Cornish is a town located in Western New Hampshire in the Dartmouth/Sunapee region of the state. It is situated in the Western part of Sullivan County and encompasses a total area of 42.8 square miles, .7 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, Cornish was home to 1,640 people.
The land that comprises Cornish was first settled in 1763. At the time, it was known as Mast Camp, as it served as the shipping point for many English settlers? masts. In 1765, the area was incorporated as a town by Governor Benning Wentworth. Wentworth changed the name to “Cornish” in honor of Royal Navy admiral Sir Samuel Cornish. Over the years, Cornish has been called home by a number of notable people, including writer J.D. Salinger, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, founder of Dartmouth and Yale medical schools Nathan Smith and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Salmon P. Chase.
Less than 2 percent of Cornish’s total area is made up of water. The town is home to Mill Brook, Blow-me-down Brook and the Connecticut River. Its highest point lies at Croydon Mountain, where elevation reaches 2,323 feet above sea level. Cornish is home to several small villages, including Cornish Center, Cornish City, Cornish Flat, South Cornish, Balloch, Cornish Mills and Squag City.
Cornish is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. The town boasts a part-time police department, a volunteer fire department and volunteer emergency medical services. Top employers in the area include Cornish Elementary School, Dingee Machine Company, Cornish Highway Department, 10% Solution and Cornish General Store. Children in the area attend schools in New Hampshire’s School Administrative Unit #6, which also serves the nearby towns of Windsor and Hartford.
For recreation and entertainment, Cornish residents can enjoy the town’s municipal parks, sports leagues, fishing and hunting areas, snow mobile trails, bicycle trails and cross country skiing opportunities. The town also boasts the George H. Stowell Free Library and the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site.