You may have heard Somersworth described as the smallest of the 13 cities in New Hampshire, and this is true in terms of square miles. Let me expand that a little. The smallest of all the cities in population is, in fact, Berlin, followed a close second by Franklin. Somersworth is third smallest if we are looking purely at the size of the population with just under 12,000 people.
Those figures are based on the 2010 Census, and it remains to be seen if there is any change after the 2020 Census numbers have been run. By the way that reminds me, have you filled out your Census paperwork yet? If not, please consider this your reminder.
But I digress so back to the subject at hand, size. If we were to simply look at land mass size then Somersworth is in fact the smallest of New Hampshire’s cities. At just 10 square miles Somersworth really is small, but as someone once said, “All good things come in small packages.”
Somersworth’s size brings with it some advantages, but also some unique challenges. For example, when it comes to the city’s small business owners, so many of them are our neighbors, friends and family. In this COVID-19-challenged world that we find ourselves in, it seems to me that it is more important than ever to support our small businesses. With that in mind, over the coming weeks I will be featuring a Somersworth small business here each week. I’ll be asking the owners how you can help and what changes they have made within this ever-changing landscape.
Another advantage of being small, is we can pack and have packed a lot into those 10 square miles. I recently worked out that you could technically survive within Somersworth’s boundaries as we have everything here that you could need for basic living. Yes, this is the stuff that keeps me up at night. I also figured out the only reason to leave would be for a hospital visit, but you would not have to travel far, thankfully. My only other exception would be to travel to Viel Farm in Rollinsford for corn at this time of year, and I know I’m not alone.
Within our 10 square miles, we have several recreational areas, including 10 public parks. We are custodians of half of Willand Pond along with Dover. We also share the Salmon Falls River with our neighbors in Maine. The state line runs straight down the middle of the river so if you and a friend put in kayaks at Mast Point Dam, where the city has a launch, you can choose to take a day trip to Maine by staying on that side of the river on the trip down. Pretty neat, right!
We have approximately 55 miles of plowable city road, according to Somersworth Public Works Director Mike Bobinsky. That is a lot when you stop and actually think about it. We also have five cemeteries, including Forest Glade, which is on the National Register of Historical Places, along with five other buildings, including Hilltop School and the Queensbury Mill.
Not sure about you, but I am exhausted just thinking about this, and I’ve left out the miles of sewers that wind their way across the city among many other things. Yes, small can present its own challenges, but I think in Somersworth we have met and will continue to meet those challenges because we are Hilltoppers and we always meet a challenge head on.
I’d like to take a moment to thank all those who have reached out over the past few weeks through email or in person. My mailbox is always open and I look forward to hearing from you.
That’s it for this week, but I will be back. In the meantime, stay safe and above all be kind to each other, as we are all in this together.
This article was first published in Fosters Daily Democrat on August 25th, 2020