North Conway, New Hampshire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
North Conway, New Hampshire
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Buildings in downtown North Conway
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 North Conway, New Hampshire
Location in New Hampshire
North Conway, New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Carroll |
| Town | Conway |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.96 sq mi (18.02 km2) |
| • Land | 6.82 sq mi (17.65 km2) |
| • Water | 0.14 sq mi (0.37 km2) |
| Elevation | 525 ft (160 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,116 |
| • Density | 310.49/sq mi (119.89/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
03860 (North Conway)
03847 (Kearsarge) |
| Area code(s) | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-53860 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0872395 |
North Conway is a small community in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. It's known as a census-designated place (CDP) and a village. In 2020, about 2,116 people lived here.
North Conway is a popular place to visit all year round. It's the second-largest village in the town of Conway. North Conway has its own fire station, post office, and public library. It shares other services with the larger town of Conway.
To the west and north, you'll find the huge White Mountain National Forest. The area is also home to Cathedral Ledge, which climbers love. You can also visit Echo Lake State Park and Cranmore Mountain Resort. North Conway is famous for its many outlet shops, where you can find great deals.
Contents
History of North Conway
North Conway has a rich history, from its early days to becoming a popular tourist spot.
Early Beginnings
In 1765, Governor Benning Wentworth officially created the town. It was named after Henry Seymour Conway, an important English family member. He was elected to the British House of Commons at just 20 years old.
The first settlers called the area Pequawket. This was the name of the Abenaki Indian village. Their village stretched along the Saco River.
A Place for Artists and Tourists
North Conway is located in the beautiful White Mountains. Mount Washington is to the northwest. In the 1800s, artists loved the rugged scenery here. Their paintings were called White Mountain art.
These paintings made more people want to visit the area. Tourism grew even more when the Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway Railroad reached North Conway in 1872. In 1874, the railway built a beautiful train station. It was designed by Nathaniel J. Bradlee.
The Rise of Skiing
In 1932, special "snow trains" started bringing people to North Conway. It became known as "the birthplace of American skiing."
Changes in Transportation
Over time, more people started traveling by car. This led to fewer people using trains. The railroad stopped passenger service in 1961 and freight service in 1972.
Later, the Conway Scenic Railroad was started. Today, this train offers fun tours of the area. It even goes through Crawford Notch. The old train station is now a historic site.
Modern Growth and Development
In the late 1980s, the White Mountain Airport closed. It was turned into a large outlet mall called Settlers' Green Outlet Village.
North Conway and nearby villages grew a lot in the 1990s and 2000s. This made Conway the most populated community in Carroll County. More traffic led to changes in the roads. Route 16 was made wider. A new road was built next to Route 16. This helped traffic move better between Redstone and Intervale.
North Conway is still a very popular place to visit. People come for its shopping, outdoor activities, and fun attractions.
Fun Things to Do in North Conway
North Conway and its nearby towns offer many exciting activities, especially outdoors.
Hiking and Rock Climbing
You can go hiking in the huge White Mountain National Forest. The area is also a top spot for rock climbing in the northeastern United States. Cathedral Ledge in Echo Lake State Park is especially popular.
This 500-foot (150 m) tall cliff looks over Echo Lake and North Conway. Unlike White Horse Ledge, another climbing spot, Cathedral Ledge has a road to its top. From the summit, you get amazing views of the Saco River Valley.
Seasonal Activities
In late September and early October, many tourists come to see the beautiful autumn foliage. The leaves on the mountains and forests turn bright colors.
The Conway Scenic Railroad offers train rides from the village's old Victorian station. In winter, North Conway is a busy place for skiers. They visit local resorts like Cranmore Mountain. Other nearby ski areas include Attitash Mountain Resort, Black Mountain, and Wildcat Mountain.
Green Hills Preserve
North Conway is also home to the Green Hills Preserve. This preserve includes several mountains in the Mt. Washington Valley. It's a low mountain ridge on the east side of Route 16. The preserve covers mountains like Rattlesnake Mountain, Middle Mountain, Peaked Mountain, and Black Cap mountain.
Geography and Climate
North Conway is located in the northern part of the town of Conway. Its exact location is 44°3′6″N 71°7′22″W / 44.05167°N 71.12278°W.
The North Conway census-designated place (CDP) includes the village of North Conway. It also includes part of the nearby community of Kearsarge. The total area of the CDP is about 6.9 square miles (18.0 km2). Most of this area, about 6.8 square miles (17.7 km2), is land. The rest, about 0.2 square miles (0.4 km2), is water. The Saco River flows along the western edge of North Conway.
Weather in North Conway
North Conway has a climate with warm summers and cold, snowy winters.
| Climate data for North Conway, New Hampshire (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 61 (16) |
71 (22) |
85 (29) |
92 (33) |
98 (37) |
102 (39) |
100 (38) |
103 (39) |
98 (37) |
88 (31) |
77 (25) |
71 (22) |
103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 49.4 (9.7) |
52.7 (11.5) |
61.6 (16.4) |
78.6 (25.9) |
87.8 (31.0) |
91.9 (33.3) |
92.3 (33.5) |
90.6 (32.6) |
86.7 (30.4) |
75.7 (24.3) |
65.4 (18.6) |
52.9 (11.6) |
94.9 (34.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 30.0 (−1.1) |
33.4 (0.8) |
41.7 (5.4) |
55.1 (12.8) |
67.8 (19.9) |
76.2 (24.6) |
81.4 (27.4) |
79.9 (26.6) |
72.3 (22.4) |
58.7 (14.8) |
46.2 (7.9) |
35.6 (2.0) |
56.5 (13.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 19.9 (−6.7) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
43.2 (6.2) |
55.4 (13.0) |
64.6 (18.1) |
69.7 (20.9) |
67.9 (19.9) |
60.0 (15.6) |
47.7 (8.7) |
36.8 (2.7) |
26.6 (−3.0) |
45.4 (7.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 9.9 (−12.3) |
11.1 (−11.6) |
20.4 (−6.4) |
31.3 (−0.4) |
43.0 (6.1) |
53.1 (11.7) |
58.0 (14.4) |
55.9 (13.3) |
47.7 (8.7) |
36.6 (2.6) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
17.7 (−7.9) |
34.3 (1.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −9.4 (−23.0) |
−6.9 (−21.6) |
0.2 (−17.7) |
20.7 (−6.3) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
41.1 (5.1) |
48.5 (9.2) |
45.9 (7.7) |
33.5 (0.8) |
24.6 (−4.1) |
13.2 (−10.4) |
0.1 (−17.7) |
−12.0 (−24.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −34 (−37) |
−34 (−37) |
−22 (−30) |
0 (−18) |
18 (−8) |
29 (−2) |
33 (1) |
26 (−3) |
20 (−7) |
10 (−12) |
−4 (−20) |
−24 (−31) |
−34 (−37) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.60 (91) |
3.18 (81) |
3.67 (93) |
4.41 (112) |
3.68 (93) |
4.53 (115) |
4.50 (114) |
4.39 (112) |
3.67 (93) |
5.46 (139) |
4.47 (114) |
4.55 (116) |
50.11 (1,273) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 20.1 (51) |
21.8 (55) |
15.9 (40) |
4.5 (11) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
4.5 (11) |
16.9 (43) |
84.0 (213) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 16.2 (41) |
23.2 (59) |
20.8 (53) |
7.8 (20) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
2.9 (7.4) |
10.6 (27) |
25.1 (64) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11.2 | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.3 | 13.4 | 14.0 | 13.5 | 11.4 | 10.5 | 12.8 | 11.5 | 12.4 | 141.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 9.7 | 8.0 | 6.9 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.7 | 8.1 | 37.8 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
People of North Conway
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 1,104 | — | |
| 1970 | 1,723 | 56.1% | |
| 1980 | 2,104 | 22.1% | |
| 1990 | 2,032 | −3.4% | |
| 2000 | 2,069 | 1.8% | |
| 2010 | 2,349 | 13.5% | |
| 2020 | 2,116 | −9.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 2,349 people living in North Conway. There were 1,105 households and 547 families. About 94.7% of the people were White. Other groups included African American, Native American, and Asian people. About 1.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Many different types of households live in North Conway. About 23.3% of households had children under 18. About 33.1% were married couples. Around 50.5% were non-family households. The average household had 2.07 people.
The population includes people of all ages. About 18.6% were under 18. About 29.1% were between 45 and 64 years old. And 16.8% were 65 or older. The average age was 42.1 years.
The estimated average yearly income for a household was $40,804. For families, it was $46,832. About 12.1% of families and 21.9% of all people lived below the poverty line.
Famous People from North Conway
Many interesting people have connections to North Conway:
- Ed Ashnault, a college football and basketball coach, grew up here.
- Benjamin Champney, a well-known artist.
- Gordon Clapp, an actor.
- E. E. Cummings, a famous poet, spent summers here and passed away in North Conway in 1962.
- Jigger Johnson, a logger.
- Jeff Locke, a Major League Baseball player, was born in North Conway.
- Helen Bigelow Merriman, an artist and helper of the community. She helped start Memorial Hospital.
- Nathan W. Pease, a photographer who took pictures of the area.
- Carroll Reed, a ski instructor who helped promote skiing. He founded Carroll Reed Sportswear.
- Johann "Hannes" Schneider, an Austrian ski instructor who ran a ski school in North Conway.
- John Shea, an actor, producer, and director.
- David A. Shirley, a chemist.
- Leanne Smith, an Olympic alpine ski racer.
- Martha Pearson Smith, a poet, musician, and activist.
- Julia Ruth Stevens, the daughter of famous baseball player Babe Ruth.
Places to Visit
North Conway has several interesting places to explore:
These sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
Images for kids
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Mount Washington in 1872
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Aerial view of North Conway in 1921
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Cathedral Ledge in 1914
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White Horse Ledge and Echo Lake around 1908
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The Kearsarge House, an old grand hotel, around 1910
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See also
In Spanish: North Conway (Nuevo Hampshire) para niños
