North Conway is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) and

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in eastern Carroll 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 2,116 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, North Conway is the second-largest village within the town of

Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...

, after the village of Conway proper. North Conway maintains its own fire station, post office and public library, sharing its other services with Conway. The

White Mountain National Forest The White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) is a federally managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had alre ...

is to the west and north. The area is home to Cathedral Ledge (popular with climbers), Echo Lake State Park, and

Cranmore Mountain Resort Cranmore Mountain Resort, operating in the summer with a Mountain Adventure Park, is a ski area located in North Conway, New Hampshire, United States. It began operations in the winter of 1937–38, and was owned until 1984 by the Schneider fa ...

. North Conway is known for its large number of outlet shops.

History

Chartered in 1765 by colonial 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 ...

, the town is named for

Henry Seymour Conway Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway (1721 – 9 July 1795) was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole, he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession. He held ...

, ambitious son of a prominent English family, who was elected to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

at age 20, fought at Culloden, and became Secretary of State. Early settlers called the area Pequawket (known colloquially as "Pigwacket"), adopting the name of the

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people 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 pred ...

Indian village which stretched down the

Saco River The Saco River ( , 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, emptying into the Atlantic O ...

to its

stockade A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls, made of logs placed side by side vertically, with the tops sharpened as a defensive wall. Etymology ''Stockade'' is derived from the French word ''estocade''. The French word was derived f ...

d center at Fryeburg, Maine. North Conway is in the White Mountains, with

Mount Washington Mount Washington is an ultra-prominent mountain in the state of New Hampshire. It is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorio ...

to the northwest. The rugged terrain became popular in the 19th century with artists. Their paintings were known collectively as

White Mountain art White Mountain art is the body of work created during the 19th century by over four hundred artists who painted landscape scenes of the White Mountains (New Hampshire), White Mountains of New Hampshire in order to promote the region and, consequen ...

, which in turn attracted tourists to the area, particularly after the Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway Railroad extended service in 1872 to North Conway. In 1874, the line built a Second Empire depot, designed by Nathaniel J. Bradlee. In 1932, "snow trains" began carrying enthusiasts to "the birthplace of American

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

", as North Conway is known. North Conway remains a popular destination due to its shopping, recreation, and attractions.

Recreation

North Conway and its surrounding towns offer

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

in the

. The area is a major

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

destination in the

northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

, particularly Cathedral Ledge in Echo Lake State Park. The cliff overlooks Echo Lake and North Conway from the west. Unlike nearby White Horse Ledge, another rock climbing site, Cathedral Ledge has an automobile road to the summit, which provides fine views of the Saco River Valley. In late September through early October, tourists arrive to see the autumn foliage on the surrounding mountains and forests. The Conway Scenic Railroad features train rides that leave from the village's

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

station. In the winter, the village is the nighttime destination for

skiers Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International ...

visiting the area resorts, including North Conway's own Cranmore Mountain as well as nearby Attitash Mountain Resort, Black Mountain and Wildcat Mountain. North Conway is home to the Green Hills Preserve. The preserve encompasses several mountains in the Mt. Washington Valley, and is a low north-south running mountain ridge flanking the east side of Route 16. The preserve includes Rattlesnake Mountain, Middle Mountain, Peaked Mountain, and Black Cap mountain.

Geography

North Conway is located at (44.051534, -71.122752), in the northern part of the town of

. 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 North Conway census-designated place (CDP) includes the village of North Conway plus the Conway portion of the neighboring community of Kearsarge. The CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.04%, are water. The

forms the western edge of the North Conway CDP.

Climate

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 2,349 people, 1,105 households, and 547 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,804 housing units, of which 699, or 38.7%, were vacant. 551 of the vacant units were seasonal or vacation properties. The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.7%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.6% some other race, and 1.7% 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 1.6% of the population. There were 1,105 households, out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.1% were headed by

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, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.5% were non-families. 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07, and the average family size was 2.73. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males. For the period 2007–11, the estimated median annual income for a household in the CDP was $40,804, and the median income for a family was $46,832. Male full-time workers had a median income of $31,764 versus $23,859 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 CDP was $21,664. About 12.1% of families and 21.9% 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 ...

Notable people

* Ed Ashnault — college football and basketball coach; grew up in North Conway *

Benjamin Champney Benjamin Champney (November 20, 1817Champney (1900) – December 11, 1907) was a painter known for his role in White Mountain art of the 19th century. He began his training as a lithographer under celebrated marine artist Fitz Henry Lane at Pe ...

— artist *

Gordon Clapp Gordon Clapp (born September 24, 1948) is an American actor best known for playing Det. Greg Medavoy for all 12 seasons of the television series ''NYPD Blue'', winning an Emmy Award in 1998. Early life and education Clapp was born in North Con ...

— actor *

E. E. Cummings Edward Estlin Cummings (October 14, 1894 – September 3, 1962), commonly known as e e cummings or E. E. Cummings, was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright. During World War I, he worked as an ambulance driver and was ...

— 20th century poet; summer resident; died (of a stroke) in North Conway, on September 3, 1962 *

Jigger Johnson Albert Lewis Johnson. (May 12, 1871 March 30, 1935), better known as Jigger Johnson (also nicknamed Wildcat Johnson, Jigger Jones, or simply The Jigger), was a legendary logging foreman, trapper, and fire warden for the U.S. Forest Service wh ...

— logger * Jeff Locke — Major League Baseball player, born in North Conway and raised in neighboring Redstone * Helen Bigelow Merriman — 19th century artist and philanthropist born in North Conway; she helped found Memorial Hospital, and served as president of the public library * Nathan W. Pease — photographer who lived and worked capturing images of area sites * Carroll Reed — ski instructor and promoter of the sport; founder of Carroll Reed Sportswear * Johann "Hannes" Schneider — Austrian ski instructor of the first half of the twentieth century and founder of the Arlberg Technique for teaching skiing; ran ski school in North Conway *

John Shea John Victor Shea III ( ; born April 14, 1949) is an American actor, film producer, and stage director. His career began on Broadway where he starred in '' Yentl,'' subsequently winning his first major award, the 1975 Theatre World Award. Shortl ...

— actor, producer and director * David A. Shirley — chemist *

Leanne Smith Leanne Smith (born May 28, 1987) is an American World Cup alpine ski racer and specializes in the speed events. Early life Born in North Conway, New Hampshire, Smith attended A. Crosby Kennett High School. She spent her skiing time on the lo ...

— two-time Olympian and World Cup alpine ski racer * Martha Pearson Smith (1836-?) — poet, musician, temperance activist * Julia Ruth Stevens — daughter of Babe Ruth Quote: "Years of living in North Conway, NH, and watching the Red Sox on local TV have made her a true Boston fan."

Sites of interest

* Echo Lake State Park * Cranmore Mountain Sites on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

: * North Conway 5 and 10 Cent Store * Eastern Slope Inn * Conway Scenic Railroad

References

External links

Town of Conway official website

Conway Historical Society

Conway Public Library

''The Conway Daily Sun''
local newspaper
Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau
{{authority control Census-designated places in Carroll County, New Hampshire Census-designated places in New Hampshire