Sullivan 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
Cheshire 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 658 at the
2020 census.
It includes the villages of East Sullivan and Ellisville.
History
Named for General
John Sullivan and incorporated on September 27, 1787, Sullivan was formed from parts of
Gilsum,
Keene,
Nelson and
Stoddard. Farming became the chief occupation. By 1859, the population was 468.
In 1867, Sullivan was the first town in New Hampshire to dedicate a monument to its soldiers lost in the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. The monument sits across from the Sullivan Congregational Church.
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 1.01% of the town.
It is drained by Ferry Brook, Meetinghouse Brook, Spaulding Brook and
Otter Brook, all part of the
Ashuelot River watershed flowing to the
Connecticut River. The highest point in Sullivan is the summit of Boynton Hill at , in the northern part of town.
The town is served by
New Hampshire Route 9.
Adjacent municipalities
*
Gilsum (northwest)
*
Stoddard (northeast)
*
Nelson (east)
*
Roxbury (south)
*
Keene (southwest)
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 746 people, 282 households, and 208 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 299 housing units at an average density of 16.2 per square mile (6.2/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.39%
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 ...
, 0.13%
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 ...
, 0.94%
Native American, 0.27%
Asian, and 0.27% 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 0.40% of the population.
There were 282 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were
married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,058, and the median income for a family was $52,386. Males had a median income of $30,900 versus $24,896 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 $21,143. About 0.9% of families and 4.5% 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 ...
, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Education
The town of Sullivan operates its own independent school district and school administrative unit, governed by a five-member elected school board. Students in Sullivan attend neighboring
Nelson Elementary School for kindergarten through grade six,
Keene Middle School for grades seven and eight, and
Keene High School.
From 1960 to 2013, Sullivan had been a member of the cooperative Monadnock Regional School District. Its elementary-aged students attended school at the Sullivan Central School on Centre Street (until its closure in 2012) and neighboring
Gilsum Elementary School. Middle and high school students attended
Monadnock Regional High School in
Swanzey.
At the March 2012 annual
town meeting, residents of Sullivan voted to begin the process of withdrawing from the cooperative school district. A withdrawal plan was passed by a district study committee and approved by school district voters on November 27, 2012. On July 1, 2013, the town began operating its own independent school district. By law, the former Sullivan Central School building has been reacquired by the new school district, but is not intended to be reopened.
[Report of Sullivan Withdrawal Committee]
, September 5, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
Notable people
*
Charles C. Comstock (1818–1900), businessman, US congressman from
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
*
David H. Mason (1818–1873), US congressman from Massachusetts,
US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts
*
Rufus Osgood Mason (1830–1903), physician, surgeon, teacher, early researcher in
parapsychology and
hypnotherapy
*
John Morressy (1930–2006), science fiction and fantasy writer; professor of English at
Franklin Pierce College
References
External links
*
Sullivan Public Library
{{authority control
Towns in Cheshire County, New Hampshire
Towns in New Hampshire
Populated places established in 1787
1787 establishments in New Hampshire