New Hampshire County Map

New Hampshire County Maps

New Hampshire is divided into just 10 counties, making it one of the states with the fewest counties in the U.S. But at the same time, the Granite State packs a lot of variety into those 10 pieces. From the White Mountains in the north to the seacoast in the southeast, you’ve got everything from ski resorts to sandy beaches.

New Hampshire Counties

Hillsborough County is where most of the action happens. It’s the most populous county, thanks to Manchester and Nashua. Now, if you’re after some peace and quiet, Coös County up north is quietest. It’s the least populous county because it’s mostly forests and mountains.

Coös County isn’t just the least populous. It’s also the biggest in terms of land area. It covers about a third of the state but has only about 3% of the population. On the flip side, there’s Strafford County. It’s the smallest county, but it still has plenty going on with the University of New Hampshire in Durham and a slice of the seacoast.

New Hampshire’s counties have some interesting history behind them. For instance, Belknap County is named after Jeremy Belknap, a clergyman who wrote one of the first histories of New Hampshire. Then, there’s Merrimack County, which comes from the Native American word for “swift water place,” referring to the Merrimack River.

The state started setting up counties back in 1769, when it was still a British colony. So there’s tons of history here in New Hampshire.