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By Geography >> City/Town >> Franconia

 Franconia, NH   
NH cities/towns
Community Contact Town of Franconia
Elizabeth Staples, Town Administrator
PO Box 900
  Franconia, NH 03580
 
Telephone (603) 823-7752
Fax (603) 823-5581
E-mail townadmin@franconianh.org
Web Site www.franconianh.org
 
Municipal Office Hours Selectmen: Tuesday to Thursday, 8-4:30, Friday, 8-1:30; Town Clerk/Tax Collector: Tuesday and Wednesday, 8-4, Thursday, 8-6, Friday, 8-1:30
 
County Grafton County
Labor Market Area Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT Micropolitan Stat. Area, NH part
Tourism Region White Mountain Region
Planning Commission North Country Council
Regional Development Grafton County Economic Development Council
 
Election Districts
US Congress District 2
Executive Council District 2
State Senate District 1
State Representative Grafton County District 2
Incorporated: 1764
 
Origin: Franconia was first chartered in 1764, but settlers were unable to meet the prescribed terms, and in 1772 it was regranted, along with a substantial portion of Lincoln, as Morristown. There was considerable conflict of claim between the original grantees of Franconia and Lincoln and the Morristown grantees, and following a court decision that forfeiture of grant was illegal, ownership was returned to the original settlers. The western section of Franconia was at one time mined for copper and magnetic iron ore. Franconia Notch is well known for its natural features, including the Old Man of the Mountains, which fell on May 3, 2003, Profile and Echo Lakes, the Flume, and the Basin. Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway was the first passenger tramway built in North America.
 
Villages and Place Names: Mittersill, Franconia Notch
 
Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 72 residents in 1790
 
Population Trends: Population change for Franconia totaled 431 over 50 years, from 655 in 1970 to 1,086 in 2020. The largest decennial percent change was a 19 percent increase from 2000 to 2010. The town's population decreased by two percent from 2010 to 2020.
 
Population Density and Land Area: 2023 (US Census Bureau): 17.2 persons per square mile of land area. Franconia contains 65.7 square miles of land area and 0.1 square miles of inland water area.
 
 
 


Municipal Services
Type of Government Selectmen
Budget:Municipal Appropriations,2021 $3,914,509
Budget:School Appropriations,2020-2021 $1,399,494
Zoning Ordinance 1970/16
Master Plan 2008
Capital Improvement Plan Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By Planning Board
 
Boards and Commissions
    Elected: Selectmen; Library; Water; Trust Funds; Town Clerk; Tax Collector; Cemetery
    Appointed: Planning; Conservation; Zoning; Recreation; CIP
 
Public Library Abbie Greenleaf



Emergency Services
Police Department Full-time
Fire Department Volunteer
Emergency Medical Service Volunteer
 
Nearest Hospital(s) Distance Staffed Beds
Littleton Regional, Littleton 9 miles   25


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


Property Taxes (NH Dept. of Revenue Administration)
2023 Total Tax Rate $14.35
2023 Equalization Ratio 68.1
2023 Full Value Tax Rate (per $1000 of value) $9.75
 
2023 Percent of Local Assessed Valuation by Property Type
    Residential Land and Buildings 89.6%
    Commercial Land and Buildings 9.2%
    Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other 1.2%

 
Housing (ACS 2019-2023)
Total Housing Units 904
 
Single-Family Units,Detached or Attached 770
 
Units in Multiple-Family Structures:
    Two to Four Units in Structure 69
    Five or More Units in Structure 45
Mobile Homes and Other Housing Units 20




Population(1-Year Estimates/Decennial) (US Census Bureau)
Total Population Community County
   2023 1,131   92,909
   2020 1,086   91,118
   2010 1,103   89,118
   2000 928   81,743
   1990 823   74,929
   1980 743   65,806

 
Demographics American Community Survey (ACS 2019-2023)
Population by Gender
Male   592 Female   541
Population by Age Group
      Under Age 5 24
      Age 5 to 19 172
      Age 20 to 34 131
      Age 35 to 54 206
      Age 55 to 64 189
      Age 65 and over 411
            Median Age 55.8 years


Educational Attainment, population age 25 or older 877
      High school graduation or higher 96.6%
      Bachelor's degree or higher 59.2%
 
Income, Inflation Adjusted $   (ACS 2019-2023)
Per Capita Income $54,666
Median Family Income $107,903
Median Household Income $76,726
 
Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
      Male $62,917
      Female $
 
Individuals below poverty level 10.6%
 
Labor Force   (NHES - ELMI)

Annual Average 2013 2023
    Civilian Labor Force 645   461
    Employed 618   450
    Unemploymed 27   11
    Unemployment rate 4.2%   2.4%

 
Employment & Wages   (NHES-ELMI)
Annual Average Covered Employment 2013 2023
Good-Producing Industries  
    Average Employment  34  98
    Average Weekly Wage  $666  $721
 
Service-Providing Industries  
    Average Employment  597  561
    Average Weekly Wage  $812  $976
 
Total Private  
    Average Employment  631  659
    Average Weekly Wage  $804  $938
 
Government(Federal, State, Local)  
    Average Employment  206  223
    Average Weekly Wage  $506  $660
 
Total, Private Industry plus Government  
    Average Employment  836  881
    Average Weekly Wage  $731  $867
 
If "n" appears, data do not meet disclosure standards.




Education and Child Care NH Department of Education, 2023
Schools Students Attend: Grades K-6 are part of Lafayette Regional (Easton, Franconia, Sugar Hill) grades 7-12 are part of Profile (Bethlehem, Easton, Franconia, Sugar Hill) District: SAU 35
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 K 1-6 — — —
Total Enrollment 94 — — —
       
Nearest Community/Technical College: White Mountains
Nearest College or Universities: Plymouth State; Northern VT - Lyndon (VT)

2023 NH Licensed Child Care Facilities (DHHS-Bureau of Child Care Licensing)   Total Facilities:     1   Capacity:     76

Largest Businesses Product/Service Employees Established
Garnet Hill Catalog Sales Clothing (natural fibers) 200
Franconia Notch State Park Tourism 339
Cannon Mountain Tourism 90
Lafayette Center Nursing Facility 98
Presby Construction Construction 48
 
Employer Information Supplied by Municipality
 
Transportation (distance estimated from city/town hall)
Road Access US Routes: 3
State Routes: 18, 116, 117, 141, 142
Nearest Interstate/Exit: I-93, Exits 34B, 34C, or 35 - 38
Distance: Local access
 
Railroad No
Public Transportation No
 
Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
    Franconia Airport Runway  2,305 ft. turf
    Lighted?  No Navigation Aids?  No
 
Nearest Airport With Scheduled Service
    Lebanon Municipal Distance   68 miles
    Number of Passenger Airlines Serving Airport 1
 
Driving distance to select cities:
    Manchester, New Hampshire 81 miles
    Portland, Maine 96 miles
    Boston, Massachusetts 131 miles
    New York City, New York 331 miles
    Montreal, Quebec, Canada 192 miles
 
Commuting To Work (ACS 2019-2023)
Workers 16 years of age and over
  Drove alone, car/truck/van: 75.7%
  Carpooled, car/truck/van: 6.4%
  Used Public Transportation: 0.0%
  Walked: 5.2%
  Traveled by other means: 5.9%
  Worked at home: 6.7%
Mean Travel Time to Work: 17.7 minutes
 
Work in community of residence: 39.9%
Commute to other NH community: 55.1%
Commute out-of-state: 5.0%
Recreation, Attractions, Events
X Municipal Parks
YMCA/YWCA
X Boys Club/Girls Club
X Golf Courses
Swimming: INDOOR FACILITY
Swimming: OUTDOOR FACILITY
X Tennis Courts: Indoor Facility
Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility
Ice Skating Rink: Indoor Facility
Bowling Facilities
X Museums
Cinemas
Performing Arts Facilities
X Tourist Attractions
Youth Organizations (ie Scouts and 4-H)
X Youth Sports: Baseball
X Youth Sports: Soccer
Youth Sports: Football
X Youth Sports: Basketball
Youth Sports: Hockey
X Campgrounds
X Fishing/Hunting
Boating/Marinas
X Snowmobile Trails
X Bicycle Trails
X Cross Country Skiing
X Beach or Waterfront Recreation Areas
X Overnight or Day Camps

Nearest Ski Areas: Cannon, Loon, Bretton Woods
 
Other: Outdoor Ice Skating Rink; Franconia Notch State Park; Flume Gorge; Old Man of the Mountain Memorial; Cannon Mountain Tramway