Temple, New Hampshire

Temple, New Hampshire
Town
Town Hall
Location in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 42°49′05″N71°51′05″W / 42.81806°N 71.85139°W / 42.81806; -71.85139
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Hillsborough
Incorporated	1768
Named for	John Temple
Government
•  Select Board	Bill Ezell, Chair Ken Caisse George Willard
Area [1]
• Total	22.5 sq mi (58.2 km2)
• Land	22.2 sq mi (57.6 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)  0.98%
Elevation	1,024 ft (312 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	1,382
• Density	62/sq mi (24.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	03084
Area code	603
FIPS code	33-76260
GNIS feature ID	0873737
Website	www.templenh.org

Temple is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,382 at the 2020 census. ^[2] It is home to Temple Mountain State Reservation, formerly the Temple Mountain Ski Area.

History

The area was first called "Peterborough Slip", which included what is now the town of Sharon. In 1758, Maj. Ephraim Heald and his wife Sarah, along with his brother Deacon Peter Heald and Oliver Heald, a cousin, were among the first settlers. Peter Heald is generally considered to be the founder of Temple, and his child, Peter, was the first male child born in the town. ^{[3] [4]} In 1768, it was incorporated by colonial Governor John Wentworth, who named it after his lieutenant governor, John Temple. ^[5] Peter Felt, from Lynn, Massachusetts, arrived with his wife Lucy Andrews, of Concord, Massachusetts, in 1769. Temple Glassworks was founded in 1780 by Robert Hewes of Boston. Although the company is long defunct, surviving examples of Temple glass are today rare and prized collectibles. By 1859 Temple had a population of 579, with two sawmills, one gristmill, and a tannery. ^[6] The town of Temple, Maine was named after Temple, NH. ^[7]

Terrain is generally uneven and rocky. It is also elevated, commanding distant views to the east and south. ^[6] As John Farmer and Jacob Bailey Moore wrote in 1823, "From the highest point of elevation, twenty meetinghouses may be seen when the atmosphere is clear." ^[8]

• 
  Congregational Church
• 
  Cemetery gate
• 
  Birchwood Inn
• 
  View from Temple Mountain

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.5 square miles (58.2 km²), of which 22.2 square miles (57.6 km²) are land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) are water, comprising 0.98% of the town. ^[1] The town is drained to the east by Blood Brook and its tributary Temple Brook, part of the Souhegan River watershed. The highest point in Temple is 2,190 feet (670 m) above sea level, on an eastern spur of South Pack Monadnock Mountain. South of Route 101, 2,045-foot (623 m) Temple Mountain forms the town's western boundary for several miles.

Adjacent municipalities

• Greenfield (north)
• Lyndeborough (northeast)
• Wilton (east)
• Greenville (southeast)
• New Ipswich (south)
• Sharon (west)
• Peterborough (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	747		—
1800	867		16.1%
1810	941		8.5%
1820	752		−20.1%
1830	647		−14.0%
1840	576		−11.0%
1850	579		0.5%
1860	501		−13.5%
1870	421		−16.0%
1880	492		16.9%
1890	342		−30.5%
1900	313		−8.5%
1910	284		−9.3%
1920	263		−7.4%
1930	239		−9.1%
1940	258		7.9%
1950	330		27.9%
1960	361		9.4%
1970	441		22.2%
1980	692		56.9%
1990	1,194		72.5%
2000	1,297		8.6%
2010	1,366		5.3%
2020	1,382		1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [2] [9]

As of the census ^[10] of 2000, there were 1,297 people, 440 households, and 347 families residing in the town. The population density was 55.8 inhabitants per square mile (21.5/km²). There were 465 housing units at an average density of 20.0 per square mile (7.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.00% White, 0.31% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.54% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 440 households, out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.1% were non-families. 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $56,500, and the median income for a family was $64,297. Males had a median income of $36,563 versus $29,545 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,897. About 2.8% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Temple presidential election results ^[11]

Year	Democratic	Republican	Third parties	Total Votes	Difference
2020	53.90%518	44.95% 432	1.14% 11	961	8.95%
2016	48.39%405	47.79% 400	3.82% 32	837	0.60%
2012	50.17%435	47.64% 413	2.19% 19	867	2.54%
2008	53.49%468	46.06% 403	0.46% 4	875	7.43%
2004	54.71%453	44.08% 365	1.21% 10	828	10.63%
2000	45.37% 299	46.28%305	8.35% 55	659	0.91%
1996	45.36%254	40.36% 226	14.29% 80	560	5.00%
1992	35.66% 215	40.13%242	24.21% 146	603	4.48%
1988	39.01% 190	59.75%291	1.23% 6	487	20.74%
1988	30.36% 119	69.39%272	0.26% 1	392	39.03%
1980	19.10% 68	61.24%218	19.66% 70	356	42.13%
1976	27.80% 87	70.29%220	1.92% 6	313	42.49%
1972	24.58% 73	74.41%221	1.01% 3	297	49.83%
1968	12.92% 31	79.58%191	7.50% 18	240	66.67%
1964	32.18% 65	67.82%137	0.00% 0	202	35.64%
1960	10.40% 21	89.60%181	0.00% 0	202	79.21%
1956	7.84% 16	90.20%184	1.96% 4	204	82.35%
1952	8.49% 18	91.51%194	0.00% 0	212	83.02%
1948	15.17% 27	83.15%148	1.69% 3	178	67.98%
1944	17.20% 32	82.26%153	0.54% 1	186	65.05%
1940	11.52% 19	88.48%146	0.00% 0	165	76.97%
1936	8.09% 11	90.44%123	1.47% 2	136	82.35%
1932	13.39% 17	85.83%109	0.79% 1	127	72.44%

References

• New Hampshire portal

1. "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files – New Hampshire". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
2. "Temple town, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
3. Blood, Henry Ames. The History of Temple, New Hampshire, p. 7, Geo. C. Rand & Avery, 1860.
4. Stager, Helen, and Stager, Evelyn. A Family Odyssey, pp. 343-4, Nicollet Press, Inc., Pipestone, MN, 1983.
5. New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
6. Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts. p. 664.
7. "Profile for Temple, Maine". ePodunk . Retrieved April 18, 2010.
8. John Farmer and Jacob Bailey Moore, editors; Collections, Topographical, Historical and Biographical, Relating Principally to New Hampshire; Volumes 1-3; 1823
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
11. "Election Results". sos.nh.gov.

External links

• Official website
• Mansfield Public Library
• New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile