Local government in New Hampshire facts for kids

Local government in New Hampshire is how different parts of the state are managed. It includes governments for counties, school districts, and towns or cities. These local governments help make important decisions for the people living there every day.

Understanding New Hampshire's Counties

New Hampshire has 10 counties. Counties are like large areas within the state. They are in charge of some important services. These include local sheriff services, which help with law enforcement. Counties also run nursing homes for older adults and prisons.

Each county is managed by a group called a board of county commissioners. However, in New Hampshire, county governments are not as powerful as they are in many other states. Most of the important local decisions are made by the towns and cities instead.

How Towns and Cities Govern Themselves

New Hampshire has 234 official towns and cities. There are 13 cities and 221 towns. Under state law, towns and cities are treated almost the same. The main difference used to be how they made decisions. Cities were often towns that changed their government style. They moved away from the traditional town meeting system. Instead, they adopted a "city form" of government. This change needed a special law from the New Hampshire General Court, which is the state's legislature.

Since 1979, any town or city can change its government style. They can create a new plan, called a municipal charter. Voters then need to approve this new charter. Towns and cities are technically parts of the state. But in New Hampshire, they have a lot of freedom to make their own rules.

These 234 towns and cities cover most of New Hampshire. However, some small areas in the northern part of the state are "unincorporated." This means they do not have their own town or city government. Most of these areas are in Coos County. This is the state's northernmost county. Carroll and Grafton counties also have small unincorporated areas. These areas include a few townships, gores, grants, purchases, and locations. Very few people, fewer than 250, live in these unincorporated places.

Here are some interesting facts about New Hampshire's towns and cities:

• The city of Manchester is the largest municipality by population. In 2010, about 109,565 people lived there.
• The largest town, not a city, is Derry. It had about 33,109 people in 2010.
• The smallest city is Franklin, with about 8,477 people.
• The smallest town overall is Hart's Location. Only 41 people lived there in 2010.
• The town of Pittsburg is the largest by land area. It covers 282 square miles (730 km²).
• The smallest town by land area is New Castle. It is only 0.83 square miles (2.1 km²).