Lakes Region (New Hampshire)

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New Hampshire Lakes Region
Region
SquamLake.JPG
Squam Lake from West Rattlesnake: a typical vista in the Lakes Region
Country United States
State New Hampshire
Counties
Time zone EST
Area codes 603
In this 2018 map by the N.H. Department of Transportation, the Lakes Region (in darker blue) is located in the east-central portion of the state. Map of New Hampshire Regions.png
In this 2018 map by the N.H. Department of Transportation, the Lakes Region (in darker blue) is located in the east-central portion of the state.

The Lakes Region of New Hampshire is located in the east-central part of the state, south of the White Mountains Region and extending to the Maine border. It is named for the numerous lakes in the region, the largest of which are Lake Winnipesaukee, Lake Winnisquam, Squam Lake, and Newfound Lake. The area comprises all of Belknap County, the southern portion of Carroll County, the eastern portion of Grafton County, and the northern portions of Strafford County and Merrimack County. [1] The largest municipality is the city of Laconia.

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Besides the lakes, there are also two small mountain ranges, the Belknap Mountains which lie to the southwest, and the Ossipee Mountains to the northeast.

The area is a popular tourist destination in the summer time, with the activity peaking during the annual Motorcycle Week and races at Loudon's New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Other tourist destinations include Funspot in Weirs Beach, the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness, the children's museum of Center Harbor, Gunstock ski resort and Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion at Meadowbrook, both in Gilford, Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough, and the town of Wolfeboro, which claims to be the nation's oldest resort town. Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in the state, and is home to numerous vacation homes. Several motion pictures have either been filmed or set in the region, including the 1981 classic, On Golden Pond (filmed on Squam Lake in the town of Holderness) and the 1991 comedy What About Bob? , which was filmed in Virginia but (fictitiously) took place in Wolfeboro.

Lakes

Below is a partial list of the largest lakes found in the Lakes Region:

Related Research Articles

Belknap County, New Hampshire County in New Hampshire, United States

Belknap County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 63,705. The county seat is Laconia. It is located in New Hampshire's Lakes Region, slightly southeast of the state's geographic center. Belknap County comprises the Laconia, NH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn constitutes a portion of the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area.

Alton, New Hampshire Town in New Hampshire, United States

Alton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,894 at the 2020 census, up from 5,250 at the 2010 census. It is home to Alton Bay State Forest and Mount Major State Forest.

Center Harbor, New Hampshire Town in New Hampshire, United States

Center Harbor is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 1,040. It is situated between Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake.

Laconia, New Hampshire City in New Hampshire, United States

Laconia is a city in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,871 at the 2020 census, up from 15,951 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Belknap County. Laconia, situated between Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Winnisquam, includes the villages of Lakeport and Weirs Beach. Each June, the city hosts Laconia Motorcycle Week, also more simply known as "Bike Week", one of the country's largest rallies.

Moultonborough, New Hampshire Town in New Hampshire, United States

Moultonborough is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,918 at the 2020 census, up from 4,044 at the 2010 census. Moultonborough is bounded in large part by Lake Winnipesaukee in the southwest and to a lesser extent by Squam Lake in the northwest corner. The town includes the census-designated place of Suissevale and the community of Lees Mill.

Lake Winnipesaukee Lake in New Hampshire, U.S.

Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately 21 miles (34 km) long (northwest-southeast) and from 1 to 9 miles wide (northeast-southwest), covering 69 square miles (179 km2)—71 square miles (184 km2) when Paugus Bay is included—with a maximum depth of 180 feet (55 m). The center area of the lake is called The Broads.

Meredith, New Hampshire Town in New Hampshire, United States

Meredith is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,662 at the 2020 census. Meredith is situated in the state's Lakes Region and serves as a major resort town. Meredith Village, the commercial center of the town, lies long the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, and several other large lakes lie partially or completely within the town borders. It is home to the Stonedam Island Natural Area and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad, and it serves as one of the ports of call for the paddle steamer MS Mount Washington.

Wolfeboro (CDP), New Hampshire Census-designated place in New Hampshire, United States

Wolfeboro is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Wolfeboro in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. It consists of the main village of Wolfeboro within the town, as well as the smaller village of Wolfeboro Falls. The population of the CDP was 3,300 at the 2020 census, out of 6,416 in the entire town of Wolfeboro.

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Town in New Hampshire, United States

Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls.

Pemigewasset River River in New Hampshire, United States

The Pemigewasset River, known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is 65.0 miles (104.6 km) in length and drains approximately 1,021 square miles (2,644 km2). The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word bemijijoasek [bəmidzidzoasək], meaning "where side (entering) current is".

Squam Lake Lake in Belknap County, New Hampshire

Squam Lake is a lake located in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, south of the White Mountains, straddling the borders of Grafton, Carroll, and Belknap counties. The largest town center on the lake is Holderness. The lake is located northwest of much larger Lake Winnipesaukee.

New Hampshire Route 25 is a 96.62-mile (155.49 km) long east–west state highway in New Hampshire. It runs completely across the state from Vermont to Maine.

New Hampshire Route 11

New Hampshire Route 11 is a 108.223-mile-long (174.168 km) east–west state highway in New Hampshire, running completely across the central part of the state. Its western terminus is at the Vermont state line in Charlestown, where it continues west as Vermont Route 11. The eastern terminus is at the Maine state line in Rochester, where it crosses the border with U.S. Route 202 and continues as Maine State Route 11.

New Hampshire Route 28

New Hampshire Route 28 is an 85.413-mile-long (137.459 km) north–south state highway in eastern New Hampshire. It connects the town of Ossipee in east-central New Hampshire with Salem on the Massachusetts border, while passing through Manchester, the largest city in the state.

Newfound Lake

Newfound Lake is located in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It is situated in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, in the towns of Alexandria, Bridgewater, Bristol, and Hebron. Its area of 4,451 acres (18.0 km2) places it behind only Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake among lakes located entirely within New Hampshire, and fourth in the state overall, when Umbagog Lake on the Maine border is included.

Lake Winnisquam

Lake Winnisquam is in Belknap County in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, in the communities of Meredith, Laconia, Sanbornton, Belmont, and Tilton. At 4,214 acres (1,705 ha), it is the fourth-largest lake entirely in New Hampshire. The lake is roughly triangular in shape, with the vertexes pointing north, east, and south. The lake lies along the path of the Winnipesaukee River, which enters the lake from its eastern corner and carries water from Lake Winnipesaukee via Paugus Bay and Opechee Bay. The river also flows south out of Winnisquam's southern corner, eventually joining the Merrimack River. The lake extends several miles north from the course of the Winnipesaukee River, which forms the lake's southeastern side, with the northern point being formed by the confluence of several smaller creeks near the village of Meredith Center. The lake has a maximum depth of 155 feet (47 m).

Opechee Bay is a 449-acre (1.82 km2) lake located in Belknap County in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, in the city of Laconia. It is located directly downstream from Paugus Bay and Lake Winnipesaukee, and it connects by a one-mile segment of the Winnipesaukee River through the center of Laconia to Lake Winnisquam.

Defunct placenames are those no longer used officially.

Belknap Mountains

The Belknap Mountains are a small mountain range in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire in the United States. The range lies in the towns of Gilford, Gilmanton, and Alton in Belknap County. The highest peak, Belknap Mountain, with an elevation of 2,382 feet (726 m) above sea level, is the highest point in Belknap County. Belknap Mountain State Forest covers the central part of the range, including the summit and slopes of Belknap Mountain.

References

  1. "Lakes Region". NH Department of Resources and Economic Development. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2013.