Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. In 2020, about 23,047 people lived there. It is the main city and county seat of Cheshire County.

Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England. For many years, it hosted New Hampshire's yearly pumpkin festival, which sometimes set world records for the most jack-o'-lanterns on display. The large grocery company C&S Wholesale Grocers is also based in Keene.

History of Keene

The area was first called "Upper Ashuelot" in 1735. Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher gave the land to 63 settlers. It was meant to be a fort town to protect the Province of Massachusetts Bay during the French and Indian Wars. In 1741, Upper Ashuelot became part of New Hampshire.

In 1747, during King George's War, Natives attacked and burned the village. The colonists left for safety but returned in 1749 to rebuild. In 1753, Governor Benning Wentworth renamed the town "Keene." It was named after Sir Benjamin Keene, who was an English minister to Spain and a trader. Keene became the county seat in 1769.

Boston and Maine railroad yard in Keene, around 1916

Timothy Dwight IV, a former president of Yale University, once called Keene "one of the prettiest in New England." The area was great for farming because it was in a valley with fertile meadows, surrounded by hills. The Ashuelot River provided water power for sawmills and other factories.

When the railroad arrived in 1848, many new industries started. Keene became a center for making things like wooden items, chairs, windows, doors, pottery, glass, and shoes. It also had a brickyard and a metal foundry. Keene officially became a city in 1874. By 1880, its population had grown to 6,784 people.

In the 20th century, manufacturing in New England slowed down, especially during the Great Depression. Today, Keene is known for insurance, education, and tourism. The city still has many beautiful Victorian buildings from its busy factory days. For example, the Keene Public Library is in a grand mansion built around 1869.

Keene was an important railroad city. Several railroad lines met there, including the Cheshire Railroad and the Ashuelot Railroad. By the early 1900s, the Boston & Maine Railroad took over all these lines. Keene had railroad shops and two train yards. Over time, many of the rail lines were closed. The last train left Keene in 1984. Today, the old railroad tracks are used as walking and biking paths, called the Cheshire Rail Trail and the Ashuelot Rail Trail.

Geography of Keene

Keene is located at 42.9339 degrees north latitude and -72.2784 degrees west longitude.

The city covers about 37.5 square miles (97.1 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water. The Ashuelot River flows through Keene. The highest point in Keene is Grays Hill, which is 1,388 feet (423 meters) above sea level. All of Keene is part of the Connecticut River watershed.

Many state highways meet in Keene, making it easy to travel to other towns. For example, New Hampshire Route 9 goes northeast to Concord, the state capital. New Hampshire Route 101 goes east to Manchester. There is also a bypass road that helps traffic go around the busy downtown area.

Keene is served by Dillant–Hopkins Airport, which is just south of the city.

Climate in Keene

Keene has a humid continental climate, which means it has four very clear seasons.

Summers are warm. The average high temperature in July is about 82°F (28°C), and the hottest temperature ever recorded in Keene was 102°F (39°C). Sometimes, it can feel even hotter due to high humidity. Thunderstorms can happen in the summer, but the Green Mountains to the west often make them less strong by the time they reach Keene.

Winters in Keene can be very cold and snowy. A lot of snow comes from storms called nor'easters, which form along the Atlantic coast. These storms can sometimes bring blizzard conditions. Keene often gets a lot of snow because it's where cold air from the north meets moisture from the south. Even in warmer winters, temperatures usually drop below 0°F (−18°C) at least once. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Keene was −31°F (−35°C). Strong winds can make it feel even colder.

Snow can fall until the end of April, but warm days (80°F or 27°C) can start as early as late March. Fall weather is similar. The first snowfall usually happens in early November, but it can still be 60°F (16°C) in mid-November. Heavy rain can occur in spring and fall, sometimes causing floods.

Climate chart

Climate data for Keene, New Hampshire
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	32.2 (0.1)	35.6 (2.0)	45.3 (7.4)	58.6 (14.8)	71.2 (21.8)	79.2 (26.2)	83.8 (28.8)	81.5 (27.5)	73.4 (23.0)	62.4 (16.9)	48.6 (9.2)	35.4 (1.9)	58.9 (15.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	9.9 (−12.3)	12.6 (−10.8)	23.2 (−4.9)	32.9 (0.5)	43.5 (6.4)	52.7 (11.5)	57.4 (14.1)	55.9 (13.3)	47.8 (8.8)	37.2 (2.9)	29.5 (−1.4)	17.1 (−8.3)	35.0 (1.6)

Keene's Population

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	1,314	—
1800	1,645	25.2%
1810	1,646	0.1%
1820	1,895	15.1%
1830	2,374	25.3%
1840	2,610	9.9%
1850	3,392	30.0%
1860	4,320	27.4%
1870	5,971	38.2%
1880	6,784	13.6%
1890	7,446	9.8%
1900	9,165	23.1%
1910	10,068	9.9%
1920	11,210	11.3%
1930	13,794	23.1%
1940	13,832	0.3%
1950	15,638	13.1%
1960	17,562	12.3%
1970	20,467	16.5%
1980	21,449	4.8%
1990	22,430	4.6%
2000	22,955	2.3%
2010	23,409	2.0%
2020	23,047	−1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

Freight yards in 1907

In 2010, there were 23,409 people living in Keene. The city had 9,052 households. Most of the people living in Keene were White (95.3%). Other groups included Asian (2.0%), African American (0.6%), and Native American (0.2%). About 1.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average household size was about 2.26 people. The median age in the city was 34.0 years old.

Media in Keene

Keene has several local media sources:

Print

The Keene Sentinel (local newspaper)
The Monadnock Shopper News
The Equinox (student newspaper of Keene State College)
Parent Express
FPP News

Radio

Keene has several radio stations:

AM

WZBK 1220 (Sports)
WKBK 1290 (News/Talk)

FM

WEVN 90.7 (from New Hampshire Public Radio)
WKNH 91.3 (from Keene State College)
WSNI 97.7 (Adult Contemporary music)
W256BJ 99.1 (Adult Album Alternative music)
W276CB 103.1 (Oldies music)
WKNE 103.7 (Hot Adult Contemporary music)

Syndicated programming

Free Talk Live (a nationally broadcast radio talk show based in Keene)

Television

Cheshire TV (local cable programming)
WEKW-TV (Digital 48/Virtual 52) is a New Hampshire Public Television station, part of PBS.

Keene is part of the Boston television market. Time Warner Cable provides cable TV in Keene, offering most major Boston and New Hampshire channels.

Education in Keene

Public Library around 1920

Keene is known as a "college town" because it is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England. Many students from these colleges live in the city.

For younger students, Keene has Keene High School, which is the largest high school in Cheshire County, serving about 1,850 students. There is one middle school, Keene Middle School, and four elementary schools: Fuller, Franklin, Symonds, and Wheelock.

Keene is part of New Hampshire's School Administrative Unit 29 (SAU 29).

Culture in Keene

Religion

Keene has more than 20 churches and one synagogue. A well-known building in downtown Keene is the United Church of Christ at Central Square. People often call it the "White Church" or the "Church at the Head of the Square." Another church on the square, Grace United Methodist Church, known as the "Brick Church," is now privately owned.

Keene is home to the Roman Catholic Parish of the Holy Spirit, which has two churches: Saint Bernard and Saint Margaret Mary. There is also an Episcopal church, Saint James, and a Greek Orthodox church, Saint George. The town's synagogue is the Congregation Ahavas Achim. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also has a building in Keene.

Festivals

Pumpkin Festival

Some of the thousands of pumpkins at the 2000 Keene Pumpkin Festival

From 1991 to 2014, Keene hosted an annual event called the Keene Pumpkin Festival, also known as Pumpkin Fest. This festival set world records several times for having the most lit jack-o'-lanterns on display at once. In 2013, Keene set a new record with 30,581 pumpkins! Besides the huge towers of pumpkins, there were also face painting, fireworks, music, and other fun activities.

After some issues with large crowds and safety concerns at the 2014 event, the festival moved to Laconia the next year and was renamed the New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival. Since 2017, a smaller, more family-friendly Keene Pumpkin Festival has been held, focusing on children's activities.

Music Festival

In late August or early September, Keene hosts the Keene Music Festival. Several stages are set up downtown, and many bands perform. The event is free for everyone and is supported by local businesses. People from the community enjoy walking around and listening to the music.

Pride Festival

Keene Pride Week and festival happens every year during the second week of September.

Music and Theatre

In 1979, First Lady Rosalynn Carter dedicated the bandstand in Central Square. It was named the E. E. Bagley Bandstand, after the famous composer of the National Emblem March, who lived in Keene.

Many local groups perform regularly, including the Keene Chamber Orchestra, the Keene Chamber Singers, the Keene Chorale, and the Keene Jazz Orchestra.

The Cheshiremen Chorus, a local barbershop harmony group, meets weekly. The Monadnock Pathway Singers are a volunteer group that sings for people in nursing homes and hospitals.

Every year, the Keene branch of the Lions Clubs International puts on a Broadway musical at the Colonial Theatre (a restored theatre from 1924). They do this to raise money for the community. Other places for performances include the Keene High School Auditorium and the Larracey Auditorium at Keene Middle School. Keene Cinemas is the local movie theater.

Sports

Keene is home to the Keene Swamp Bats baseball team. They are part of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL). The Swamp Bats play at Alumni Field during June and July. They have won the league championship five times.

The Elm City Derby Damez is a roller derby team based in Keene. They play against other women's flat track leagues in the northeastern United States.

The Monadnock Wolfpack Rugby Football Club also calls Keene home. They play rugby at Carpenter Field.

Community Activism

Keene has become home to an active group called Free Keene. This group is connected to the Free State Project, which encourages people who believe in limited government to move to New Hampshire.

Some Free Keene activists have done things like paying for expired parking meters to help other citizens avoid tickets. This has sometimes led to disagreements with parking enforcement officers. A judge once ruled that these "Robin Hooders" had the right to do this on public sidewalks.