City Town Info

Manchester, NH


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Manchester, New Hampshire

Introduction to Manchester, New Hampshire

Manchester is New Hampshire's largest city and also one of the largest in New England. Located in south-central New Hampshire along the banks of the Merrimack River, Manchester lies in Hillsborough County, about 58 miles north of Boston. The city is served by Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, and is surrounded by several major thoroughfares. These include Interstates I-93 and I-293: U.S. Route 3; and New Hampshire State Highways 28, 101, and 114. Manchester is often referred to as the "Queen City" because it is the New Hampshire's largest city yet not its state capital.

First settled in 1722, Manchester began as a farming community known as Derryfield until being renamed Manchester in 1810. Its new name was based on Samuel Blodgett's efforts to facilitate a trade route from Boston to Concord by opening a canal and lock system to allow vessels passage around the Amoskeag Falls. Blodgett's vision was to create a great industrial center similar to Manchester England, the first industrialized city in the world. The most significant step in the industrial development of Manchester New Hampshire occurred in 1838 with the opening of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, which later became the world's largest textile manufacturing complex and spawned a huge textile industry in the city. A century of unparalleled productivity ensued, with Manchester serving as a prime focal point of America's industrial and technological revolution. But twentieth-century depression-era woes took their toll on the industry and when the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company finally closed down in 1936, Manchester’s economy was badly affected. For several years the city suffered a loss of jobs and population, but eventually rebounded and by the late twentieth century became one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities. Existing mills were renovated and used for a wide variety of large and small businesses. Recognition for the city's new era of prosperity was achieved in 1998 when Money magazine named Manchester the "Number One Small City in the East".

Attractions in Manchester

Manchester is home to a majority of New Hampshire’s major cultural institutions and landmarks. The Currier Museum of Art is an internationally renowned art museum and one of the nation's finest small galleries. The Palace Theatre is home to the New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra and the Opera League of New Hampshire. The Millyard Museum chronicles the long history in the city beginning with the Native Americans who first settled it. The Zimmerman House, open to the public, is the only residence in New England designed by legendary American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The New Hampshire Institute of Art features six galleries of changing exhibits. A prime site for outdoor recreation is the McIntyre Ski Area, which offers 53 acres of skiing, snow tubing, and lights for night skiing. Other places of interest in the city include the Majestic Theatre, the SEE Science Center, the Massabesic Audubon Center, the Amoskeag Fishways Learning and Visitors Center; and the centerpiece of downtown Manchester, the Verizon Wireless Arena, a multi-purpose civic center which hosts a variety of events, including sports, concerts, and fairs.

Manchester is home to a number of professional sports teams. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a minor league baseball team playing in the Class Double-A Eastern League. The Fisher Cats are the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Hockey fans can root for the Manchester Monarchs, an American Hockey League (AHL) team affiliated with the Los Angeles Kings. The Monarchs play their home games at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Another Verizon resident is the Manchester Wolves Arena Football team. The Wolves play in the af2 league, which is the minor league of the Arena Football League (AFL). Manchester is also home to the New Hampshire Phantoms, a professional soccer team belonging to the United Soccer League's (USL) Second Division.

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High Points

Manchester strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in New Hampshire):

CategoryTrophy
Racial Diversity
(vs. State)
Top 1%trophyManchester Racial Diversity
Public Transportation Use
(vs. State)
Top 7%Manchester Public Transportation Use
Walking and Biking to Work
(vs. State)
Top 18%Manchester Walking and Biking to Work
Short Commute Times
(vs. State)
Top 19%Manchester Short Commute Times

Comparative Profile of Manchester, NH

Comparing Manchester to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in New Hampshire (State):

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Male Share of the Population73
Well-Paid Single Men78
Well-Paid Single Women68
Senior Citizens66
Children Under 5 Years Old58
Age of the Population51
Female Share of the Population48
Racial Diversity310

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Portion of People Married31
Average Household Size32

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
People in Middle Class or Better63
People Above Poverty52
College Educated Adults54
Median Family Income54

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Short Commute Times79
Walking and Biking to Work69
Public Transportation Use510
Working at Home52

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals810
People Living Alone810
Seasonal and Vacation Housing81
Affordability of Rents65
Housing Recently Built21
Affordability of Property Taxes23

Crime

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers
Compared
to State
Low Property Crime61
Low Violent Crime61
Detailed pages on related topics: Colleges in Manchester, Graduate Schools in Manchester, Manchester mortgage and property, Manchester travel

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Additional Details

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Manchester career and employment information.
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Additional Resources


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