Freedom, New Hampshire

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 98.3 km² (38.0 mi²). 89.7 km² (34.7 mi²) of it is land and 8.6 km² (3.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 8.75% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 1,303 people, 602 households, and 402 families residing in the town. The population density is 14.5/km² (37.6/mi²). There are 1,406 housing units at an average density of 15.7/km² (40.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 99.16% White, 0.15% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 0.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 602 households out of which 19.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% are married couples living together, 4.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% are non-families. 28.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.15 and the average family size is 2.60.

In the town the population is spread out with 16.8% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 49 years. For every 100 females there are 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $40,188, and the median income for a family is $49,167. Males have a median income of $32,150 versus $26,000 for females. The per capita income for the town is $23,036. 6.8% of the population and 4.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.7% are under the age of 18 and 8.1% are 65 or older.

This American Life (http://www.thisamericanlife.org) produced a program related to the history of Freedom, titled "The House at Loon Lake" (November 16, 2001 Episode 199). A house in Freedom owned by the Nason family, which was abandoned in the thirties, is found 50 years later by two boys exploring the lake. They spend years trying to figure out the history of the house and why it was abandoned. You can listen to the hour long show by clicking on the link above and finding the show archive.