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By Geography >> City/Town >> Stratford

 Stratford, NH   
NH cities/towns
Community Contact Town of Stratford
Board of Selectmen
1956 US Route 3, PO Box 366
  North Stratford, NH 03590-0366
 
Telephone (603) 922-5533
Fax (603) 922-3317
E-mail town@stratfordnh.gov
Web Site www.stratfordnh.gov
 
Municipal Office Hours Selectmen, Town Administrative Assistant: M-Th 9-3:30; Town Clerk/Tax Collector: Monday, 10-1, Tuesday, 3-6, Wednesday, 9-3:30, or by appointment
 
County Coos County
Labor Market Area Littleton, NH-VT LMA, NH portion
Tourism Region Great North Woods Region
Planning Commission North Country Council
Regional Development Coos Economic Development Corp.
 
Election Districts
US Congress District 2
Executive Council District 1
State Senate District 1
State Representative Coos County District 1
Incorporated: 1773
 
Origin: This territory was chartered in 1762 to early settlers mostly from Woodbury, Connecticut, as Woodbury. Indian troubles had many families forfeiting their claims, and even after a 1770 charter renewal, the original grantees were unable to make a settlement. The territory was chartered again in 1773 to Joshua Wentworth and others as Stratford, after another town in Connecticut. The name is also in honor of Stratford-on-Avon, Shakespeare's home. The entire tract was one of the largest granted in New Hampshire, a total of 48,603 acres. The town was incorporated as Stratford in 1779 upon petition by residents.
 
Villages and Place Names: Beatties, Mapleton, Masons, North Stratford, Stratford Center, Stratford Hollow, East Stratford
 
Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 146 residents in 1790
 
Population Trends: Population change for Stratford totaled a negative 335 over 50 years, from 980 in 1970 down to 645 in 2020. The largest decennial percent change was a 21 percent decrease from 2000 to 2010. The town's population decreased by 14 percent from 2010 to 2020, the fifth largest loss among the cities and towns.
 
Population Density and Land Area: 2023 (US Census Bureau): 8.2 persons per square mile of land area. Stratford contains 79.9 square miles of land area and 0.1 square miles of inland water area.
 
 
 


Municipal Services
Type of Government Selectmen
Budget:Municipal Appropriations,2022 $1,018,370
Budget:School Appropriations,2022-2023 $2,457,142
Zoning Ordinance 2023
Master Plan 2021
Capital Improvement Plan Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By Planning Board
 
Boards and Commissions
    Elected: Selectmen; Library; Cemetery; Trust Funds; Treasurer; Checklist; Moderator; Town Clerk/Tax Collector
    Appointed: Zoning; Planning; Conservation
 
Public Library Stratford Public



Emergency Services
Police Department State Police
Fire Department Part-time & volunteer
 
Nearest Hospital(s) Distance Staffed Beds
Upper Connecticut Valley, Colebrook 15 miles   16
Weeks Medical Center, Lancaster 22 miles   25


 
Utilities
Electric Supplier Nextera; Eversource
Natural Gas Supplier None
Water Supplier Private wells & municipal
 
Sanitation Private septic & municipal
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Yes
Solid Waste Disposal
    Curbside Trash Pickup None
    Pay-As-You-Throw Program No
    Recycling Program Mandatory
 
Telephone Company Consolidated Communications
Cellular Telephone Access Yes
Cable Television Access Limited
Public Access Television Station No
High Speed Internet Service: Business Yes
High Speed Internet Service: Resident Yes
 


Property Taxes (NH Dept. of Revenue Administration)
2023 Total Tax Rate $19.11
2023 Equalization Ratio 52.1
2023 Full Value Tax Rate (per $1000 of value) $9.75
 
2023 Percent of Local Assessed Valuation by Property Type
    Residential Land and Buildings 62.5%
    Commercial Land and Buildings 4.9%
    Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other 32.6%

 
Housing (ACS 2018-2022)
Total Housing Units 550
 
Single-Family Units,Detached or Attached 403
 
Units in Multiple-Family Structures:
    Two to Four Units in Structure 23
    Five or More Units in Structure 23
Mobile Homes and Other Housing Units 101




Population(1-Year Estimates/Decennial) (US Census Bureau)
Total Population Community County
   2023 657   31,372
   2020 645   31,268
   2010 745   33,055
   2000 939   33,111
   1990 928   34,828
   1980 989   35,147

 
Demographics American Community Survey (ACS 2018-2022)
Population by Gender
Male   534 Female   340
Population by Age Group
      Under Age 5 73
      Age 5 to 19 68
      Age 20 to 34 120
      Age 35 to 54 213
      Age 55 to 64 178
      Age 65 and over 222
            Median Age 53.3 years


Educational Attainment, population age 25 or older 650
      High school graduation or higher 74.6%
      Bachelor's degree or higher 9.2%
 
Income, Inflation Adjusted $   (ACS 2018-2022)
Per Capita Income $23,377
Median Family Income $49,046
Median Household Income $47,861
 
Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
      Male $24,844
      Female $33,750
 
Individuals below poverty level 28.6%
 
Labor Force   (NHES - ELMI)

Annual Average 2013 2023
    Civilian Labor Force 269   249
    Employed 244   240
    Unemploymed 25   9
    Unemployment rate 9.3%   3.6%

 
Employment & Wages   (NHES-ELMI)
Annual Average Covered Employment 2012 2022
Good-Producing Industries  
    Average Employment  7  6
    Average Weekly Wage  $455  $531
 
Service-Providing Industries  
    Average Employment  31  34
    Average Weekly Wage  $364  $726
 
Total Private  
    Average Employment  38  40
    Average Weekly Wage  $381  $696
 
Government(Federal, State, Local)  
    Average Employment  40  33
    Average Weekly Wage  $460  $0
 
Total, Private Industry plus Government  
    Average Employment  77  73
    Average Weekly Wage  $425  $630
 
If "n" appears, data do not meet disclosure standards.




Education and Child Care
Schools Students Attend: Stratford operates grades K-8; grades 7-12 are tuitioned to Northumberland District: SAU 58
Career Technology Center: Hugh J. Gallen Career & Technical Center (Littleton) White Mountains RHS (Whitefield)
 
Educational Facilities(includes Charter Schools) Elementary Middle/Junior High High School Private/Parochial
Number of Schools 1 — — —
Grade Levels P K 1-8 — — —
Total Enrollment 56 — — —
       
Nearest Community/Technical College: White Mountains
 

2023 NH Licensed Child Care Facilities (DHHS-Bureau of Child Care Licensing)   Total Facilities:     0   Capacity:     0

Largest Businesses Product/Service Employees Established
Stratford School Education 20
Town of Stratford Municipal services 45 PT/2 FT 1773
North Woods Trading Post Gas, convenience, pizza 4
Burns Truck Stop Convenience store 3
Claudette & Dean's Place Restaurant
 
Employer Information Supplied by Municipality
 
Transportation (distance estimated from city/town hall)
Road Access US Routes: 3
Nearest Interstate/Exit: I-91 (VT), Exit 28; I-93, Exit 41
Distance: 36 miles; 43 miles
 
Railroad St. Lawrence & Atlantic
Public Transportation No
 
Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
    Gifford Field, Colebrook Runway  2,440 ft. turf
    Lighted?  No Navigation Aids?  No
 
Nearest Airport With Scheduled Service
    Lebanon Municipal Distance   110 miles
    Number of Passenger Airlines Serving Airport 1
 
Driving distance to select cities:
    Manchester, New Hampshire 139 miles
    Portland, Maine 139 miles
    Boston, Massachusetts 189 miles
    New York City, New York 369 miles
    Montreal, Quebec, Canada 135 miles
 
Commuting To Work (ACS 2018-2022)
Workers 16 years of age and over
  Drove alone, car/truck/van: 79.2%
  Carpooled, car/truck/van: 5.5%
  Used Public Transportation: 0.0%
  Walked: 0.6%
  Traveled by other means: 4.2%
  Worked at home: 10.4%
Mean Travel Time to Work: 23.3 minutes
 
Work in community of residence: 83.1%
Commute to other NH community: 13.3%
Commute out-of-state: 3.6%
Recreation, Attractions, Events
X Municipal Parks
YMCA/YWCA
Boys Club/Girls Club
Golf Courses
Swimming: INDOOR FACILITY
Swimming: OUTDOOR FACILITY
Tennis Courts: Indoor Facility
X Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility
Ice Skating Rink: Indoor Facility
Bowling Facilities
Museums
Cinemas
Performing Arts Facilities
X Tourist Attractions
X Youth Organizations (ie Scouts and 4-H)
Youth Sports: Baseball
Youth Sports: Soccer
Youth Sports: Football
Youth Sports: Basketball
Youth Sports: Hockey
X Campgrounds
X Fishing/Hunting
Boating/Marinas
X Snowmobile Trails
Bicycle Trails
X Cross Country Skiing
Beach or Waterfront Recreation Areas
Overnight or Day Camps

Nearest Ski Areas: Bretton Woods
 
Other: Nash Stream Forest; Quad Rodeo; 4-Wheeler Trails; Nature Conservancy Lands; Grange; Cohos Historical Society; Old Home Day; Lion Cubs 4-H