Wolfeboro, New Hampshire facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
Town

Motto(s): "The Oldest Summer Resort in America"
Location in Carroll County, New Hampshire
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Carroll
Incorporated	1770
Named for	James Wolfe
Villages	Wolfeboro East Wolfeboro North Wolfeboro South Wolfeboro Wolfeboro Center Wolfeboro Falls
Area
• Total	58.5 sq mi (151.4 km²)
• Land	48.0 sq mi (124.2 km²)
• Water	10.5 sq mi (27.2 km²) 17.95%
Elevation	512 ft (156 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	6,416
• Density	134/sq mi (51.7/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	03894
Area code(s)	603
FIPS code	33-86420
GNIS feature ID	0873760

Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls.

History
Geography
- Town center
Demographics
Sites of interest
Education
Notable people
Images for kids
See also

History

Bird's-eye view in 1909

The town was granted by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth in 1759 to four young men of Portsmouth, and named Wolfeborough in honor of English General James Wolfe, who had been victorious at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. In 1763, 2,300 acres (930 ha) were added to the 60 acres (24 ha) reserved for the governor. Colonial Governor John Wentworth, his nephew, established an estate on the site, known as Kingswood. Built in 1771 beside what is now called Lake Wentworth, this was the first summer country estate in northern New England. Settled in 1768, the town was incorporated in 1770.

Over the years Wolfeboro, whose town motto is "The Oldest Summer Resort in America", became a popular summer colony, particularly for families from Boston and southern New Hampshire. Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, Kurt Vonnegut, Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon have spent time in Wolfeboro. In August 2007, French president Nicolas Sarkozy vacationed there.

In May 2014, it was discovered that 82-year-old police commissioner Robert Copeland had been overheard in a cafe two months earlier using a racial epithet to refer to President Barack Obama. Copeland acknowledged in an email to his colleagues that he did in fact use the word, saying "for this, I do not apologize — he meets and exceeds my criteria for such." At a subsequent meeting with residents, Copeland refused calls for his resignation. A few days later, he submitted his resignation.

Wolfeboro Bay c. 1906
Hobbs Landing c. 1910
South Main Street c. 1915
Huggins Hospital in 1916
Road to Pleasant Valley and the Hill Camp c. 1925

Geography

View of Main Street in the fall

The main village of the town, where 2,838 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Wolfeboro census-designated place (CDP), and is located at the head of Wolfeboro Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee, at the junction of New Hampshire routes 28 and 109.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 58.5 square miles (152 km²), of which 47.9 square miles (124 km²) is land and 10.6 square miles (27 km²) is water, comprising 18.09% of the town. Wolfeboro is drained by the Smith River, which is the outlet of Lake Wentworth and an inlet of Lake Winnipesaukee. The highest point in town is Moody Mountain, elevation 1,420 feet (430 m) above sea level, located near the northern boundary.

The main village of Wolfeboro, a census-designated place, has a total area of 7.3 sq mi (19 km²). 7.0 sq mi (18 km²) of it is land and 0.3 sq mi (0.78 km²) of it, or 3.56%, is water.

Wolfeboro is home to Wentworth State Park, a 50-acre (0.20 km²) state park on the shore of Lake Wentworth.

Town center

As of the 2010 Census, there were 2,838 people, 1,353 households, and 795 families residing in the census-designated place corresponding to the central village of Wolfeboro. There were 1,858 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% from other races, and 0.2% from two or more races. 1.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the 2000 census, there were 1,304 households out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 7.4% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 39.2% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.78.

Also in 2000, the CDP population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 27.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 82.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.

The median income for a household in 2000 was $42,853, and the median income for a family was $51,005. Males had a median income of $36,950 versus $30,688 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,466. 4.6% of the population and 1.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.9% are under the age of 18 and 4.3% are 65 or older.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	447	—
1800	941	110.5%
1810	1,376	46.2%
1820	1,794	30.4%
1830	1,929	7.5%
1840	1,918	−0.6%
1850	2,038	6.3%
1860	2,300	12.9%
1870	1,995	−13.3%
1880	2,222	11.4%
1890	3,020	35.9%
1900	2,390	−20.9%
1910	2,224	−6.9%
1920	2,178	−2.1%
1930	2,358	8.3%
1940	2,636	11.8%
1950	2,581	−2.1%
1960	2,689	4.2%
1970	3,036	12.9%
1980	3,968	30.7%
1990	4,807	21.1%
2000	6,083	26.5%
2010	6,269	3.1%
2020	6,416	2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,269 people, 2,839 households, and 1,848 families residing in the town. There were 4,443 housing units, of which 1,604 (36.1%) were vacant. 1,322 of the vacant units were vacation properties or seasonal homes. The racial makeup of the town was 97.6% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.2% some other race, and 1.0% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 2,839 households in the town, 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were headed by married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18, and the average family size was 2.68.

In the town, 17.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.8% were from 18 to 24, 15.8% were from 25 to 44, 33.5% were from 45 to 64, and 28.0% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

For the period 2011–2015, the estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $58,204, and the median income for a family was $68,409. Male full-time workers had a median income of $51,466 versus $41,288 for females. The per capita income for the town was $35,307. 7.4% of the population and 4.2% of families were below the poverty line. 10.4% of residents under the age of 18 were living in poverty, compare to 0.7% of those aged 65 or older.

Sites of interest

Clark House c. 1920

Libby Museum
MS Mount Washington

of the Town of Wolfeboro

Education

Wolfeboro is served by Kingswood Regional High School, located on Main Street southeast of the center of town. Adjoining the high school is Kingswood Regional Middle School. The two elementary schools located in the community are Carpenter and Crescent Lake. All of the aforementioned schools are part of the Governor Wentworth Regional School District, which includes five additional towns. The town is also home to Brewster Academy, a private preparatory school.

The Wolfeboro Camp School, which converted the Hill School Camp, enrolls 200 students domestic and international.

Notable people

Jeb Bradley (born 1952), Majority Leader of the New Hampshire Senate; US congressman (2003–2007)
Tim Corbin (born 1961), head coach of Vanderbilt Commodores baseball, two-time NCAA champion
Robbie Ftorek (born 1952), former NHL head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins; current head coach of the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL
J. W. "Bill" Marriott, Jr. (born 1932), executive chairman and chairman of the board of Marriott International (summer resident)
Mitt Romney (born 1947), 70th governor of Massachusetts, presidential candidate, U.S. senator from Utah (summer resident)
Mike Ryan (1941–2020), catcher with the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and Pittsburgh Pirates
Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet (1737–1820), provincial governor of New Hampshire (summer resident)

Images for kids

Wright Museum of World War II History