They don't call it the Granite State for nothing. The term refers not only to the ruggedness of the landscape but also to the tenacity of its residents. Although New Hampshire has its share of cities as well as quaint country villages, its breathtaking natural landscape is a source of pride to everyone.

New Hampshire's compact size means that an hour of driving can transport a city dweller to the wilds of the White Mountains. Out-of-state visitors also benefit from the close confines: You'll find it easy to zip from the historic seacoast town of Portsmouth to the museums and landmarks of Concord to mountains, lakes and forests that lie farther north.

Active sports—hunting, fishing, hiking and winter skiing—are a big part of New Hampshire's allure, but there are plenty of less demanding ways to enjoy the sights. Scenic two-lane roads wind throughout the countryside. Sightseeing boats ply the highland lakes. And there's an especially good selection of railroad excursions through the White Mountains, including the cog railway that ascends the highest peak in the Northeast, Mount Washington.

Geography

History

Before the coming of roads and rails, the Sokoki, Amoskeag and other Native American peoples lived in fortified villages on the upper Connecticut River. Villagers grew corn and also spent a good deal of time hunting, trapping, fishing and collecting food.

The first Europeans to reach what became New Hampshire were English explorer Martin Pring and Frenchman Samuel de Champlain. England came to control the area, and the first colonial settlements were established in 1623. The state didn't attract colonists in large numbers for several years, partly because of Native American resistance to settlers. New Hampshire also had a long dispute with neighboring Massachusetts, which claimed governance over the southern part of the territory.

Early on, New Hampshire established its reputation for libertarian, contentious and fiercely independent politics. Loyalist sentiment among the colonists was strong, but New Hampshire rebels attacked British property as early as 1774 when some New Hampshire patriots disarmed Fort William and Mary in New Castle a year after the Boston Tea Party. Of the 13 colonies, New Hampshire was the first to declare its independence from England. Even after the Revolutionary War, Tories in New Hampshire nearly quashed the state's ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Yet in the end it was New Hampshire that cast the deciding affirmative vote among the 13 original colonies. The famous "Live Free or Die," which adorns the state's license plates, was coined by New Hampshire Revolutionary War hero Gen. John Stark in 1809 and became the official state motto in 1945.

Even though agriculture has been (and remains) an important cog in its economic machinery, New Hampshire turned increasingly to mills and factories for employment and revenue beginning in the 1800s and continuing through the mid-20th century. Today, tourism, service industries and high-tech have joined manufacturing as important sources of employment. Politics is also big business in New Hampshire—not so much economically as socially. Until recently, New Hampshire has been famous as the site of the first primary election of every presidential campaign, a status that is currently being challenged. According to popular belief, the politician who wins the New Hampshire primary will most likely be the next U.S. president.

Snapshot

New Hampshire's main attractions include scenic parks and drives, fall foliage, the White Mountains, Mount Washington, Portsmouth's Strawbery Banke, restored colonial architecture, skiing, hiking and other outdoor sports.

Travelers seeking New England's particular combination of spectacular scenery, history and outdoor activities will find New Hampshire appealing. Those who are looking for big-city excitement may find it less to their liking—but the state has a number of charming small cities (Portsmouth, Concord and Nashua are examples). If Atlantic coastal attractions are of primary importance, be aware that although the New Hampshire shoreline is picturesque, it's also very short.

Potpourri

Residents of Peterborough swear their village was the model for Thornton Wilder's play Our Town, and they're right. Peterborough is mentioned in the opening lines of the play, though the actual setting of the play is the fictional hamlet called Grover's Corners. Wilder was inspired by this small town when he was a resident at the nearby McDowell (artists) Colony, and he later won his second Pulitzer Prize for Our Town.

New Hampshire was the first state to hold a lottery when it ran its first sweepstakes in 1964.

In 1827, New Hampshirites Lewis Downing and Stephen Abbot made the first Concord coach, the favored carriages used on the Overland Trail Stage Route for journeys to the western frontier. Known for their strength and comfort, the Concord coaches even won Mark Twain's approval; he referred to them as "a cradle on wheels."

The first potato planted in the U.S. went into the ground in Londonderry in 1719. Londonderry is also thought to be the first place in the then-colonies to produce linen on a large scale. It is said that both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson wore Londonderry linen.

Some of the peaks of the Presidential Range in northern New Hampshire have been named after U.S. presidents, but not Mount Clinton. Rather than honoring William Jefferson Clinton, it was named for DeWitt Clinton, who lost the 1812 election to James Madison. The mountain was renamed Mount Pierce in 1913, after Franklin Pierce, the only president to hail from New Hampshire.

Stewartstown is on the 45th parallel, exactly halfway between the equator and the North Pole.

Ever wonder where Uncle Sam came from? His boyhood home is still standing in Mason. Samuel Wilson, also known as Uncle Sam, supplied beef to the Army in 1812 under the brand "U.S." Somehow, U.S. became synonymous with Uncle Sam, and the rest is history. Mason is also the home to "Pickity Place," a 200-year-old cottage that served as the model for Elizabeth Orton Jones' classic American version of Little Red Riding Hood. There's a small Little Red Riding Hood museum and gift shop there, as well as a charming restaurant open year-round.

More than half of the covered bridges in New England are in New Hampshire, including the longest in the country—a 460-ft/140-m span crossing the Connecticut River. The Windsor-Cornish Bridge runs between Cornish, New Hampshire, and Windsor, Vermont.

The highly anticipated Segway Human Transporter was invented by New Hampshire millionaire Dean Kamen in 2001.

Tourism was already a well-established industry in the state by 1850. Through the years, the beauty of New Hampshire provided inspiration for writers such as Thornton Wilder, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Grace Metalious, Robert Frost, Mark Twain (who sometimes summered in Dublin), Celia Thaxter, Henry David Thoreau and Willa Cather. Current-day writers Dave Brown (The DaVinci Code), Maxine Kumin, Ernest Hebert and U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic call New Hampshire home.

Visual artists whose work has been inspired by New Hampshire include Maxfield Parrish, Frederic Church, Thomas Cole, Augustus Saint-Gaudens and muckraking photogapher Lewis Hine—whose photos of the Manchester mills helped to reform national child-labor laws in the early 20th century.