New Hampton is a town located in Central New Hampshire in the Lakes region of the state. It is situated in the Eastern part of Belknap County and encompasses a total area of 38.2 square miles, 1.5 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, New Hampton was home to 2,165 people.
New Hampton was originally granted by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1765. It was first known as “Moultonborough Addition,” in honor of Colonel Jonathan Moulton, the town’s moderator. In 1777, when the town was officially incorporated, Moulton moved to rename the town New Hampton, after his hometown of Hampton. Over the years, many notable people have called New Hampton home, including U.S. Senator Oliver Blake, U.S. Congressman Orren C. Moore, Revolutionary War soldier Simon W. Robinson and author Ernest Thompson.
Nearly 4 percent of New Hampton’s total area is made up of water. It includes parts of Pemigewasset River, Pemigewasset Lake, Winona Lake and Lake Waukewan. Its highest point is located at Hersey Mountain, where elevation reaches 1,840 feet above sea level. Notable sites in the area include the New Hampshire Fish Hatchery (built in 1920), Dana Meeting House, Gordon-Nash Library, New Hampton Town House and New Hampton Community Church.
The town of New Hampton is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. It boasts a full-time police department, a municipal fire department and part-time emergency medical services. Top employers in the area include New Hampton School, Waste Management, Circle K, Tedeschi, Jellystone Park, Dunkin Donuts, The 104 Diner, Marcam/ATS Precision, Wallingford’s Inc. and Live Free Home Health Care.
Children in the area attend schools in the Newfound Area School District, which also serves the nearby towns of Alexandria, Bridgewater, Bristol, Danbury, Groton and Hebron. For recreation and entertainment, residents of New Hampton can take advantages of the town’s youth organizations and sports leagues, campgrounds, fishing and hunting areas, boating marinas and snowmobile trails.