Greenfield, New Hampshire Facts for Kids

Greenfield is a small town located in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. In 2020, about 1,716 people lived there. Greenfield is special because it's home to the Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center, a beautiful place called Greenfield State Park, and part of the famous Wapack Trail.

History of Greenfield
Geography of Greenfield
Population of Greenfield
Images for kids
See also

History of Greenfield

Greenfield was first settled in 1753 and was known as "Lyndeborough Addition." The Lynde family were some of the first people to live here.

Why Greenfield Got Its Name

The early settlers found it hard to get to the nearest church and school because of the big Monadnock hills. So, in 1791, they asked to form their own town. They chose the name "Greenfield" because the area had lots of flat, fertile land that was great for farming.

Crotched Mountain Center

In 1953, the Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center opened in Greenfield. It was started by Harry Gregg. This center helps people with different physical and brain challenges.

It first helped people with conditions like polio and cerebral palsy.
In 1961, a center for adults opened.
In 1986, they added a center for adults who had brain injuries.
Today, the center helps over 2,000 children and adults.
In 2004, they built the first wheelchair-friendly tree house in New Hampshire, which is super cool!

The Yankee Siege Trebuchet

Greenfield is also home to something called the Yankee Siege. This is a very powerful trebuchet, which is like a giant catapult used in old times. It's known as one of the strongest trebuchets in the world!

Since 2004, the Yankee Siege has taken part in the World Championship Punkin' Chunkin' Contest in Sussex County, Delaware.
In 2008, it officially threw a pumpkin 1,897 feet (about 578 meters).
There are even unofficial reports of it throwing pumpkins over 2,000 feet (about 610 meters)!

Geography of Greenfield

Greenfield covers about 26.7 square miles (69.3 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 26.2 square miles (67.9 square kilometers), and a small part, about 0.5 square miles (1.4 square kilometers), is water.

Rivers and Waterways

The southeastern part of Greenfield has Stony Brook, which flows southeast into the Souhegan River.
The western part of town, including the main center, is drained by the Contoocook River and a smaller stream called Otter Brook. The Contoocook River forms the northwestern edge of the town and flows through Powder Mill Pond.
The northeastern corner of Greenfield is drained by Rand Brook, which flows into the South Branch of the Piscataquog River.
All the water in Greenfield eventually flows into the Merrimack River.

Highest Point

The highest point in Greenfield is North Pack Monadnock. This mountain is about 2,276 feet (694 meters) above sea level. It's the northernmost peak of the Wapack Range.

Neighboring Towns

Greenfield shares its borders with several other towns:

To the north: Bennington, New Hampshire
To the northeast: Francestown, New Hampshire
To the east: Lyndeborough, New Hampshire
To the south: Temple, New Hampshire
To the southwest: Peterborough, New Hampshire
To the west: Hancock, New Hampshire

Population of Greenfield

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	934	—
1810	980	4.9%
1820	974	−0.6%
1830	946	−2.9%
1840	834	−11.8%
1850	716	−14.1%
1860	692	−3.4%
1870	527	−23.8%
1880	649	23.1%
1890	607	−6.5%
1900	605	−0.3%
1910	574	−5.1%
1920	417	−27.4%
1930	394	−5.5%
1940	407	3.3%
1950	430	5.7%
1960	538	25.1%
1970	1,058	96.7%
1980	972	−8.1%
1990	1,519	56.3%
2000	1,657	9.1%
2010	1,749	5.6%
2020	1,716	−1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2000, there were 1,657 people living in Greenfield. The population has grown over the years. About 38.9% of the households had children under 18 living with them. The average age of people in Greenfield was 34 years old.