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Bow, New Hampshire
Bow Center School (1894)
Bow Center School (1894)
Official seal of Bow, New Hampshire
Seal
Location in Merrimack County and the state of New Hampshire
Location in Merrimack County and the state of New Hampshire
Country United States
State New Hampshire
County Merrimack
Incorporated 1727
Villages Bow Mills
Bow Center
Bow Bog
Area
 • Total 28.55 sq mi (73.94 km2)
 • Land 28.17 sq mi (72.96 km2)
 • Water 0.37 sq mi (0.97 km2)  1.32%
Elevation
597 ft (182 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 8,229
 • Density 292/sq mi (112.8/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
03304
Area code(s) 603
FIPS code 33-06500
GNIS feature ID 0873548

Bow is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,229 at the 2020 census, up from 7,519 at the 2010 census, an increase of 9.4%.

History

The town was granted by the authorities of New Hampshire, to Jonathan Wiggin and others, in 1727, and was originally 9 miles (14 km) square, and covered nearly all the territory granted to Ebenezer Eastman and others, by the authorities of Massachusetts, two years previous, under the name of Pennacook (now Concord). Massachusetts claimed to hold authority over a large portion of the territory of New Hampshire for many years, till the final boundary line was established, in 1741, giving New Hampshire more territory than it had ever claimed. These complicated lines of the two towns coming from two different authorities, were not settled decisively till after the final separation of the two states. The government of New Hampshire gave Bow the preference in its grant of 1727, and did not recognize the title of the Pennacook grantees, and in the bill giving a charter for the parish of Concord, it was worded as "taking a part of the town of Bow," etc. Although Concord was granted and surveyed before Bow, its final organization was 38 years after it. Bow gained a victory over Concord in its original title; still it was obliged to yield over two-thirds of its territory to Concord, Pembroke and Hopkinton, establishing their final boundary lines at different times, from 1759 to 1765.

The town's name comes from its establishment along a bend, or "bow", in the Merrimack River. The first census, taken in 1790, reported 568 residents.

In 1874, the Concord Railroad passed along the eastern border of Bow. It is now the New England Southern Railroad.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.4 square miles (73.6 km2), of which 28.0 sq mi (72.6 km2) is land and 0.39 sq mi (1.0 km2) is water, comprising 1.38% of the town. The highest point in Bow is Picked Hill, at 915 feet (279 m) above sea level, in the southern part of town. Nearby Wood Hill and Brown Hill also top 900 feet (270 m). Bow lies fully within the Merrimack River watershed.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1790 568
1800 719 26.6%
1810 729 1.4%
1820 935 28.3%
1830 1,065 13.9%
1840 1,001 −6.0%
1850 1,055 5.4%
1860 909 −13.8%
1870 745 −18.0%
1880 734 −1.5%
1890 725 −1.2%
1900 617 −14.9%
1910 676 9.6%
1920 568 −16.0%
1930 780 37.3%
1940 942 20.8%
1950 1,062 12.7%
1960 1,340 26.2%
1970 2,479 85.0%
1980 4,015 62.0%
1990 5,500 37.0%
2000 7,138 29.8%
2010 7,519 5.3%
2020 8,229 9.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

At the 2000 census there were 7,138 people in 2,304 households, including 2,045 families, in the town. The population density was 254.3 people per square mile (98.2/km2). There were 2,330 housing units at an average density of 83.0 per square mile (32.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.79% White, 0.13% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.49%.

For the 2015-2019 period, the median household income was $122,230. The per capita income for the town was $48,900. About 2.0% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.[1]

Of the 2,304 households 49.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.0% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.2% were non-families. 8.6% of households were one person and 3.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.28.

The age distribution was 32.6% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

Education

In 1997, Bow built its first high school, Bow High School, along Turee Pond. Bow Memorial School (the middle school) and Bow Elementary School are located on Bow Center Road, less than a mile from the high school.

Transportation

Two New Hampshire State Routes and two Interstate Highways cross Bow.

  • NH 3A enters from Hooksett in the south, closely paralleling the Merrimack River and I-93 before leaving in the north into Concord.
  • NH 13 crosses the narrow salient in the extreme northwestern corner of town. It connects to Dunbarton in the west and Concord in the east.
  • Interstate 93 is a freeway that crosses the town from south to north, connecting Hooksett to Concord. There are no exits on I-93 to directly access the town of Bow, though one may use I-89 and exit at Logging Hill Road, or access NH 3A in Concord just north of the town line.
  • Interstate 89 ends in Bow at the interchange with I-93 in the extreme northeastern corner of town a few hundred yards south of the Concord city line; the roadway continues for a short distance after the end of I-89 to provide access to NH 3A. There is one additional exit along I-89 to access Logging Hill Road.

Notable people

  • Jamie Aube (born 1953), NASCAR driver
  • Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910), founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist; born in Bow
  • Sam Knox (1910–1981), American football player
  • John Ordway (1775–1817), member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
  • Caleb Scofield (1978–2018), bassist/vocalist for Cave In, Old Man Gloom, Zozobra
  • Dick Swett (born 1957), former U.S. representative

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Bow (Nuevo Hampshire) para niños

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