Salem, New Hampshire

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Salem is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 30,089 at the 2020 census[1] and an estimated 30,647 in 2022.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Salem is a northern suburb of Boston located on Interstate 93. As the first town along I-93 northbound in New Hampshire, which lacks any state sales tax, Salem has grown into a regional commercial hub for the northern section of Greater Boston, anchored by the Mall at Rockingham Park and Tuscan Village. Other major sites include Canobie Lake Park, a large amusement park; and America's Stonehenge, a stone structure of disputed origins. It is the former home of Rockingham Park, a horse racetrack. The Sununu political family hails from Salem, including former New Hampshire governor and White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu, and his sons John E. Sununu, a former U.S. senator, and Chris Sununu, former New Hampshire governor.

Salem was named on the Money website's "Best Places to Live 2020" list.[2]

History

File:The Square, Salem Depot, NH.jpg
The Square, now known as Salem Depot, in 1908

The area was first settled in 1652. As early as 1736, Salem was the "North Parish" of Methuen, Massachusetts, or "Methuen District". In 1741, when the boundary line between Massachusetts and New Hampshire was fixed, the "North Parish" became part of New Hampshire, and was given the name "Salem", taken from nearby Salem, Massachusetts. The town was incorporated in 1750 by colonial governor Benning Wentworth.[3] The meetinghouse of the old north parish, erected in 1738, still stands, eventually becoming the town hall of Salem before it was turned into the Salem Historical Society museum.[4]

In 1902, Canobie Lake Park was established in Salem by the Massachusetts Northeast Street Railway Company to encourage leisure excursions on its trolleys. The plan was successful, and the enterprise quickly became one of the leading resorts of its type in New England. Crowds arrived from all over, including the nearby mill towns of Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell and Methuen in Massachusetts, and Manchester and Nashua in New Hampshire. Factory workers and others found respite strolling along tree-lined promenades, between flower beds or beside the lake. Rides, arcades, and a dance hall provided lively entertainments. The rise of the automobile, however, brought the decline of the trolley. But Canobie Lake Park, one of the few former street railway amusement resorts still in existence, continues to be popular.[5]

Other features of Salem's tourism history include America's Stonehenge, a curiosity (formerly "Mystery Hill"). Other attractions include the Icenter, a skating arena, as well as Field of Dreams and Hedgehog Pond Park.

Starting in the 1950s, Salem developed rapidly as part of Greater Boston, with suburban-style residential neighborhoods and a long strip of commercial development along NH Route 28. Commercial construction has continued to focus on Route 28, as well as on the commercial zone off Exit 2 on Interstate 93. Starting in 2017, the Tuscan Village complex has been under construction, a multi-million dollar mixed-use commercial property that includes retail, medical offices, condos, and apartments. The complex is being built on the site of the former Rockingham Park race track.[6]

The Manchester and Lawrence branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad ran through Salem until 2001. In 2009, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation commissioned a study exploring the reactivation of the branch and instituting commuter rail service connecting to the MBTA Haverhill Line and onward to Boston. The study's cost/benefit analysis recommended taking no action to reactivate beyond preserving the option for consideration at a future time.[7]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert are water, comprising 4.07% of the town.[8] Salem is drained by the Spicket River and its tributary Policy Brook, part of the Merrimack River watershed. Canobie Lake is on the western boundary, Arlington Mill Reservoir is in the north, and World End Pond is in the southeast. None of the town's residential water supply incorporates sodium fluoride, a water additive that helps ensure strong teeth enamel.[9] The highest point in Salem is the summit of Gordon's Hill, at Template:Convert above sea level, along the town's western border.

Salem is the first New Hampshire town encountered when traveling north from Massachusetts on Interstate 93. The interstate's first two New Hampshire exits are within the town. Via I-93, Boston is Template:Convert to the south and Manchester is Template:Convert to the northwest.

Adjacent municipalities

Demographics

Template:US Census population

File:Apple Tree, Canobie Lake Park.jpg
Under the Apple Tree in 1908, Canobie Lake Park

At the 2000 census,[10] there were 28,112 people, 10,402 households and 7,603 families residing in the town. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 10,866 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the town was 95.01% White, 0.55% African American, 0.21% Native American, 2.27% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.83% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.96% of the population.

There were 10,402 households, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. Of all households 21.2% were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.16.

Age distribution was 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.

The median household income was $58,090, and the median family income was $67,278. Males had a median income of $46,330 versus $31,031 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,170. About 3.1% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Salem town vote
by party in presidential elections[11]
Year Democratic Republican Third Parties
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2020 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|42.81% 7,638 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|55.88% 9,969 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|1.31% 234
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2016 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|37.41% 6,068 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|57.40% 9,312 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|5.19% 842
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2012 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|41.66% 6,026 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|57.27% 8,285 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|1.07% 155
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2008 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|45.27% 6,838 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|53.45% 8,073 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|1.28% 194
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2004 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|45.06% 6,472 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|54.28% 7,797 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.66% 95
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2000 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|47.73% 5,711 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|47.75% 5,713 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|4.52% 541
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|1996 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|47.82% 5,164 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|39.42% 4,257 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|12.76% 1,378
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1992 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|33.49% 4,184 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|38.93% 4,864 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|27.59% 3,447
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1988 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|31.97% 3,512 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|66.57% 7,314 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|1.47% 161
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1984 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|31.33% 3,021 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|68.27% 6,583 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.39% 38
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1980 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|31.51% 3,047 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|55.31% 5,348 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|13.19% 1,275
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|1976 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|54.10% 4,983 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|43.37% 3,994 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|2.53% 233
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1972 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|44.46% 3,923 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|54.70% 4,827 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.84% 74
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|1968 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|50.44% 3,637 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|45.80% 3,302 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|3.76% 271
align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|1964 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|63.45% 3,685 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|36.55% 2,123 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.00% 0
align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|1960 align="center" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|42.87% 1,993 align="center" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|57.13% 2,656 align="center" Template:Party shading/Independent|0.00% 0
File:SalemNH TownOffices.jpg
Salem Town Hall

Salem's town government consists of a town council and a town manager. Salem is a part of New Hampshire House District 25 and is currently represented by nine Republican representatives: Lori Ball, Tanya Donnelly, Fred Doucette, John Janigian, Dennis Mannion, Valerie McDonnell, Joe Sweeney, John Sytek and Susan Vandecasteele. In the New Hampshire Senate, Salem is in the 22nd District and is currently represented by Republican Daryl Abbas. On the New Hampshire Executive Council, Salem is in District 3 and is currently represented by Republican Janet Stevens. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Salem is in New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district and is currently represented by Democrat Maggie Goodlander.

Salem is a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. No Democratic presidential nominee has carried the town since Bill Clinton received a plurality of the vote in 1996.

Education

Salem public schools spend $5,544 per student. The average school expenditure in the U.S. is $5,678. There are about 16.1 students per teacher in Salem.[12]

Colleges
High school
Administration
Private school

Transportation

Four New Hampshire state routes and one Interstate Highway cross Salem.

  • NH 28 follows Broadway through the Salem central business district, becoming Rockingham Road in the northern part of town. It connects Salem to Windham in the north and Methuen, Massachusetts, in the south.
  • NH 38 begins in Salem at NH 28 (Broadway) just to the east of the Mall at Rockingham Park, and goes southwest into the town of Pelham. It primarily follows Lowell Road and Rockingham Park Boulevard.
  • NH 97 begins in Salem at NH 28 (Broadway) and follows Main Street east to connect Salem to Haverhill, Massachusetts.
  • NH 111 crosses the extreme northern part of the town, connecting to Windham in the west and Hampstead in the east.
  • Interstate 93 crosses the town from southeast to northwest. There are two interchanges in Salem: Exit 1, which provides access to Rockingham Park Boulevard, and Exit 2, which provides access to Pelham Road.

The nearest airport is Manchester–Boston Regional Airport along the border of Londonderry and Manchester. The nearest rail service is the Haverhill Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail which can be accessed at Lawrence station in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The nearest Amtrak station is at Haverhill station in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

The Manchester Transit Authority operates a shopper bus shuttle service three days a week.[13]

Notable people

Salem in popular culture

Rockingham Park racetrack was located in Salem. As mentioned in the film The Sting starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, it was central to that film's plot.

Scenes from the original The Thomas Crown Affair were filmed at the Salem glider airport, which is now Campbell's Scottish Highlands Golf Course.

Points of interest

References

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External links

Template:Geographic location

Template:Rockingham County, New Hampshire Template:Greater Boston Template:Merrimack River

Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Edgar Gilbert's History of Salem, N.H. (1907)
  4. ↑ Gilbert
  5. ↑ Seed, Douglas, & Khalife, Katherine (1996). Salem, NH. Volume II - Trolleys, Canobie Lake, and Rockingham Park, Images of America. Arcadia Publishing. Template:ISBN.
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ HNTB Corporation (2009). "I-93 Corridor Multi-Modal Transit Investment Study". http://www.rebuildingi93.com/content/taskForce/I-93%20Transit%20Study.pdf
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CenPopGazetteer2021
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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