40 Amazing New Hampshire Facts

By James Israelsen, Associate Writer

Published May 21, 2022

In 1776, New Hampshire became the first American colony to declare its independence from Great Britain._[6]
New Hampshire was the first American colony to create its own constitution._[6]
New Hampshire was named after the English county of Hampshire. The British investor who funded the colony’s development chose the name but never actually set foot in North America to see it for himself._[6]
Mount Washington in New Hampshire’s White Mountains is the highest point in New England._[6]
Mount Monadnock, located in Eastern New Hampshire, is one of the most-climbed mountains in the world._[6]
Although New Hampshire’s history of granite mining led to its official nickname of the “Granite State,” it is currently much better known for its sand, gravel, and semiprecious stone mines._[6]
In addition to its most commonly known nickname, the Granite State, New Hampshire has three others: Mother of Rivers, White Mountain State, and Switzerland of America._[12]
New Hampshire was one of the original 13 American colonies and the 9th state to join the Union._[12]

He looks on no more...

One of New Hampshire’s famous landmarks, a rock formation resembling a man’s face, the Old Man of the Mountain, no longer exists. The famous granite formation collapsed in 2003._[6]
In addition to their official state flag, New Hampshire also has a state tartan, a cloth pattern using specific colors arranged in bands in a specific order._[12]
New Hampshire’s Atlantic seacoast is only 18 miles long—the shortest of all of the coastal states in the United States._[15]
In 1777, women from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, sewed the first American flag to be saluted by a foreign power._[15]
The oldest crafts fair in the United States originated in New Hampshire and is still being hosted there by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen._[17]
Four months before the 1775 night ride that made him famous, Paul Revere had already become a local hero in New Hampshire, when he rode to warn the colony about British troops coming to secure a fort there._[15]
The surface wind speeds on New Hampshire’s Mount Washington have reached 231 mph (371 kph), which is a speed similar to that of Category 5 hurricanes and F4 tornadoes._[6]
The 1904 negotiations that ended the Russo-Japanese War and resulted in the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Theodore Roosevelt took place at a resort on the New Hampshire coast._[15]
A group of New Hampshire citizens was responsible for forming the first forest protection society in the United States._[17]
Compared to the national average of 104, New Hampshire residents only experience around 14 days of unhealthy air quality a year._[10]

Breathe it in

Not only did New Hampshirite Earl Tupper invent Tupperware, the airtight food containers that carry his name, but he was also responsible for bringing the world fingernail decals and dish-drying racks._[8]
The first active engagement of the American War of Independence took place in New Hampshire in 1774, when the Sons of Liberty invaded a British fort and carried off its supplies of gunpowder and small arms._[15]
St. John’s Church in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is home to the 1662 Brattle organ, the oldest operating pipe organ in the United States._[15]
The largest building in the world when it was constructed in 1897, the Library of Congress was built from 350,000 cubic feet of granite quarried in New Hampshire._[17]
The first free public library was established in Peterborough, New Hampshire, in 1833._[17]
Famous New Hampshire residents have included the poet Robert Frost, author J.D. Salinger, and America’s 14th president, Franklin Pierce._[11]

Lovely and quaint, covered bridges can be found throughout New England

New Hampshire has both the longest as well as the oldest covered bridges in the United States._[17]
In the 19th century, New Hampshire native Mary Baker Eddy founded the Christian Science movement, which focuses on spiritual and mental ways of healing physical sickness._[13]
For over 100 years, New Hampshire has been the site of the first presidential primary elections, giving voters there the chance to influence outcomes in the rest of the nation._[9]
In a 2019 assessment, New Hampshire was ranked first in the nation for having the lowest crime and incarceration rates._[10]
New Hampshire ranks 46th out of 50 in the nation when it comes to the cost and accessibility of higher education degrees in that state._[10]
New Hampshire can boast of two residents who achieved firsts in space flight: Alan Shepard was the first American astronaut to travel in space, and S. Christa McAuliff, who died in the Challenger explosion, was the first teacher in space._[2]
The world record for longest candy counter is held by Chutters candy store in Littleton, New Hampshire; the 112-foot counter holds over 500 jars of candy._[16]
New Hampshire's official state sport is cross-country skiing._[7]

Stark is known as "The Hero of Bennington" for his heroics in that battle

New Hampshire’s state motto, taken from the words of Revolutionary War General John Stark, is “Live Free or Die.”_[12]
Residents of New Hampshire are commonly referred to as "New Hampshirites."_[1]
Famous philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once criticized the residents of New Hampshire by saying that "the God who made New Hampshire taunted the lofty land with little men."_[1]
New Hampshire resident Count Rumford was an inventor whose innovations include the first modern stovetop, the drip coffee maker, and the first soup kitchen established to feed the poor._[3]
Although maple syrup is often associated with New Hampshire, Vermont produces around 15 times more maple syrup each year._[4]
The first potatoes grown in North America were planted by Irish-Scottish immigrants on a New Hampshire farm._[5]
New Hampshire's state bird is the purple finch._[5]
Opinions vary regarding when a New Hampshire rock formation known as "America's Stonehenge" was built, with different sources arguing for an origin date of thousands of years ago, sometime in the 10th century AD, or as recently as 1930._[14]