Alexandria is a town located in Western New Hampshire in the Dartmouth/Sunapee region of the state. It is situated in Southern Grafton County and encompasses a total area of 43.1 square miles, .1 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, Alexandria was home to 1,613 people.
Just .2 percent of Alexandria’s total area is made up of water. The town is home to Fowler River, Newfound Lake and Mount Cardigan, and lies completely in the Merrimack River watershed. Its highest point is at the summit of Mount Cardigan, where elevation reaches 3,121 feet.
The land that comprises Alexandria was first granted in 1753 by the Masonian Proprietors. It gleans its name from Alexandria, Virginia, where colonial governors convened in 1755. Settlement of the area first began in 1769, and it was officially incorporated as a town in 1782 by the general court. In 1795, a part of the town separated and was incorporated as its own town, Danbury.
Alexandria is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. The town boasts a part-time police department, a volunteer fire department and commercial emergency medical services. Top employers in the area include JPS Industries, Carroll Concrete, Cantara’s Auto Body and Northern Lakes. Children in the area attend schools in the Newfound Area School District, which also serves the nearby towns of Bridgewater, Bristol, Danbury, Groton, Hebron and New Hampton.
For recreation and entertainment, Alexandria residents can take advantage of the town’s various campgrounds, youth organizations, fishing and hunting areas, boating marinas, snowmobile trails, cross country skiing opportunities and local waterfront areas. The town is also home to the Haynes Memorial Library, Cardigan State Park, Wellington State Park, Cardigan Lodge, the Appalachian Mountain Club and Mowgli’s Mountain, named for the main character in Disney’s classic film “The Jungle Book.”