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Sullivan County
County Seat: Newport
Sullivan County was organized in September, 1827. It was
named for General John Sullivan, a Revolutionary War hero, New Hampshire
attorney general and judge. Charlestown's Fort #4 played an important role
during the French and Indian Wars. The town of Cornish, first settled in 1765
was a site where mast pines were cut for the King's ships. Sullivan county was
the birthplace of the American machine tool industry and is the site of several
historic mill communities.
Sullivan County is located in western New
Hampshire and shares a thirty-six mile stretch of the Connecticut River with
our neighbor Vermont. It consists of 528 square miles and has population of
38,592. Eighty-Five percent of the landscape is in forest land and twelve
percent of the county is prime farm land. Many of these 18th century farms are
still in the same family. Primary industries include manufacturing, retail,
health and higher education.
There is one city and fourteen towns in
Sullivan County. The population of the city of Claremont is 14,050. A special
feature in Claremont is their Opera House, a completely restored 1800's
theater. Acoustically it is considered "one of the best facilities" in all of
New England. The town of Newport also has an opera house. Both Opera Houses
bring forward a variety of local talent as well as, cultural experiences from
across the United States including dances, concerts and plays. Another rather
unique feature of the area is a Hang Gliding Flight Park. Claremont is also
home to New Hampshire Community Technical College. A public, two year college
offering career oriented education for adults. It is also home to a branch of
the University System of New Hampshire's College for Life Long Learning
(C.L.L). The Connecticut Valley Region of C.L.L. delivers college programs to
adults in the communities in which they live and work , using the resources of
the entire University System. Valley Regional Hospital is also located in
Claremont.
Throughout Sullivan County there are a variety of
recreational opportunities to enjoy including hiking, biking, snowmobiling,
cross country and alpine skiing, as well as boating and fishing. Mount Sunapee
State Park includes a 200 acre network of trails for skiing and hiking and
sparkling lakes for swimming. Enjoy the view from a chairlift ride to the top
of the highest mountain in southern New Hampshire. Enjoy the annual state arts
and crafts show and other events at Sunapee State Park.. Other sites unique to
Sullivan County include: Old Fort #4, a revolutionary stockade in Charlestown,
the Cornish-Windsor covered bridge (the longest of its kind in the U.S.), and
the Saint-Gaudens National Historic site, the home and studio of a famous
sculptor and location of summer concerts and art exhibits.
As in the
other nine counties, Sullivan County has three elected commissioners, who are
responsible for administering the 15+ million dollar county budget. Local
governments usually consist of a volunteer board of selectman with a paid
administrator. In addition, many towns have volunteer fire departments,
conservation commissions, planning and zoning boards. Public safety is ensured
with the cooperative efforts of local police, the county sheriff and State
Police.