Auburn, New Hampshire | ||
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Massabesic Lake and the east shore in 1920
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Location in Rockingham County and the state of New Hampshire. |
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Coordinates: 43°00′16″N 71°20′54″W / 43.00444°N 71.34833°WCoordinates: 43°00′16″N 71°20′54″W / 43.00444°N 71.34833°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | New Hampshire | |
County | Rockingham | |
Incorporated | 1845 | |
Government | ||
• Board of Selectmen | James F. Headd, Chair Richard W. Eaton Dale W. Phillips |
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• Town Administrator | William G. Herman | |
Area | ||
• Total | 28.7 sq mi (74.3 km2) | |
• Land | 25.2 sq mi (65.3 km2) | |
• Water | 3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2) 12.20% | |
Elevation | 253 ft (77 m) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• Total | 4,953 | |
• Density | 75.9/sq mi (29.3/km2) | |
Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
ZIP code | 03032 | |
Area code(s) | 603 | |
FIPS code | 33-02820 | |
GNIS feature ID | 0873536 | |
Website | www |
Auburn is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,953 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 5,158 in 2013.
Auburn was originally settled by Native Americans in 1624. It was a fishing settlement called by Native Americans "Massabesic" (the current name of the town's largest lake). British settlers arrived in the area in 1720 and made peace with the Native Americans until the French and Indian War. The Massabesic settlement was destroyed, and the nearby town of Chester claimed the land. It was known as Chester Woods, Chester West Parish, Long Meadow, and then Auburn. Auburn became an independent town on June 25, 1845, with a population of 1,200 people. As with Auburn, Maine, Auburn, Massachusetts and Auburn, New York, the name is from Oliver Goldsmith's popular 18th-century poem, "The Deserted Village", which begins:
Auburn was served by the Concord and Portsmouth Railroad, which later became the Portsmouth Branch of the Boston & Maine Railroad. Auburn was home to a small passenger depot at one time, but by the mid 1900s most rail activity was through traffic as Auburn had few on-line industries. The last freight trains passed through in the early 1980s. The track was abandoned in 1982 and subsequently torn up between 1983 and 1985.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.7 square miles (74.3 km2), of which 25.2 sq mi (65.3 km2) is land and 3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2), or 12.20%, is water.Massabesic Lake, located in the western part of Auburn and the eastern part of Manchester, is the largest body of water in Auburn and serves as the city water supply for Manchester. The lake is fed by numerous tributaries, most notable being Sucker Brook, which enters the northeast end of the lake near the Auburn town center and itself drains several lakes, including Tower Hill Pond, Clark Pond, and Little Massabesic Lake. Cohas Brook flows through the eastern portion of Auburn and eventually (in Manchester) receives the outflow of Massabesic Lake before flowing west to the Merrimack River. Auburn lies fully within the Merrimack River watershed. Three hills, all overlooking Massabesic Lake, can lay potential claim to being Auburn's highest point: Mount Miner, at 582 feet (177 m) above sea level, located north of the lake; Mine Hill, greater than 580 ft (180 m), above the east shore; and Mount Misery, greater than 580 feet, to the southeast.