Sugar Hill, New Hampshire Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
Town
The Sunset Hill House, Sugar Hill, c. 1910
Location in Grafton County, New Hampshire
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Grafton
Incorporated	1962
Area
• Total	17.23 sq mi (44.63 km²)
• Land	17.05 sq mi (44.16 km²)
• Water	0.18 sq mi (0.47 km²) 1.06%
Elevation	1,325 ft (404 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	647
• Density	38/sq mi (14.7/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	03586
Area code(s)	603
FIPS code	33-74740
GNIS feature ID	0873730

Sugar Hill is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. In 2020, about 647 people lived there. This was more than the 563 people counted in 2010. The town has amazing views of the White Mountain National Forest. You can see many mountain ranges like the Presidential, Franconia, Kinsman, and Dalton ranges. Sugar Hill became an official town in 1962. It is the newest town in New Hampshire.

History of Sugar Hill
- Peckett's-on-Sugar Hill and Skiing
Geography of the Town
Population Information
Notable People
Places to Visit
Images for kids
See also

History of Sugar Hill

Sugar Hill became a town in 1962. It was created from parts of the town of Lisbon after some legal disagreements. It is the newest town in New Hampshire. The name "Sugar Hill" comes from the many sugar maple trees found there.

Sugar Hill is known for its beautiful lupine flowers that bloom every June.

In the past, Sugar Hill became a popular vacation spot. People came for the fresh air and amazing views of the White Mountains and Green Mountains. Wealthy visitors, who first saw the area in White Mountain art paintings, traveled by train to escape hot, humid, and polluted summers in big cities like Boston and New York City.

Many hotels were built, including the Hotel Lookoff. The biggest and most famous was the Sunset Hill House. It was built in 1880 after train service reached nearby Lisbon Village. This grand hotel could host 350 guests and 300 staff members. It had the longest porch on one side in New Hampshire. Guests could enjoy a casino, a bowling alley, and carriage rides through nearby Franconia Notch. The Sugar Hill House Golf Course, built in 1897, is the oldest golf course in the state. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Famous golfer Bobby Jones even played there.

When cars became popular, fewer people stayed at these large hotels. Tourists could now travel more freely. The Sunset Hill House stayed open until 1973. After it closed, the building was taken down in 1974. However, an attached building survived and reopened as "The Inn at Sunset Hill" in 2015.

Peckett's-on-Sugar Hill and Skiing

Around 1900, Robert P. Peckett Sr. bought land in Sugar Hill. He started the Peckett's-on-Sugar Hill Inn. To attract more guests in winter, he and his wife, Katharine Peckett, created the first ski school at a resort in the United States.

Otto Lang, a ski instructor, on a slope near Peckett's Inn in 1936.

The first two ski instructors were from Germany. They taught a new way of skiing called the Arlberg technique. In 1931, Sig Buchmayr joined the team. Kate Peckett brought in more European instructors, including Otto Lang, to teach this method. Famous people like Nelson Rockefeller and Lowell Thomas learned to ski there. Kate Peckett and others also helped develop the Taft Ski Trail and other facilities at the Cannon Mountain Ski Area.

Geography of the Town

Sugar Hill covers about 44.6 square kilometers (17.2 square miles). Most of this area is land, about 44.2 square kilometers (17.1 square miles). About 0.5 square kilometers (0.2 square miles) is water. This means water makes up about 1.06% of the town.

The town's water flows into the Gale River and other streams that lead to the Ammonoosuc River. These rivers are part of the larger Connecticut River system. New Hampshire Route 117 goes through the town. Interstate 93 and New Hampshire Route 18 also pass through the northeast part of Sugar Hill. The highest point in Sugar Hill is Bronson Hill, which is 2078 feet (633 meters) above sea level.

Population Information

The Sugar Hill Meetinghouse, a historic building in town.

In 2000, there were 563 people living in Sugar Hill. These people lived in 258 households. About 22% of households had children under 18. Most households (56.2%) were married couples. About 29.8% of households were single people living alone.

The average age of people in Sugar Hill was 46 years old. About 18.1% of the population was under 18. About 18.7% of the population was 65 years or older.

Notable People

Many interesting people have connections to Sugar Hill:

Bette Davis (1908–1989), a famous actress who visited in the summer.
Ernest Poole (1880–1950), a novelist.
Potter Stewart (1915–1985), a Justice on the United States Supreme Court.
Harlan Fiske Stone (1872–1946), a Chief Justice of the United States.
William C. Sullivan (1912–1977), an FBI agent.
Mary Parker Woodworth (1849–1919), a writer and speaker.

Places to Visit

New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 73: This marker tells about the First Ski School in America.
Polly's Pancake Parlor: A famous restaurant known for its pancakes, recognized as an American Classic by the James Beard Foundation.