Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the largest city of northern New England, an area composed of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It is in Hillsborough County on the banks of the Merrimack River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,007, and in 2005 the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning estimated the population to be nearly 110,000., and is near the northern end of the BosWash megalopolis.

History
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 90.4 km² (34.9 mi²). 85.5 km² (33.0 mi²) of it is land and 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²) of it is water, comprising 5.44% of the town. Manchester is drained by the Merrimack River, Piscataquog River and Cohas Brook. Massabesic Lake is on the eastern border. The highest point in Manchester is its extreme northwest corner, where the elevation reaches 560 feet (171 meters) above sea level.

Geography
Manchester is incorporated as a city under the laws of the State of New Hampshire, and operates under a strong mayor form of government. The mayor serves as chairman of the fourteen member Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the city's legislative body. Each of Manchester's twelve wards elects a single alderman, and two additional at-large members are elected citywide.
The mayor also serves as the chair of the school committee. Like the board of aldermen, the school board is comprised of twelve members elected by ward and two at-large members.

Government
1773 - 279 1775 - 285 1786 - 338 1790 - 362 1800 - 557 1810 - 615 1820 - 761 1830 - 877 1840 - 3,235 1850 - 13,932 1860 - 20,107 1870 - 23,536 1880 - 32,630 1890 - 44,126 1900 - 56,987 1910 - 70,063 1920 - 78,384 1930 - 76,834 1940 - 77,685 1950 - 82,732 1960 - 88,282 1970 - 87,754 1980 - 90,936 1990 - 99,332 2000 - 107,006 2004 - 109,761 (estimate)
As of the census of 2000, there were 107,006 people, 44,247 households, and 26,105 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,251.6/km² (3,241.4/mi²). There were 45,892 housing units at an average density of 536.8/km² (1,390.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.75% White (this includes a large Bosnian population) 2.10% African American, 0.30% Native American, 2.32% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.76% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. 4.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Manchester is a national refugee relocation center.
There were 44,247 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,774, and the median income for a family was $50,039. Males had a median income of $34,287 versus $26,584 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,244. 10.6% of the population and 7.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.6% are under the age of 18 and 11.7% are 65 or older.
The city is a refugee resettlement center. More than 10% of the city's population is currently foreign-born.

Demographics
The city is served by four newspapers: New Hampshire Union Leader (daily), the Manchester Daily Express (a daily newspaper published by Hippo Press), The Hippo (weekly) and the Manchester Mirror (a weekly produced by the New Hampshire Union Leader).
In addition to several commercial AM and FM radio stations, Manchester is also served by local cable television and one commercial television station:
Manchester is part of the Boston television market, although it has two major stations of its own.

MCAM TV-23, Manchester Community Access Media, a public-access television facility. View programs online at MCAM Producer's Page
Manchester Community Television, providing government access (channel 22) and education access (channel 16) channels. MCTV also airs shows created by video students in Video Production at Manchester School of Technology.
WMUR-TV, the local ABC television affiliate
WZMY-TV, a MyNetworkTV affiliated (formerly independent) television station located in nearby Derry Media
Manchester's public school system is run by the Manchester School District.

Education
Manchester School District has four public high schools:
Manchester is served by three private high schools:

Manchester High School West (West High School)
Manchester High School Central (Central High School)
Manchester Memorial High School (Memorial High School)
Manchester School of Technology (MST)
Trinity High School, a private, Roman Catholic high school
The Derryfield School, a private school serving sixth through twelfth grades
Holy Family Academy, a small Roman Catholic private school serving seventh through twelfth grades High schools
Manchester School District has four public middle schools:

Hillside Middle School
Henry J. McLaughlin Middle School
Middle School at Parkside
Southside Middle School Middle schools
Manchester School District has fourteen elementary schools:

Bakersville Elementary School
Beech Street School
Gossler Park School
Green Acres Elementary School
Hallsville Elementary School
Highland-Goffe's Falls Elementary School
Jewett Street School
McDonough Elementary School
Northwest Elementary School
Parker-Varney School
Smyth Road School
Webster School
Weston School
Henry Wilson School Elementary schools
Area institutions of higher education, together enrolling more than 8,000 students, include:

University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Southern New Hampshire University (mostly located within the adjacent town of Hooksett)
New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges
Hesser College - Manchester
Saint Anselm College (mostly located within the adjacent town of Goffstown)
Springfield College School of Human Services
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
North Eastern Institute of Whole Health
New Hampshire Institute of Art Post-secondary schools
Cultural landmarks include the Palace Theater, home to the New Hampshire Symphony and the Opera League of New Hampshire, the Currier Museum of Art, the New Hampshire Institute of Art, the Manchester Historic Association Millyard Museum, the Massabesic Audubon Center, the Amoskeag Fishways Learning and Visitors Center, the Lawrence L. Lee Scouting Museum and Max I. Silber Library, and the SEE Science Center. Valley Cemetery, since 1841 the resting place of numerous prominent citizens, is an early example of a garden style burial ground.
The Verizon Wireless Arena is a civic center that hosts a variety of events, from sports such as hockey and arena football to concerts and fairs. It opened in November, 2001. [3] The John F. Kennedy Memorial Coliseum is another, smaller venue located in Manchester. It was completed in 1963, and serves as home ice for Manchester Central and Memorial High School hockey teams, and is home of the Southern New Hampshire Skating Club. [4]

Sports
The city is served by Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation, and fourth largest in New England. It is the secondary airport serving Boston, Massachusetts.
Interstates 93 and 293 and US Highway 3 connect the area to Concord and the White Mountains to the north and Nashua and Boston to the south. NH 101 is a four-lane freeway eastbound from Manchester to Hampton, connecting the city with the southeastern part of the state and the seacoast, as well as Maine and Massachusetts' North Shore via Interstate 95. West of Manchester, NH 101 is a two lane highway serving as the main route to Keene and the Monadnock region.
Public transportation is provided by the Manchester Transit Authority, which runs several bus routes throughout the city and surrounding areas.
Concord Trailways runs commuter services to Boston and other parts of the state. Vermont Transit Lines (affiliated with Greyhound) has lines to Montreal.
With the planned expansion of Interstate 93 to eight lanes from Salem to Manchester, space will be reserved in the median for potential future commuter rail service along this corridor.

Transportation
Manchester is northern New England's largest city, and its metropolitan area is the fastest growing in New England. On top of this, Manchester is one of New England's best places for finding a job. Its economy has changed greatly, as Manchester was a textile mill town just about 20 years ago.

Economy
Manchester has a thriving downtown area, with more restaurants and stores being established all the time.
City Hall Plaza, northern New England's tallest building, is located in downtown Manchester. Other notable downtown buildings include the New Hampshire headquarters of Citizens Bank and Bank of America.
The Verizon Wireless Arena has become the centerpiece of downtown Manchester. It is a 10,000 seat arena for concerts and sporting events. The Verizon is also home to the Manchester Monarchs, the local AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. The Merchantsauto.com Stadium (formerly Fisher Cats Park) is a baseball park located on the Merrimack River in downtown Manchester and is home to the local AA baseball affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
The Red Arrow, one of the top 10 diners in the United States , is located downtown.
Recent years have seen an influx of downtown residents buying the historic row houses originally built for Amoskeag Mill workers. Rents spiked as a result, but have largely levelled out in recent years.

Downtown
Manchester has two main retail-oriented areas, downtown Manchester and South Willow Street. The Mall of New Hampshire is located on South Willow Street, and has more than 125 stores.
In recent years there has been increasing redevelopment of the historic Amoskeag Millyard, with many retail stores now located there along both Commercial and Bedford Streets. There are a variety of stores and restaurants to visit.

Shopping

Joseph Carter Abbott, Union general during the American Civil War and a United States Senator from North Carolina
Jamie Aube, race car driver
Mike Flanagan, baseball player, 1979 AL Cy Young
Rene Gagnon, a US Marine who helped raise the flag over Iwo Jima
John W. King, governor of New Hampshire, 1963-1969
William Loeb, publisher of the Manchester Union Leader newspaper, 1946-1981
Josh Logan, CBS' Rock Star Supernova
Hubie McDonough, former professional ice hockey player
Grace Metalious, author of Peyton Place
Adam Sandler, comedian
John Francis Smith, Major League Baseball player (born: John Francis Gammon)
General John Stark, Revolutionary War commander
Sherman White, former professional football player Notable inhabitants

According to a previous edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, Manchester's main street (Elm Street) was reported as the only main street in the United States with two dead-ends.
The city is the hometown of fictional President Jed Bartlet and his family on the American television series, The West Wing.
Segway and iBOT inventor Dean Kamen's company, DEKA, is based in Manchester. Sister Cities

List of mayors of Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, England, UK