Холлис, Нью-Гэмпшир: История и современность

Hollis is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,342 at the 2020 census, The town center village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Hollis Village Historic District.

According to Samuel T. Worcester's history which was commissioned by the town selectmen in 1878, the town was incorporated in the province of New Hampshire on April 3, 1746, "to have continence forever by the name of Holles " According to Spaulding's history, Powers "became a noted backwoodsman and colonial land surveyor," and eventually accrued approximately in the north part of Hollis. Powers was also a militia officer in the French and Indian Wars and was commissioned captain by Governor Wentworth. The elder Wilkins died of "a blow upon the head of the length three inches and the depth of one inch." Wilkins Jr. was found guilty of man slaughter, pleaded benefit of clergy, and was subsequently branded upon the thumb with the letter "T", and forced to forfeit all his goods to the King.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 1.76% of the town.

Hollis is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5A. The closest NOAA climate station is in Nashua. The nearby table shows applicable temperature and precipitation data by month.

As with many of the towns on the New Hampshire border with Massachusetts, Hollis is rapidly changing from mixed use farmland (apple orchards, corn, pumpkins, and other vegetables) to a bedroom community for the 54% of working residents who work elsewhere in New Hampshire, and the 30% who work out of state. As of the census of 2000, there were 7,015 people, 2,440 households, and 2,025 families residing in the town. The population density was There were 2,491 housing units at an average density of The racial makeup of the town was 96.59% White, 0.44% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population. There were 2,440 households, out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.9% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.0% were non families. 13.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.16. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.6% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males. For the period 2014–2018, the median income for a household in the town was $132,500, and the median income for a family was $148,820. Males had a median income of $112,692 versus $73,971 for females. The per capita income for the town was $62,329. About 1.2% of the population were below the poverty line.

The table to the right and nearby chart, taken primarily from historical data from the U. S. Census Bureau, shows the population of Hollis from 1767 through 2010. After nearly doubling in population over the last 33 years of the 18th century, Hollis' population consistently declined (excepting only the decade of the 1850s and the first decade of the 20th century) for 120 years, not returning to the levels of 1800 until sometime during the 1950s. Since 1930, Hollis' population has consistently grown, particularly during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Hollis has a number of town traditions and celebrations characteristic of old New England towns, including two harvest festivals and the annual celebration "Old Home Days."

Hollis Old Home Days is "an annual weekend celebration of the days of 'Hollis Past'." "Old Home Days" were originally established in New Hampshire in 1899, by then Governor Frank West Rollins, in an attempt to draw people back to New Hampshire towns. Hollis Old Home Days was reestablished in 1996 in commemoration of the town's 250th anniversary. The 2010 event included "amusement rides, parade, barbecue, silent auction, booths, fireworks, live music, balloon rides, pet parade, heritage craft demonstrations" and various other activities. It is generally held over the second weekend in September at Nichols Field in downtown Hollis.

The annual Strawberry Festival each June comprises a concert by the town band accompanied by a variety of strawberry based treats for sale including strawberry shortcake, pie and ice cream made from locally grown strawberries.

There are four New Hampshire State Routes within Hollis. NH 111 cross the extreme southeastern corner of the town, connecting to Pepperell, Massachusetts, in the south and Nashua in the east. It is known locally as Runnells Bridge Road. NH 111A starts at NH 111 and goes east into Nashua. It is known locally as Groton Road. NH 122 is the main north–south route, running through the town center and connecting to Pepperell, Massachusetts, in the south and Amherst in the north. It is known locally as Pepperell Road, Main Street, and Silver Lake Road. NH 130 is the main east–west route, running through the town center and connecting to Brookline in the west and Nashua in the east. It is known locally as Proctor Hill Road, Ash Street, and Broad Street.

There are four schools in Hollis, two of which are part of the Hollis/Brookline Cooperative School District. Hollis Primary School serves kindergarten through third grade, and Hollis Upper Elementary School serves grades four through six. Hollis/Brookline Middle School serves seventh and eighth grade and Hollis/Brookline High School serves grades nine through twelve. For many years, the current primary school was known as Hollis Elementary School and served kindergarten through grade six. The current Middle School (known as Hollis/Brookline Junior High School until 2001) was formerly Hollis/Brookline High School but proved far too small for the number of students attending. A new building was built and became the Hollis/Brookline Junior High School. However, the three buildings were still insufficient, and a new high school was opened in 1998. The former high school became the current middle school, the former middle school became Hollis Upper Elementary, and the former Hollis Elementary became Hollis Primary. Recently, with the finishing of the newly constructed Montessori building, a new method of education has opened with the school. The historic Farley Building (formerly known as simply the "White Building") is the original Hollis High School built in 1877 and continued to be used as a school building through the 2005–2006 school year. During this last year for the Farley Building, it contained classrooms for English, social studies, art, French, and Spanish. The Town of Hollis acquired the Farley Building from the Hollis School District in August 2007.