Unity, New Hampshire

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Unity, New Hampshire
Location in Sullivan County, New Hampshire
Location in Sullivan County, New Hampshire
Coordinates: 43°17′38″N 72°15′37″W﻿ / ﻿43.29389°N 72.26028°W﻿ / 43.29389; -72.26028Coordinates: 43°17′38″N 72°15′37″W﻿ / ﻿43.29389°N 72.26028°W﻿ / 43.29389; -72.26028
Country United States
State New Hampshire
County Sullivan
Incorporated 1764[1]
 • Total 37.2 sq mi (96.3 km2)
 • Land 36.9 sq mi (95.7 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)  0.65%
Elevation 1,457 ft (444 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 1,671
 • Density 45/sq mi (17/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
Area code(s) 603
FIPS code 33-77940
GNIS feature ID 0873742
Website www.unitynh.gov

Unity is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,671 at the 2010 census.[2] The town includes the villages of Unity, East Unity, Quaker City, and West Unity.


Prior to British colonization, the Connecticut River valley was populated by bands of the Western Abenaki, who lived in sometimes-large villages of longhouses.[3] Depending on the season, they would either remain near their villages to fish, gather plants, engage in sugaring, and trade or fight with their neighbors, or head to nearby fowling and hunting grounds. Later, they also farmed tobacco and the "three sisters": corn, beans, and squash.[3]

The Common c. 1904

Colonization eventually resulted in the establishment of the Province of New Hampshire. Within that province, the area known as modern-day Unity was part of a territory chartered in 1753 and named "Buckingham" after John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire.[1] Grants in the area were given by both the early Massachusetts government and by Governor Benning Wentworth, which led to disputes. The town was incorporated as "Unity" in 1764 after amicable resolutions of the disputes were reached.[1]

In the 1790 census, the town had 538 residents.[1] Unity was on the Second New Hampshire Turnpike, an important trade route chartered in 1799 that connected Amherst, New Hampshire to Claremont.[4] By 1810, the town had 1,044 inhabitants, with two grain mills, five sawmills, a clothing mill and a distillery. Sheep farming was a principal business.

2008 presidential politics[edit]

"Unite for Change" Rally

On June 27, 2008, Presidential candidate Barack Obama and former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared together in Unity at their first public event since Clinton pulled out of the race to be the Democratic presidential candidate.[5] Unity was reportedly chosen because of the town's name and because, in the 2008 primary, Obama and Clinton each received 107 votes from Unity citizens.[5]


As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 1,530 people, 504 households, and 385 families residing in the town. The population density was 41.4 people per square mile (16.0/km²). There were 594 housing units at an average density of 16.1 per square mile (6.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.35% White, 0.07% African American, 0.13% Asian, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.





According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 37.2 square miles (96.3 km2), of which 36.9 sq mi (95.6 km2) is land and 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) is water, comprising 0.65% of the town. The highest point in Unity is an unnamed summit along the town's northern boundary, with an elevation of 2,011 feet (613 m) above sea level.

Unity is drained by the Little Sugar River.


  1. ^ a b c d Profile of Unity from the website of the state's Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau
  3. ^ a b Native Americans in Vermont: the Abenaki, from flowofhistory.org, a website funded by educational grants
  4. ^ Technology and Transportation: 1790-1870, from flowofhistory.org
  5. ^ a b Clinton and Obama rally together, a June 27, 2008 article from the BBC News website

External links[edit]