History
Settled in 1777 and originally a part of Gilmanton, the town was first called Gunstock Parish. In 1812, Captain Lemuel B. Mason, who had fought in the 1781 Battle of Guilford Court House in North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War and subsequently retired to Gunstock Parish, successfully proposed incorporation of a new town to be named Guilford after that battle. The name would later be contracted by clerical error. The original parish name is used by the Gunstock Ski Area at Gunstock Mountain.Notable Inhabitants
- Benjamin Ames Kimball, builder of Kimball's Castle (1897)
- Penny Pitou, first US woman to win an Olympic medal in skiing
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water, comprising 27.59% of the town. Belknap Mountain, elevation above sea level and the highest point in Gilford, is in the south. Much of the town is drained by the Gunstock River, a tributary of Lake Winnipesaukee. Gilford lies fully within the Merrimack River watershed.Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,803 people, 2,766 households, and 2,019 families residing in the town. The population density was 174.6 people per square mile (67.4/km²). There were 4,312 housing units at an average density of 110.6/sq mi (42.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.32% White, 0.19% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.
There were 2,766 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $48,658, and the median income for a family was $56,554. Males had a median income of $38,839 versus $27,325 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,667. About 2.2% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of Interest
- John J. Morrill General Store (1857)
- Benjamin Rowe House (c. 1838)
- Union Meetinghouse (1834)
- Gunstock Mountain Resort
References
External links
- Town website
- Gilford Public Library
- Varney Point Gilford NH Weather and Webcam view
- Thompson-Ames Historical Society
- New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
- Gilford Police Department
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Last updated on Thursday June 19, 2008 at 06:07:32 PDT (GMT -0700)
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