Belmont

History

Originally known as "Upper Gilmanton", Belmont was chartered in 1727 as a parish of Gilmanton. With water power from the Tioga River, it developed as a mill town. Built in 1833, the Gilmanton Village Manufacturing Co. made cotton and woolen textiles. Over the years it would change owners, names and products. In 1921, it was the Belmont Hosiery Co., a maker of silk, lisle and woolen stockings. It went out of business in 1955, and the renovated mill building is now a community center. The name Belmont was adopted in 1869 to honor August Belmont, a wealthy financier who (it was hoped) would contribute to the nascent town, but he never acknowledged the act. In 1874, the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad passed through the northwestern section of Belmont, and service by the Franklin and Rochester Railroad was being planned. and was cited in 2012 by the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance as one of the 25 milestone efforts of a quarter-century. The mill was added to the New Hampshire Register of Historic Places in 2014, joining the 1792 Province Road Meeting House on New Hampshire Route 107, listed since 2003. Other significant historic structures in the town include the Belmont Public Library, included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and the Bandstand, cited for outstanding restoration and rehabilitation in 2015 with the Elizabeth Durfee Hengen Award from the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 6.08% of the town. New Hampshire Route 106 passes through the town center, connecting Laconia to the north with Loudon and Concord to the south. New Hampshire Route 140 crosses NH 106 at the town center, leading to Gilmanton and Alton to the east and Tilton to the west. U.S. Route 3 and New Hampshire Route 11, forming a concurrency, pass through the northwest corner of the town along the shore of Lake Winnisquam, leading north to Laconia and southwest to Tilton and Franklin. New Hampshire Route 107 crosses the northeastern corner of the town, connecting Gilmanton to the south with Laconia to the north. * Laconia (north) * Gilford (northeast) * Gilmanton (east) * Northfield (south) * Tilton (west) * Sanbornton (northwest)

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Laconia High School
  High · Laconia · 590 students · 11.6:1 ratio
• Gilford High School
  High · Gilford · 499 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Winnisquam Regional High School
  High · Tilton · 421 students · 14:1 ratio
• Laconia Middle School
  Middle · Laconia · 408 students · 11:1 ratio
• Winnisquam Regional Middle School
  Middle · Tilton · 398 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• Belmont High School
  High · Belmont · 366 students · 12.6:1 ratio
• Gilmanton Elementary School
  Elementary · Gilmanton IW · 365 students · 10.4:1 ratio
• Belmont Middle School
  Middle · Belmont · 345 students · 9.9:1 ratio