Towns in our Neighborhood
Litchfield
FOUNDED: 1734
CURRENT POPULATION: 8277
POPULATION AT FOUNDING: 357 residents in 1790
TOWN ZIP CODES: 03052
DESCRIPTION: This rural bedroom community of approximately 9,000 people is known for its farms, pick-your-own fruits and vegetables, and roadside stands. Because of its abundance of undeveloped land and its bucolic character, Litchfield has become one of the fastest growing communities in southern New Hampshire.
The growth has put a strain on town and school facilities. In March 1997, voters approved expanding Litchfield Middle School and building a new town hall/police station. The eventual coming of a major highway, the Nashua-Hudson Circumferential Highway, is predicted to bring even more growth to the town, which relies almost solely on residential property taxes. The roadway will connect Litchfield to the F.E. Everett Turnpike in Merrimack via a new bridge over the Merrimack River. Some see the project as a future boon to town, while others predict it will wreck the country atmosphere.
HISTORY: Chartered in 1734, this town on the east bank of the Merrimack River is one of the smallest in the area, about 8,500 acres. In 1656, Litchfield and Merrimack were both part of a grant made by Massachusetts known as Naticook, the Indian name for the area. Also in 1656, Massachusetts granted the greater part of Naticook to William Brenton and it was known as Brentonâs Farm. In 1728, the 16 residents of Brentonâs Farm petitioned to become a separate town to be called Litchfield. A few years later, the town added some land from Nottingham, the predecessor to Hudson. The last residence of the great Chief Passaconaway was on Reedâs Island in Litchfield, a place he called âMy beautiful Naticook.â Litchfield remained essentially an agricultural town until recently and remains well known for its produce.
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