Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat and the only city in the county.
Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England. It hosted the state's annual pumpkin festival from 1991 to 2014, several times setting a world record for most jack-o'-lanterns on display.
History
In 1735, colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher granted lots in the township of "Upper Ashuelot" to 63 settlers who paid £5 each. It was settled after 1736 on Equivalent Lands.In 1747, during King George's War, the village was attacked and burned by Natives. Colonists fled to safety, but would return to rebuild in 1749. It was regranted to its inhabitants in 1753 by Governor Benning Wentworth, who renamed it "Keene" after Sir Benjamin Keene, a principal of the South Sea Trading company whose primary business was slave trading.
In 2011, Massachusetts man Thomas Ball immolated himself on the steps of a courthouse in Keene to protest what he considered the court system's abuse of divorced fathers' rights.
Geography
Keene is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which are land and are water, the latter comprising 0.69% of the town. Keene is drained by the Ashuelot River. The highest point in Keene is the summit of Grays Hill in the city's northwestern corner, at above sea level. Keene is entirely within the Connecticut River watershed, with all of the city except for the northwestern corner draining to the Connecticut via the Ashuelot.
State highways converge on Keene from nine directions. New Hampshire Route 9 leads northeast to Concord, the state capital, and west to Brattleboro, Vermont. Route 10 leads north to Newport and southwest to Northfield, Massachusetts. Route 12 leads northwest to Walpole and Charlestown and southeast to Winchendon, Massachusetts. Route 101 leads east to Peterborough and Manchester, Route 32 leads south to Swanzey, then to Athol, Massachusetts, and Route 12A leads north to Surry and Alstead. A limited-access bypass used variously by Routes 9, 10, 12, and 101 passes around the north, west, and south sides of downtown.
Keene is served by Dillant–Hopkins Airport, located just south of the city in Swanzey.
Climate
Keene is located in a humid continental climate zone. It experiences all four seasons quite distinctly. The average high temperature in July is, and the record high for Keene is. As with other cities in the eastern U.S., periods of high humidity can raise heat indices to near. During the summer, Keene can get hit by thunderstorms from the west, but the Green Mountains to the west often break up some of the storms, so that Keene doesn't usually experience a thunderstorm at full strength. The last time a tornado hit Cheshire County was in 1997.The winters in Keene can be very harsh. The most recent such winter was 2002–2003, when Keene received of snow. The majority of the snowfall in Keene comes from nor'easters, areas of low pressure that move up the Atlantic coast and strengthen. Many times these storms can produce blizzard conditions across southern New England. Recent examples are the blizzard of 2005 and the blizzard of 2006. Keene is situated in an area where cold air meets the moisture from the south, so often Keene gets the jackpot with winter storms. Aside from snow, winters can be very cold. Even in the warmest of winters, Keene will typically experience at least one night below. During January 2004, Keene saw highs below freezing 25 of the days, including five days in the single digits and one day with a high of zero. Overnight lows dropped below zero 12 times, including 7 nights below. The record low in Keene is. In addition to the cold temperatures, Keene can receive biting winds that drive the wind chill down below.
Snow can occur through the end of April, but on the other end of the spectrum, days can begin in late March. Autumn weather is similar. Keene's first snowfall usually occurs in early November, though the city can also see days into mid-November. Significant rain events can occur in the spring and fall. For example, record rainfall and flooding with the axis of heaviest rain near Keene occurred in October 2005. Another significant flood event occurred in May of the following year.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 23,409 people, 9,052 households, and 4,843 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 9,719 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 95.3% White, 0.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.004% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.5% some other race, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.There were 9,052 households, out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were headed by married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% consisted of someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26, and the average family size was 2.83.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.6% under the age of 18, 24.1% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
For the period of 2010 through 2014, the estimated median income for a household in the city was $52,327, and the median income for a family was $75,057. Male full-time workers had a median income of $50,025 versus $39,818 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,366. About 6.7% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
Government
| Year | GOP | DEM | Others |
| 2020 | 29.1% 3,764 | 69.2% 8,966 | 1.7% 222 |
| 2016 | 30.4% 3,831 | 62.9% 7,932 | 6.8% 854 |
| 2012 | 28.7% 3,613 | 69.3% 8,718 | 2.0% 248 |
| 2008 | 27.6% 3,641 | 71.5% 9,427 | 1.0% 126 |
| 2004 | 32.1% 4,004 | 67.1% 8,378 | 0.8% 101 |
| 2000 | 36.3% 3,704 | 57.4% 5,856 | 6.3% 647 |
| 1996 | 32.1% 2,910 | 59.7% 5,401 | 8.2% 742 |
| 1992 | 31.8% 3,257 | 50.9% 5,210 | 17.4% 1,779 |
Keene's government consists of a mayor and a city council which has 15 members. Two are elected from each of the city's five wards, and five councilors are elected at-large.
In the New Hampshire Senate, Keene is included in the 10th District and is represented by Democrat Donovan Fenton. On the New Hampshire Executive Council, Keene is in the 2nd District and is represented by Democrat Karen Liot Hill. In the United States House of Representatives, Keene is a part of New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District and is currently represented by Democrat Maggie Goodlander.
Keene is a strongly Democratic-leaning city at the presidential level, as no Republican presidential nominee has carried the city in over two decades.
Media
Several media sources are located in Keene. These include:- The Keene Sentinel
- The Monadnock Shopper News
- The Equinox, student newspaper of Keene State College
Radio
The stations are:
;AM
;FM
- WEVN 90.7, operated by New Hampshire Public Radio
- WKNH 91.3, operated by Keene State College
- WSNI 97.7. WSNI changed its city of license from Swanzey to Keene in September 2009.
- W256BJ 99.1,
- W276CB 103.1,
- WKNE 103.7
- Free Talk Live, nationally syndicated radio talk show based in Keene
Television
- Cheshire TV, local cable programming
- WEKW-TV, New Hampshire Public Television affiliate
- When Elderly Attack
Education
Keene is often considered a minor college town, as it is the site of Keene State College, whose students make up a substantial portion of the city's population, and Antioch University New England.At the secondary level, Keene serves as the educational nexus of the area, due in large part to its status as the largest community of Cheshire County. Keene High School is the largest regional High School in Cheshire County, serving about 1,850 students.
Keene has one middle school, Keene Middle School, and four elementary schools, as of 2014: Fuller Elementary School, Franklin Elementary School, Symonds Elementary School, Wheelock Elementary School. Jonathan Daniels was downsized to only pre-school and administration offices.
Keene is part of New Hampshire's , or SAU 29.