democrat Becky Whitley. On the
New Hampshire Executive Council, Hopkinton is in the 2nd District, represented by
Democrat Cinde Warmington. 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 ...
, Hopkinton 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.
Education
Public education is managed by the
Hopkinton School District. Kindergarten through third-grade students attend Harold Martin School in Hopkinton village, and fourth through sixth graders attend Maple Street School in Contoocook village. The middle school is combined with
Hopkinton High School in Contoocook village, which serves seventh through twelfth graders, and its sports teams are nicknamed the Hawks.
The town of Hopkinton also includes The Beech Hill School, an independent middle school serving grades 6th through 8th.
Notable people
*
Rose Flanders Bascom (1880–1915), first American female
lion tamer
*
Carlton Chase (1794–1870), bishop of the
Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
*
Alvan Flanders (1825–1894), delegate from the
Territory of Washington
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...
*
John Williams Gunnison (1812–1853), captain and surveyor with
Corps of Topographical Engineers
Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gene ...
; attended Hopkinton Academy
*
Matthew Harvey
Matthew Harvey (June 21, 1781 – April 7, 1866) was a United States representative from New Hampshire, the 13th governor of New Hampshire and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. ...
(1781–1866), lawyer, politician; 13th
Governor of New Hampshire
The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Hampshire.
The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along w ...
*
Otto Heino (1915–2009), husband of Vivika,
ceramics
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porce ...
artist
*
Vivika Heino (1910–1995), wife of Otto, ceramics artist
*
John S.C. Knowlton (1798–1871), newspaper editor, publisher, politician
*
Annie Kuster (born 1956), current U.S. congresswoman representing New Hampshire's Second District
*
Mary Greenleaf Clement Leavitt (1830–1912), first round-the-world missionary for the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
*
Stephen Harriman Long (1784–1864), engineer, explorer, inventor
*
David Luneau (born 1965),
Democratic member of the
New Hampshire House of Representatives
The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral State legislature (United States), legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members com ...
,
inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
*
John Lynch (born 1952), 80th
Governor of New Hampshire
The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Hampshire.
The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along w ...
*
Susan Lynch
Susan Lynch (born 1971) is an actress from Northern Ireland. She is known for her role in the 2003 film '' 16 Years of Alcohol''. Her other film appearances include '' Waking Ned Devine'' (1998), '' Nora'' (2000), '' Beautiful Creatures'' (200 ...
, First Lady of New Hampshire to
John Lynch
*
George H. Perkins (1836–1899),
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (India), in India
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...
for the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
*
Isabel Weld Perkins
Isabel Anderson (March 29, 1876 – November 3, 1948), , was a Boston heiress, author, and society hostess who left a legacy to the public that includes a park and two museums.
Life
Early life
Born at 284 Marlborough Street in Boston's B ...
(1876–1948),
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
area heiress, author and daughter of
George H. Perkins
*
Elizabeth Wentworth Roberts (1871–1927), painter; founder of the
Concord Art Association
*
Tina Satter,
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
-based playwright and director
*
Irene Shepard (1922–2014), educator, politician
*
David Souter
David Hackett Souter ( ; September 17, 1939 – May 8, 2025) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1990 until his retirement in 2009. Appointed by President George H ...
(1939-2025), former associate justice of the
US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
*
Richard Sylla, writer, professor
*
Susan Ware (born 1950), writer and editor at the
American National Biography
The ''American National Biography'' (ANB) is a 24-volume biographical encyclopedia set that contains about 17,400 entries and 20 million words, first published in 1999 by Oxford University Press under the auspices of the American Council of Lea ...
National Register of Historic Places
Sites of interest
Hopkinton Historical SocietyFirst Congregational Church of HopkintonContoocook Depot and Restored Pullman Passenger Coach*
Contoocook Railroad Bridge
*
Rowell's Covered Bridge
*
Perkins Manor
*
Howe-Quimby House
*
Stanley Tavern
*
St. Methodios Faith and Heritage Center
*
Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail
References
External links
*
Hopkinton & Contoocook Visitor CenterHopkinton Town LibraryHopkinton State Fair
{{authority control
Towns in Merrimack County, New Hampshire
Populated places established in 1765
1765 establishments in New Hampshire
Towns in New Hampshire