Communities
Below is a table of SNHPC member communities listed in descending order by total population. The population figures are source from US Census 2020. The table also includes an overall ranking of populations based on all 234 municipalities within New Hampshire.
SNHPC Communities by Population | (Census 2020) | NH Rank | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Manchester | 115,644 | 1 |
2 | Derry | 34,317 | 4 |
3 | Londonderry | 25,826 | 9 |
4 | Bedford | 23,322 | 11 |
5 | Goffstown | 18,577 | 14 |
6 | Windham | 15,817 | 19 |
7 | Hooksett | 14,871 | 21 |
8 | Weare | 9,092 | 33 |
9 | New Boston | 6,108 | 58 |
10 | Auburn | 5,946 | 60 |
11 | Chester | 5,232 | 68 |
12 | Deerfield | 4,855 | 75 |
13 | Candia | 4,013 | 95 |
14 | Francestown | 1,610 | 160 |
New Hampshire regional planning commissions (RPCs) were established by NH state legislature in 1968. RPCs are governed and controlled by a Board of Commissioners comprised of representatives appointed by each of the Commission’s communities. Communities may either appoint or elect their representatives to their regional planning commission. RPCs are required by NH Statutes to carry out a variety of duties, such as creating a regional Comprehensive Plan, completing a housing needs assessment, and reviewing developments of regional impact.
The primary role of an RPC is to support local municipalities in their planning and community development responsibilities. This is done in a variety of ways, including:
- Assisting communities prepare local planning documents such as master plans, CIPs, natural resource inventories, open space plans and hazard mitigation plans;
- Developing local ordinances and providing technical assistance and general guidance to local land use boards;
- Helping to secure funding for transportation and other infrastructure projects;
- Working with municipalities to obtain and administer state and federal grant programs; and
- Reducing costs to municipalities through regional coordination, inter-municipal cooperation and problem solving (NHARPC.org)