Freedom is a town located in Carroll County, New Hampshire, near the state's border with Maine. The 2000 Census showed a population of 1,303. As of 2002, the population estimate from the Office of State Planning was 1,361.

The town used to be part of Effingham, New Hampshire, a part called North Effingham. Following an influx of new settlers from Maine, there were cultural and religious conflicts between the new settlers and its current residents. As a result, that part of Effingham was separated into a town of its own.

The town has been the setting of a couple of stories. It was the setting for a children's fantasy book called The Enormous Egg, published in 1956 and reissued years later (ISBN 0316119202). It was also the setting for a This American Life broadcast titled "The House at Loon Lake". That 2001 episode (http://www.wbez.org/ta/199.rm) described the exploration of an abandoned house in Freedom owned by the Nason family, by young boys in town for summer camp at Loon Lake.

Freedom is home to one of the sites of Nature's Classroom.

Geography

Freedom is between the Lakes Region and the White Mountains. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 98.3 km² (38.0 mi²). 89.7 km² (34.7 mi²) of it is land and 8.6 km² (3.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 8.75% water.

Demographics

As of the United States 2000 Census, there are 1303 people in the town, organized into 602 households, and 402 families. The population density is 14.5/km² (37.6/mi²). There are 1,406 housing units at an average density of 15.7/km² (40.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 99.16% White, 0.15% African American, 0.08% Asian, and 0.61% from two or more races. There are no Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, or people identifying themselves as being of another race. None of the population is Hispanic or Latino.

There are 602 households out of which 19.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% are married couples living together, 4.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% are non-families. 28.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.15 and the average family size is 2.60.

In the town the population is spread out with 16.8% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 49 years. For every 100 females there are 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $40,188, and the median income for a family is $49,167. Males have a median income of $32,150 versus $26,000 for females. The per capita income for the town is $23,036. 6.8% of the population and 4.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.7% of those under the age of 18 and 8.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

• Summary (http://www.nhes.state.nh.us/elmi/htmlprofiles/freedom.html) from New Hampshire Employment Security
• Traffic volume report (http://www.nh.gov/dot/transportationplanning/traffic/trafficweb/DetailSheets/freedom.htm) from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation
• 1958 USGS Map of the area (http://docs.unh.edu/NH/ossp58se.jpg) (in JPEG format) from the University of New Hampshire Library
• Nature's Classroom lodge site (http://www.naturesclassroom.org/Freedom.htm) in Freedom