Dixville Notch, New Hampshire | |
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Unincorporated community | |
The Balsams, a resort hotel in Dixville Notch and the site of the famous "midnight vote"
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Coordinates: 44°52′15″N 71°18′21″W / 44.87083°N 71.30583°WCoordinates: 44°52′15″N 71°18′21″W / 44.87083°N 71.30583°W | |
Country | United States |
State | New Hampshire |
County | Coos |
Township | Dixville |
Elevation | 1,873 ft (571 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 12 |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
Area code(s) | 603 Exchange: 255 |
GNIS feature ID | 866591 |
Dixville Notch is an unincorporated community in Dixville township, Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population of the township, all of whom live in Dixville Notch, was 12 at the 2010 census. The village is known for being one of the first places to declare its results during United States presidential elections and the New Hampshire primary. It is located in the far north of the state, approximately 20 miles (30 km) south of the Canadian province of Quebec.
The village is named for the Dixville Notch mountain pass (or "notch," in White Mountains terminology) about 0.5 miles (800 m) southeast of and 100 feet (30 m) uphill from it, that lies between Dixville Peak and Sanguinary Mountain, and separates the Connecticut River's watershed from that of the Androscoggin. The village, situated at about 1,800 feet (550 m) above sea level at the base of dramatic mountains, is the location of The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel; one of a handful of surviving New Hampshire grand hotels, it is situated on a 15,000-acre (61 km2) plot, accommodating golfing in the summer and skiing in the winter.
Dixville Notch is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Dixville Notch is best known in connection with its longstanding middle-of-the-night vote in the U.S. presidential election, including during the New Hampshire primary (the first primary election in the U.S. presidential nomination process). In a tradition that started in the 1960 election, all the eligible voters in Dixville Notch gather at midnight in the ballroom of The Balsams. The voters cast their ballots and the polls are officially closed when all of the registered voters have voted - sometimes merely one minute later. The results of the Dixville Notch vote in both the New Hampshire primary and the general election are traditionally broadcast around the country immediately afterwards.