Laconia, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 16,411 people, 6,724 households, and 4,168 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 809.3 people per square mile (312.4/km²). There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 421.8 per square mile (162.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.79% White, 0.55% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population.
There were 6,724 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,796, and the median income for a family was $45,307. Males had a median income of $31,714 versus $22,818 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $19,540. About 7.5% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Laconia is governed by a mayoral-council and city managerCity manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
system. The Mayor and council are elected in a citywide vote, while the city manager is hired by the council. The council consists of six members who are elected from the six single-member wards.
Education
Public schools
Laconia School District has one public high school, one middle school and three elementary schools:
- Laconia High School
- Laconia Middle School (formerly Memorial Middle School)
- Elm Street Elementary School
- Pleasant Street Elementary School
- Woodland Heights Elementary School
Private schools
There are two parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
s within the city limits of Laconia:
- Laconia Christian School, serving grades K-12
- Holy Trinity Catholic School, serving grades K-8
Post-secondary schools
There is one area institution of higher education with a total enrollment of approximately 1000 students:
- Lakes Region Community College
Specialty schools
- Music Clinic, a music school
Sports
Laconia is home to the Laconia Muskrats of the New England Collegiate Baseball LeagueNew England Collegiate Baseball League
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 42-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August...
(NECBL). The franchise began play in 2010
2010 NECBL season
The 2010 NECBL season was the seventeenth season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league. Changes for 2010 included the league's Manchester, Connecticut franchise, the Manchester Silkworms, moving to Laconia, New Hampshire to become the Laconia...
at Robbie Mills Field
Robbie Mills Field
Robbie Mills Field is a baseball venue located in Laconia, New Hampshire, USA. It is home to the Laconia Muskrats of the collegiate summer New England Collegiate Baseball League . The Muskrats began play there in the 2010 season...
in Laconia.
Sites of interest
- Belknap Mill Society Museum
- Funspot Family Fun CenterFunspot Family Fun CenterFunspot Family Fun Center is a video arcade and self-declared "classic gaming museum" founded in 1952 by Bob Lawton, and located in the village of Weirs Beach in Laconia, New Hampshire, USA. It includes over 500 games, an indoor golf center, a 20-lane ten-pin and candlepin bowling center, cash...
, home of the International Classic Video & Pinball Tournament - Lake Winnipesaukee Historical Society Museum
- Robbie Mills FieldRobbie Mills FieldRobbie Mills Field is a baseball venue located in Laconia, New Hampshire, USA. It is home to the Laconia Muskrats of the collegiate summer New England Collegiate Baseball League . The Muskrats began play there in the 2010 season...
, home of the Laconia Muskrats of the New England Collegiate Baseball LeagueNew England Collegiate Baseball LeagueThe New England Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 42-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August... - Winnipesaukee PlayhouseWinnipesaukee PlayhouseThe Winnipesaukee Playhouse, also referred to as the Winni Playhouse, is an 84-seat black box-style theater located in the Weirs Beach section of Laconia, New Hampshire. The Playhouse produces both a professional summer stock season as well as a community theater season, and is arguably the only...
, the only professional theater in Laconia
Notable residents
- Charles A. BusielCharles A. BusielCharles Albert Busiel , born at Meredith, New Hampshire, the son of John W. and Julia Busiel, was an American manufacturer and politician from Laconia, New Hampshire. He started his political career as a Democrat and was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1878...
, Mayor of Laconia, elected Governor of New Hampshire in 1895 and served until 1897 - Connie ConverseConnie ConverseElizabeth Eaton "Connie" Converse was a singer-songwriter who was active in New York City in the 1950s. She disappeared in 1974, after writing goodbye letters to her friends and family, and has not been heard from since...
(1924-1974?), disappeared singer-songwriter - Chas GuldemondChas GuldemondChas Guldemond is an American snowboarder.-Personal life:Originally from Laconia, New Hampshire, Guldemond now resides in Truckee, California near some of America's best ski resorts....
, professional snowboarder and TTR World Tour competitor - Doris Haddock, better known as "Granny DGranny DDoris Haddock was an American political activist from New Hampshire. Haddock achieved national fame when, between the ages of 88 and 90, starting on January 1, 1999 and culminating on February 29, 2000, she walked over 3,200 miles across the continental United States to advocate for campaign...
", activist who walked across the United States in 1999 and 2000 to advocate for campaign finance reform - Fletcher HaleFletcher HaleFletcher Hale was a United States Representative from New Hampshire. He was born in Portland, Maine and attended the public schools there. He graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire in 1905. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1908 and commenced practice in Littleton...
, member of the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, serving the sixty-ninth through seventy-second terms in Congress - Joseph Oliva HuotJoseph Oliva HuotJoseph Oliva Huot was a U.S. Representative from New Hampshire.Born in Laconia, Huot was educated at Sacred Heart Parochial School and Laconia High School. From 1935 until 1956, he was a supervisor in the tabulating department of a manufacturer of knitting machines...
, member of the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, serving the eighty-ninth Congress - Tony LavelliTony LavelliAnthony Lavelli, Jr. was an American basketball player and musician. He averaged 6.9 points per game during his two year NBA career while also providing half-time entertainment with his accordion performances....
(1926-1998), NBA player (1949-1951), first overall pick of Boston CelticsBoston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
in 1949 - Thomas J. McIntyreThomas J. McIntyreThomas James McIntyre was a U.S. senator from New Hampshire, and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Laconia, New Hampshire, he attended the public and parochial schools of Laconia; he graduated from Manlius Military School in Manlius, New York, in 1933, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New...
, member of the United States SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
who served from 1962–1979 - Penny PitouPenny PitouPenelope Theresa 'Penny' Pitou is a former United States Olympic alpine skier, who in 1960 became the first American skier to win a medal in the Olympic downhill event. In 2001, Pitou was inducted into the New England Women's Sports Hall of Fame.Penny Pitou moved with her family from New York to...
, the first United States Olympic skier to win a medal in an Olympic downhill event in 1960 - Claude RainsClaude RainsClaude Rains was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 66 years. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The Invisible Man , a corrupt senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , Mr...
, actor, died here in 1967 - Paul W. K. RothemundPaul W. K. RothemundPaul W.K. Rothemund is a senior research fellow at the Computation and Neural Systems department at Caltech. He has become known in the fields of DNA nanotechnology and synthetic biology for his pioneering work with DNA origami. Rothemund is a 2007 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship.Rothemund...
, 2007 recipient of a MacArthur FellowshipMacArthur Fellows ProgramThe MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T... - Daniel E. SomesDaniel E. SomesDaniel E. Somes was a United States Representative from Maine. He was born in Meredith, New Hampshire on May 20, 1815. He received an academic education, then moved to Biddeford, Maine in 1846. He established the Eastern Journal, later known as the Union and Journal.He engaged in the manufacture...
, United States Representative from Maine (1856–1858) - Dawn ZimmerDawn ZimmerDawn Zimmer is the 38th mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. She was sworn in on November 6, 2009 after winning a special election to fill the remainder of Peter Cammarano's term. She had been serving as Acting Mayor since Cammarano's resignation on July 31, 2009 following his arrest on corruption charges...
, mayor of Hoboken, New JerseyHoboken, New JerseyHoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
(2009–present)