Sutton is a town located in Western New Hampshire in the Dartmouth/Sunapee region of the state. It is situated in the Western part of Merrimack County and encompasses a total area of 43.1 square miles, .8 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, Sutton was home to 1,837 people.
The land that comprises Sutton was originally granted in 1749 by the Masonian Proprietors to settlers from Haverhill, Newbury and Bradford, Massachusetts, and the nearby town of Kingstown. At first, the area was known as Perrystown, in honor of grantee Obadiah Perry. The French and Indian Wars caused problems with settlement in the area, however, and many of the first grantees ended up forfeiting their claims. The area was regranted in 1784 to settlers from Sutton, Massachusetts. At the same time, it was also incorporated as a town, taking on the name Sutton in honor of the new settlers’ hometown.
Less than 2 percent of Sutton’s total area is made up of water. The town is home to parts of the Warner River, Contoocook River, Lane River, Blackwater River, Lake Sunapee and Sugar River. Its highest point lies at Kings Hill, where elevation reaches 1,930 feet above sea level. The area is served by New Hampshire Route 114, New Hampshire Route 1033 and Interstate 89.
Sutton is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. The town boasts a full-time police department, a volunteer fire department and volunteer emergency medical services. Top employers in the area include Labsphere Inc. and Country Club of New Hampshire. Children in the area attend schools in the Kearsarge Regional School District, which also serves the nearby towns of Bradford, Newbury, New London, Springfield, Warner and Wilmot.
For recreation and entertainment, residents of Sutton can enjoy that town’s golf courses, sports leagues, fishing and hunting areas, boating marinas, snowmobile trails and local waterfront areas.