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Harrisville, NH

Community Contact Town of Harrisville
Board of Selectmen
705 Chesham Road
Harrisville, NH 03450
 
Telephone (603) 827-3431 or 827-5546
Fax (603) 827-2916
E-mail selectmen@harrisvillenh.org
Web Site www.harrisvillenh.org
 
Municipal Office Hours Administrative Assistant: Monday through Thursday, 8 am - 3 pm, and Friday, 8 am - 12 noon; Town Clerk: Tuesday, 2 pm - 7 pm, Wednesday, 3 pm - 6:30 pm, and Thursday, 8 am - 11:30 am; Tax Collector: Wednesday, 10 am - 12 noon, Thursday, 6 pm - 8 pm, and Saturday, 10 am - 2 pm 
 
County Cheshire
Labor Market Area Keene NH Micro-NECTA
Tourism Region Monadnock
Planning Commission Southwest Region
Regional Development Monadnock Economic Development Corp.
 
Election Districts  
US Congress
 District 2
Executive Council
 District 2
State Senate
 District 7
State Representative
 Cheshire County District 6
Incorporated: 1870
 
Origin: First settled in 1760, the town was formed from parts of Hancock, Dublin, Roxbury, Nelson, and Marlborough. The town was first known as Twitchellville, after Abel Twitchell. His daughter Deborah married Bethuel Harris, who with his sons built and operated Harris Mills, one of the first woolen mills in New England. After the business was sold, the name was changed to Cheshire Mills. The town was incorporated in 1871 as Harrisville, at the suggestion of Milan Harris, one of Bethuel's sons and a member of the state senate from 1863-1865. The Harrisville Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 
Villages and Place Names: Chesham, Eastview Station
 
Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 870 residents in 1880
 
Population Trends: Population change for Harrisville totaled 554 over 50 years, from 519 in 1950 to 1,073 in 2000. The largest decennial percent change was a 47 percent increase between 1970 and 1980; the second highest a 27 percent increase between 1960 and 1970. The 2008 Census estimate for Harrisville was 1,090 residents, which ranked 178th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.
 
Population Density, 2008: 58.3 persons per square mile of land area. Harrisville contains 18.7 square miles of land area and 1.5 square miles of inland water area.
 
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
Type of Government Selectmen
Budget: Municipal Appropriations, 2004 $621,653
Budget: School Appropriations, 2005 $1,869,713
Zoning Ordinance 1959/05
Master Plan 2000
Capital Improvement Plan Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By Planning Board

Boards and Commissions
Elected:
 Selectmen; Library
Appointed:
 Planning; Conservation; Zoning

Public Library Harrrisville Public

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Police Department Full & part-time
Fire Department Part-time & volunteer
Emergency Medical Service Volunteer

Nearest Hospital(s) Distance Staffed Beds
Monadnock Community, Peterborough 11 miles 25
Cheshire Medical Center, Keene 14 miles 146
     

UTILITIES
Electric Supplier PSNH
Natural Gas Supplier None
Water Supplier Private wells

Sanitation Private septic
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant No
Solid Waste Disposal  
Curbside Trash Pickup
 none
Pay-As-You-Throw Program
 No
Recycling
 Mandatory

Telephone Company Fairpoint
Cellular Telephone Access Yes
Cable Television Access Yes
Public Access Television Station No
High Speed Internet Service:  
Business
 Yes
Residential
 Yes

PROPERTY TAXES (NH Dept. of Revenue Adminstration) 
2008 Total Tax Rate (per $1000 of value) $13.50
2008 Equalization Ratio 93.9
2008 Full Value Tax Rate (per $1000 of value) $12.72

2008 Percent of Local Assessed Value by Property Type
Residential Land and Buildings
 96.2%
Commercial Land and Buildings
 2.5%
Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other
 1.3%

HOUSING (NH Office of Energy and Planning) 
2008 Total Housing Units 747
   
2008 Single-Family Units 674
Single-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units
 4
2008 Multi-Family Units 47
Multi-Family Permits Issued, Net Change of Units
 0
2008 Manufactured Housing Units 26
   
DEMOGRAPHICS (US Census Bureau) 
Total Population Community County
2008 1,090 77,170
2000 1,073 73,993
1990 977 70,223
1980 860 62,116
1970 584 52,364

Census 2000 Demographics
Population by Gender
Male
 516
Female
 559

Population by Age Group
Under age 5
 55
Age 5 to 19
 230
Age 20 to 34
 105
Age 35 to 54
 421
Age 55 to 64
 103
Age 65 and over
 161
Median Age
 43 years

Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over
High school graduate or higher
 88.7%
Bachelor's degree or higher
 40.6%

ANNUAL INCOME, 1999 (US Census Bureau) 
Per capita income $25,397
Median 4-person family income $55,083
Median household income $48,625

Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
Male
 $34,625
Female
 $27,171

Families below the poverty level 4.3%

LABOR FORCE (NHES - ELMI) 
Annual Average 1998 2008
Civilian Labor Force
 562 642
Employed
 549 624
Unemployed
 13 18
Unemployment Rate
 2.3% 2.8%

EMPLOYMENT & WAGES (NHES - ELMI) 
Annual Average Covered Employment 1998 2008
Goods Producing Industries    
Average Employment
 128 n
Average Weekly Wage
 $485 n
     
Service Providing Industries    
Average Employment
 30 n
Average Weekly Wage
 $352 n
     
Total Private Industry    
Average Employment
 158 96
Average Weekly Wage
 $459 $526
     
Government (Federal, State, and Local)    
Average Employment
 20 23
Average Weekly Wage
 $223 $317
     
Total, Private plus Government    
Average Employment
 178 119
Average Weekly Wage
 $433 $485
n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

EDUCATION/CHILD CARE FACILITIES (NH Dept. of Education)
Schools students attend: Harrisville operates grades K-6; grades 7-12 are tuitioned to Keene District: SAU 29
Career Technology Center(s): Cheshire Center of Applied Science, Keene; Fall Mountain High School, Langdon Region: 13
 
Educational Facilities Elementary Middle/Junior High High School Private/Parochial
Number of Schools
 1      
Grade Levels
 K 1-6      
Total Enrollment
 56      
NH Licensed Child Care Facilities, 2009: Total Facilities: 4 Total Capacity: 62
Nearest Community/Technical College: Nashua
Nearest Colleges or Universities: Keene State; Franklin Pierce University; Antioch New England

LARGEST BUSINESSES PRODUCT/SERVICE EMPLOYEES ESTABLISHED
Harrisville Designs, Inc. Textile mill products 30 1971
Lifesavings Resources, Inc. Water rescue, survival training 2 1998
Royal Mail Irish Imports    
       
       
       
       
       
       
       

TRANSPORTATION  (Distance estimated from city / town hall)
Road Access US Routes  
  State Routes 137
Nearest Interstate, Exit I-91 (VT), Exit 3
         Distance 25 miles
Railroad No
Public Transportation No
 
Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
Dillant-Hopkins, Keene
Runway
 6,201 ft. asphalt
Lighted?
 Yes  Navigational Aids? Yes
Nearest Airport with Scheduled Service
Manchester-Boston Regional Distance 50 miles
Number of Passsenger Airlines Serving Airport 6

Driving distance to selected cities:
Manchester, NH
 48 miles
Portland, ME
 145 miles
Boston, MA
 85 miles
New York City, NY
 229 miles
Montreal, Quebec
 253 miles

COMMUTING TO WORK (US Census)
Workers 16 years and over  
Drove alone, car/truck/van
 81.6%
Carpooled, car/truck/van
 8.2%
Public transportation
 0.5%
Walked
 3.3%
Other Means
 0.3%
Worked at home
 6.0%
Mean Travel Time to Work 25.3 minutes
   
Percent of Working Residents:  
Working in community of residence
 15%
Commuting to another NH community
 80%
Commuting out-of-state
 5%
   
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
X Municipal Parks
  YMCA/YWCA
  Boys Club/Girls Club
  Golf Courses
  Swimming: Indoor Facility
  Swimming: Outdoor Facility
  Tennis Courts: Indoor Faclity
  Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility
  Ice Skating Rink: Indoor Facility
  Bowling Facilities
  Museums
  Cinemas
  Performing Arts Facilities
  Tourists Attractions
  Youth Organizations (i.e., Scouts, 4-H)
X Youth Sports: Baseball
  Youth Sports: Soccer
  Youth Sports: Football
  Youth Sports: Basketball
  Youth Sports: Hockey
  Campgrounds
X Fishing/Hunting
X Boating/Marinas
X Snowmobile Trails
  Bicycle Trails
  Cross Country Skiing
X Beach or Waterfront Recreational Area
  Overnight or Day Camps
   
  Nearest Ski Area(s): Pat's Peak
   
  Other:

Economic & Labor Market Information Bureau, NH Employment Security, 2009. Community Response Received 10/05/09

All information regarding the communities is from sources deemed reliable and is submitted subject to errors, omissions, modifications, and withdrawals without notice. No warranty or representation is made as to the accuracy of the information contained herein. Specific questions regarding individual cities and towns should be directed to the community contact.