New Hampshire

Paired with Vermont, New Hampshire makes up a square that constitutes the middle of New England. Where Vermont is wide in the north, New Hampshire is narrow and where New Hampshire is wide in the south, Vermont is narrow. In that and most other ways, the two states are similar.

Both boast outstanding natural beauty and tremendous resources for outdoors activities. Both are popular vacation destinations for watching fall foliage and skiing in winter. Both have mountainous regions that are popular with hikers and campers in summer. Both have lake regions. The one thing New Hampshire does have that Vermont does not is a coastline, although only 18 miles long.

New Hampshire History

New Hampshire was created in 1629 by an English land grant to Captain John Mason, who invested a hefty sum into the development of the colony, but he never lived to see it transpire. The early exploration of the country that was to become New Hampshire was done by Captain John Smith, better known as a founding father of the Jamestown colony in Virginia. Colonists first established a fishing colony at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, and other settlers moved further inland. Mason dubbed the land New Hampshire after the county of Hampshire in England where he had lived.

The most enduring symbol of the "Granite State" was a natural landmark known as the "Old Man of the Mountain," a natural outcropping of red granite 1,200 feet above Profile Lake in the Franconia Notch State Park. Viewed from the side, the layers of granite resembled the profile of a face. Having survived for thousands of years, the "Old Man" is the symbol of New Hampshire on the special edition commemorative state quarter. Sadly, the Old Man collapsed during a rock slide in 2003.

Regions

Perhaps the most noted of New Hampshire's six regions is the White Mountains, which contains the highest peaks in the northeast and a vast National Forest. The region is a popular ski destination. Another popular outdoor vacation area is the Lakes region that boasts more than 250 lakes and ponds. This region features a number of spas and luxury resorts in addition to lakefront cabins and bed and breakfast inns.

Manchester, the state's largest city, and the capital, Concord, are in the Merrimack Valley region that is the heart of the state's economy. The area also is known for being the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. Nashua is known as a center for the high tech industry and is often among various listings of best places to live in the United States. The Monadnock region contains the quant villages and rolling hills associated with picture post card New England.

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