Historical United States Census totals for Coös County, New Hampshire

This article shows U.S. Census totals for Coos County, New Hampshire, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.

Most areas of New England are entirely divided into incorporated municipalities, with no unincorporated areas. In the three northern New England states, however, some unincorporated territory does exist, generally in areas that are very sparsely populated. Coos County contains the bulk of New Hampshire’s unincorporated territory, although Grafton and Carroll counties also include smaller amounts.

The unincorporated territory in Coos County consists of 23 distinct entities, covering about 560 square miles (approximately 30% of the county’s land area). Six are townships (essentially, areas that were drawn up as “future towns” in the 18th century, but never attained a large enough permanent population to formally incorporate as towns). The other seventeen are an assortment of grants, locations, and purchases (tracts of land, typically smaller than a town, which were not included in any town when town boundaries were being drawn up in the 18th and 19th centuries). Most of the unincorporated territory in Coos County is in the mountainous north central, northeastern and southeastern parts of the county. Almost all territory in the western, southwestern and south central parts of the county is incorporated.

Due to the large extent of unorganized territory in Coos County, a separate section with detailed historical census totals for such areas follows the main tables below. Note that Wentworth's Location was incorporated as a town for many years, although it never dropped the word “location” from its name. In recent censuses, the population of the unorganized territory (including Wentworth's Location) has typically been between 100 and 200 residents.

There are two types of incorporated municipalities in New Hampshire, towns and cities. The tables below differentiate between towns and cities. For any census, adding up the totals for each municipality and unincorporated entity should yield the county total.

For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town.

Corporate changes since 1900

1900

County Total: 29,468

Unorganized territory: 398

1910

County Total: 30,753

Unorganized territory: 81

1920

County Total: 36,093

Unorganized territory: 643

1930

County Total: 38,959

Unorganized territory: 117

1940

County Total: 39,274

Unorganized territory: 143

1950

County Total: 35,932

Unorganized territory: 84

1960

County Total: 37,140

Unorganized territory: 68

1970

County Total: 34,291

Unorganized territory: 102

1980

County Total: 35,147

Unorganized territory: 133

1990

County Total: 34,828

Unorganized territory: 135

2000

County Total: 33,111

Unorganized territory: 175

Unorganized Territory

The unincorporated entities in Coos County are as follows:

Note that there is both a Bean’s Grant and a Bean’s Purchase.

The population of many of the unincorporated entities has historically been transitory, and some have rarely if ever reported any population at all. The only ones that have reported population in each census since 1900 are Dixville Township, Millsfield Township and Wentworth’s Location (bearing in mind that Wentworth’s Location was an incorporated town for many years prior to the 1960s). All three appear to have small but well-established population bases. Wentworth’s Location has reported a population of at least 37 in every post-1900 census. Dixville and Millsfield have consistently been in double figures throughout the same period (the only exceptions being Millsfield in 1960 and 1980); in both communities, a town clerk's office exist for the purpose of conducting elections for state and federal officials. In addition to those noted above, Pinkham’s Grant reported population in every census from 1930 to 1990, although its population exceeded 17 in only one census, and it reported no population in 2000.

Note: The 1920 Census reported population for a Hubbard Township, a Webster Township, and a Colebrook Academy Grant. The 1920 census reports also make reference to a Carlisle township, although it is not shown as having any population. None of these appear on the current roster of unincorporated entities in Coos County; it is unclear what happened to them. The 1930 census reports add the first three into the town of Pittsburg’s 1920 total. The 1900 and 1910 censuses reported population for a Dartmouth College Grant which has since been known as the Second College Grant.

1900

Total: 398

1910

Total: 81

1920

Total: 643

1930

Total: 117

1940

Total: 143

1950

Total: 84

1960

Total: 68

1970

Total: 102

1980

Total: 133

1990

Total: 135

2000

Total: 175

See also

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