New Hampshire
From Free Talk Live
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New Hampshire is a state in New England and part of the union of the United States of America. It shares a southern border with Massachusetts, an eastern border with Maine, and a western border with Vermont. It also has two international borders, one with Canada, and a sea coast on the Atlantic Ocean.
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History
New Hampshire was the first American Colony to declare its independence from Britain. Following the battle at Lexington and Concord, New Hampshire militia marched to Massachusetts and fought in the battle of Bunker Hill under the command of General John Stark. Years later Stark would coin the state motto. "Live Free or Die Death is not the Worst of Evils". The truncated version "Live Free or Die" is used as the state motto. New Hampshire was the ninth US state to ratify the Constitution in 1788. This was the deciding vote and put the Constitution into effect, replacing the Articles of Confederation. During the 1800s the state grew as an industrial power. Industry expanded particularly in the area of textile manufacture. Factories in the state employed immigrants particularly from Quebec. New Hampshire troops fought for the Union during the American Civil War.
Religion
About 90% of the state's population is Christian. Of this number about half are Catholic and half belong to various Protestant denominations. Approximately 10% of the state's population is secular.
Demographics
New Hampshire's population is on average older than the national average. New Hampshire's population is mainly caucasian. People of Irish descent are the largest ethnicity, followed by English, French Canadian, French, and German. There are also Scandanavian, Polish, and Greek groups which immigrated to the state in seperate waves. Non caucasians are still a very small minority, but in recent years there has been significant increase in the numbers of Hispanics, Asians, and African Americans moving to the state.
Economy
The economy of New Hampshire relies heavily on tourism. Many service industies in the state center around tourism. Examples include Hotels, Ski Areas, Resorts, and Food Service. The state's retail sales per capita are well above the national average. Retail sales are driven in large part to the fact that New Hampshire has no sales tax, unlike the states and Canadian province around it. Many tech sector jobs including IT are located in the southern half of the state, and workers are incentivized to work in New Hampshire due to the lack of a state income tax. Agriculture has diminished in economic importance, and many remaining agricultural operations are aimed at agrotourism. Forestry employs many people in the northern portion of the state. Manufacturing is a marginal industry in New Hampshire.
Politics
New Hampshire has a constitutional republican form of government with three branches of government.
New Hampshire has a limited government tradition and until 2007 the Republicans controlled the legislature for many decades. New Hampshire's state legislature is the third largest English speaking legislature in the world, after the US Congress and the British Parliament. The legislature is comprised of 435 representatives. The Senate is comprised of 25 Senators. The Executive in New Hampshire is weak. An elected body of five individuals called the Executive Council can veto legislation which appropriates $ 5000 or more by a majority vote. The Governor works in consultation with the Council, and they serve as a further check and balance. In some ways the Executive council is a fourth branch of government, but it is officially part of the Executive branch. New Hampshire Supreme Court justices are appointed and serve for life, unless impeached.
Counties and Cities
- Belknap - (todo: import cities)
- Carroll -
- Cheshire -
- Coos -
- Derry - Less than an hour's drive from downtown Boston, and site of a recent Taxpayer Revolt
- Grafton - Home of John Babiarz, past chairman of the NH Libertarian Party, and also of Money Dollars, a NH native Libertarian who hates the Free State Project.
- Hillsborough -
- Merrimack -
- Rockingham -
- Strafford -
- Sullivan -
Trivia
- New Hampshire's state motto is "Live Free or Die".
- New Hampshire is home to the Free State Project.
- Residents of Massachusetts who move to NH to escape the high tax burden and then lobby for higher taxes in NH are called Massholes.
