Manchester, New Hampshire

Manchester is a city in the county of Hillsborough in the state of New Hampshire. The city is jointly the county seat of the Hillsborough County and is also the largest city in the state of New Hampshire. The city is known to be a great place to live in. It has consistently managed to feature in the numerous lists for the best places to live in the nation. It has also been known as one of the most tax friendly cities in the nation and thus also making it one of the cheapest places to live.

The city was incorporated in 1751 and the first settlements rose around 1721. However the areas in and around the city are known to have been occupied by the Pennacook Indians since long before. The city today has a land area of around 35 square miles of which a small fraction is water. The city experiences a humid continental climate which is characterized by four distinct seasons. It gets a healthy amount of rainfall throughout the year and winters are usually snowy. The city falls in the fastest growing areas in the entire New England area and is also one of the most prosperous cities in the region.

Welcome to the city of Manchester, where you will be able to make just about anything happen. It has something to appeal to everyone's senses. It is also an area of history and culture.

Manchester History

The city was incorporated in 1846 and by then it was already home to one of the largest cotton mills in the world. Besides textiles, a locomotive factory was also set up in the city which also resulted in the migration of a lot of French Canadians to the area. The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company which was a major player in the economy of the city went out of business in 1935 and prosperity also soon left the old neighborhoods of the city. An effort to revive this was started off by the city in 2007 under the neighborhoods initiative which has been successful in reviving many such neighborhoods from the past.

Culture and Economy

The city still had a lot of its economy centered on textile mills till the 1980s. The economy has diversified a lot since then and today tourism, agriculture, high technology and other services are a major part of the economy of the city. The city has made a point to install a strong system of government which has also been instrumental in its progress. The city is often rated as one of the better places to live and settle in the entire nation. The once well known Amoskeag Millyard is today converted into a historic district which has not only managed to showcase the city's economic history but also its cultural lineage through the years.

In the years of the decline of the textile industry in the city, a wave of gambling started off in different institutions in the city. The name "Manch Vegas" was given to the city for this very reason. Establishments such as coffee shops and restaurants were also involved with gambling. The city government had to take some stern steps to fix this issue. Since then the city has developed into one that has a vibrant lifestyle as well as a growing intellectual crowd.

About Manchester, New Hampshire

The city of Manchester stands on the banks of the Merrimack River in Hillsborough County. The city is popularly known as the Queen City and is ruled by a strict mayor system of government. The fourteen member board is comprised of the mayor and other councilmen. The mayor also oversees the school board of the city which is made up of 12 elected members. The city has constantly made an effort to better living conditions in the different neighborhoods. Initiatives such as the Neighborhood initiative have been started to help communities grow and at the same time preserve their cultural heritage. The city has a high per capita income and is also one of the more affordable places to live in the entire nation.

The city has many cultural landmarks which include several museums such as the Currier Museum of Art and the Manchester Historic Association Millyard Museum. The city had a large number of textile mills before 1980s and the economy was also based more or less on textile. That has changed today. Besides the museums that are built in the city, it also has a lot of different platforms for theater and arts. The Verizon Wireless Area is one such popular venue where many different events ranging from theater and arts to sports are held frequently. The Verizon Wireless Area is located in the heart of the city and has come to be one of the major centers of activity in the city. The city is also a major center for sports and various professional and semiprofessional teams have made the city their home. Elm Street is also a major center in the city as it has a lot of varied activities that go on here, from the daytime hustle and bustle of government offices to the night life which extends into the wee hours of the morning.

The city's economy has diversified into a lot of new areas after 1980. Today many important companies have set up shop in the city. Downtown Manchester is a hub of economic activity and there are many highly affluent neighborhoods around downtown Manchester. The city is a growing yet very affordable city in many ways because of the tax system.The excellent level of higher education services that the city offers is also worth noting. Some amazing public schools have come up to help raise the level of education in the areas. The city has also changed a lot from the days of being a strong maker of textiles for the region.

About Hillsborough County, New Hampshire

The county of Hillsborough is the most populous county in the state of New Hampshire and it is also the most densely populated area in the state. It was formed in 1769 as one of the five original counties that made up the state of New Hampshire. The county seat was changed a couple of times before it was put into today's setting of two county seats for Hillsborough County. The county has an area of 892 square miles, of which more than 97% is water. The county is a well-developed and prospering area with high standards of living.

The county of Hillsborough has taken many steps to ensure that development is also sustainable. The county was organized in 1771 even though it had been formed earlier than that because many areas were still disputed upon by the state of Massachusetts. After the disputes were resolved the county was formed from large parts of Merrimack, Sullivan and Cheshire counties which are also current day counties. The county was seen as a hub of different industrial activity and in particular the textile industry. Some of the nation's largest mills for cotton were based in the city of Manchester even up to the 1980s. Today the industries that contribute a large fraction are also manufacturing or retail trading of various goods. Consumer markets have also expanded greatly in some areas of the county. The county has also made some excellent efforts to deliver a high level of education to the people.

The University of New Hampshire is one of the leading educational institutes in the state and has several campuses spread in the county. Besides that the county also has a rich background in culture and arts. The Nashua Art and Science center is a leading center for the development of culturally inclined activities in the state. It also offers many different programs to students to help them explore.

The Hillsborough County is one of the more densely populated counties in the New England area but the developments in the areas of the county have been maintained at a sustainable level.