Keene, New Hampshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| City of Keene | |||
| |||
| Nickname: "Elm City" | |||
| Location in Cheshire County, New Hampshire | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | ||
| State | New Hampshire | ||
| County | Cheshire | ||
| Settled | 1736 | ||
| Incorporated | 1753 (town) | ||
| Incorporated | 1874 (city) | ||
| Mayor | Michael E.J. Blastos | ||
| City Council | Charles H. Redfern Angelo D. DiBernardo, Jr. Randy L. Filiault Paula-Ayn Phillips David C. Richards Nathaniel M. Stout Robert H. Farrar Philip M. Jones Cynthia Georgina Joseph W. Bendzinski Frederick B. Parsells Margaret A. Lynch Christopher C. Coates Mitchell H. Greenwald Philip Dale Pregent | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 97.3 km² (37.6 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 96.6 km² (37.3 sq mi) | ||
| - Water | 0.6 km² (0.2 sq mi) 0.67% | ||
| Elevation | 148 m (486 ft) | ||
| Population | |||
| - City (2003) | 22,780 | ||
| - Density | 233.5/km² (611.2/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| *Year Settled is from the following page | |||
| Website: www.ci.keene.nh.us | |||
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 22,955 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire CountyGR6.
Keene is is home to Keene State College, Antioch University New England, and the annual Pumpkin Fest.
Contents |
[edit] History
The community was granted as Upper Ashuelot in 1735 by Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher to soldiers who had fought in the war against Canada. Settled after 1736, it was intended to be a fort town protecting the Province of Massachusetts Bay during the French and Indian Wars. When New Hampshire separated from Massachusetts in 1741, the border between the two shifted south, and Upper Ashuelot became part of New Hampshire.
During King George's War, the village was attacked and burned by Indians. Colonists fled to safety, but would return to rebuild in the early 1750s. It was regranted to its inhabitants in 1753 by Governor Benning Wentworth, who renamed it Keene after Sir Benjamin Keene, English minister to Spain and a West Indies trader. Located at the center of Cheshire County, it became county seat in 1769. Land was set off for Sullivan and Roxbury, although Keene would annex 154 acres from Swanzey (formerly Lower Ashuelot).
Timothy Dwight, the Yale president who chronicled his travels, called the town "...one of the prettiest in New England." Situated on an ancient lake bed surrounded by hills, the valley with fertile meadows was excellent for farming. The Ashuelot River provided water power for sawmills, gristmills and tanneries. After the railroad arrived in 1848, numerous other industries were established. Keene became a manufacturing center for wooden-ware, pails, chairs, sash, shutters, doors, pottery, glass, soap, woolen textiles, shoes, saddles, mowing machines, carriages and sleighs. It also had a brickyard and foundry. Keene was incorporated as a city in 1874, and by 1880 had a population of 6,784.
New England manufacturing declined in the 20th century, however, particularly during the Great Depression. Keene is today a center for insurance, education and tourism. The city nevertheless retains a considerable inventory of fine Victorian architecture from its flush mill town era. An example is the Keene Public Library, which occupies a Second Empire mansion built about 1869 by manufacturer Henry Colony.
Griffin Estate in c. 1908 |
Central Square in 1907 |
West Street in 1910 |
[edit] Sites of interest
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 97.3 km² (37.6 mi²). km² (37.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water, comprising 0.67% of the town. Keene is drained by the Ashuelot River. The highest point in Keene is Grays Hill (1,388 feet / 423 meters above sea level), in the city's northwest corner.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 22,955 people, 9,013 households, and 5,118 families residing in the city. The population density was 233.5/km² (611.2/mi²). There were 9,295 housing units at an average density of 96.2/km² (249.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.66% White, 0.39% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.
There were 9,013 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 18.9% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,033, and the median income for a family was $49,935. Males had a median income of $32,720 versus $25,488 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,544. About 5.2% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Keene is often considered a minor college town due to Keene State College, whose 6,400 students make up over 1/4 of the city's population, and Antioch University New England. However, Keene is not solely identified by its college, unlike other college towns in New England such as Orono, Maine, Storrs, Connecticut and Durham, New Hampshire. Keene also hosts a branch of the New Hampshire Community Technical College and a satellite campus of Franklin Pierce College.
At the secondary level, Keene serves as the educational nexus of the area, due in large part to its status as the primate city of Cheshire County. Keene High School, home of the Blackbirds, is the largest regional High School in Cheshire County. Keene has one middle school, Keene Middle School, which is located on Washington Street near Central Square.
Keene has six elementary schools. Jonathan Daniels Elementary School, Fuller Elementary School, Franklin Elementary School, Symonds Elementary School, Wheelock Elementary School, and the TNT School, which is a juvenile corrections school.
Keene is part of New Hampshire's School Administrative Unit 29, or SAU 29.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Religion
Keene has over 20 churches and one synagogue. A significant landmark in downtown Keene is the United Church of Christ, colloquially known in town as the "White Church" or the "Church at the Head of the Square."
Keene has two Roman Catholic churches, St. Bernard's (which is the Parish seat for several churches in Cheshire County) and St. Margaret Mary's. Keene is within the see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester. Keene has one Episcopal church, St. James, which is within the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Keene also has one Greek Orthodox church, St. George's under the see of the Metropolis of Boston.
The town's synagogue is the Congregation Ahavas Achim.
[edit] Festivals
Pumpkin Festival Image:Keene pumpkin festival 1.jpg
Each year in October, Keene hosts an annual Pumpkin Festival. This event has set world records for the largest simultaneous number of jack-o'-lanterns on display several times [1], and the tally from the 2003 festival stood as the record until Boston took the lead in 2006. Guiness [2]. Besides the pumpkins stacked on massive towers set in the streets (see photo at right), thousands of additional pumpkins line the streets of the city. Face painting, fireworks, music, and other entertainments are also provided.
Keene Music Festival
In late August or early September the city hosts the Keene Music Festival. Several stages are located throughout the downtown area during the day's events, which are free to the public and sponsored by locally-owned businesses. Visitors, mostly from the local community, roam the city's sidewalks listening to the dozens upon dozens of bands.
[edit] Keene in the movies
- Much of the 1995 movie Jumanji, starring Robin Williams, was filmed in Keene - the movie's fictional town of Brantford. Frank's Barber Shop is a featured setting; as well as The Parish Shoe sign, which was painted for the film and was not removed.
- There is brief footage of Keene in the 2003 film The Brown Bunny, as the main character drives down Washington Street.
- Two episodes of Showtime's election-based reality show American Candidate were recorded in Keene. The contestants were accommodated by the E.F. Lane Hotel on Main Street.
- Keene has a brief mention in the 2002 film The Rules Of Attraction.
- Because Keene State offers a B.A. in Film Studies, Keene is also the location of many student films. A student film festival is usually hosted at the Redfern Arts Center at the end of each school year.
[edit] Music & theatre
Many community groups perform on a regular basis, including the Keene Chamber Orchestra, the Keene Chamber Singers, the Keene Pops Choir, and the Keene Jazz Orchestra.
Every year, the Keene branch of the Lions Clubs International performs a Broadway musical at the Colonial Theatre (not to be confused with the Colonial Theatre in Boston), to raise money for the community. Other theatres and auditoriums include the new Keene High School Auditorium and the county's largest auditorium, the Larrecy Auditorium at Keene Middle School. Keene Cinemas is the local movie theater located off of Key Road. The Putnam Arts Lecture Hall located on the campus of Keene State is also an excellent place to see films ranging from mainstream movies to brilliant obscure films.
[edit] References
- Historical Society of Cheshire County: Keene, New Hampshire: 1890-1930
- Historical Society of Cheshire County: Josiah Fisher Killed By Indians in Keene
[edit] External links
- Keene, NH Official Website
- Antioch University New England
- Keene State College
- Keene, NH Photo Galleries
- Keene Online Magazine
- The Keene Sentinel
- The Keene Free Press
- Keene Wiki
- SAU 29
- New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
