Rumney is a town located in Western New Hampshire in the Dartmouth/Sunapee region of the state. It is situated in central Grafton County and encompasses a total area of 42.6 square miles,.9 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, Rumney was home to 1,480 people.
The land that comprises Rumney was first granted by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1761. In 1765, the first settlers arrived in the area, most hailing from Colchester or East Haddam, Connecticut. When the original grantees failed to comply with the charter, the area was regranted in 1767. At the time, it was also incorporated as a town, taking on the name Rumney, in honor of the second Baron Romney, Robert Marsham.
Less than 3 percent of Rumney’s total area is made up of water. The town is home to the Baker River, the Rumney Rocks rock climbing area, parts of the White Mountain National Forest and the Polar Caves, glowing rock formations near the eastern border. The town includes several small villages, including West Rumney, Rumney Village, Rumney Depot and Stinson Lake. Its highest point lies at Carr Mountain, where elevation reaches 2,960 feet above sea level.
Rumney is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. It boasts a full-time and part-time police department, a volunteer fire department and volunteer emergency medical services. Top employers in the area include Foreco/NCP, Kellys Auto, Plain Jane’s Diner, Cersosimo Lumber Company, Polar Caves and King Industries. Children in the area attend Russell Elementary School for grades kindergarten through eighth. For grades nine through 12, they attend schools in the Pemi-Baker Cooperative School District, which also services the nearby towns of Ashland, Campton, Holderness, Plymouth, Thornton and Wentworth.
For entertainment, Rumney residents can take advantage of the town’s youth organizations, campgrounds, fishing and hunting areas, boating marinas, snowmobile trails, bicycle trails and skiing opportunities. The town also boasts a public library, a recreation department and an Old Home Day celebration.