New Hampshire is small. You can drive from the seacoast to the Canadian border in about four hours if the traffic in Franconia Notch isn't acting up. But don't let the size fool you. If you’re looking at a county map of New Hampshire with towns, you’re looking at a puzzle of 10 counties and 234 incorporated cities and towns. It’s a mess of jagged lines and historical quirks.
Honestly, the way the state is carved up says a lot about how people live here. You’ve got the "Golden Triangle" in the south where everyone is rushing toward Boston, and then you’ve got the "North Country" where a single town might have more moose than people.
Understanding the map isn't just about geography. It’s about taxes, schools, and whether or not you’re going to be shoveling three feet of snow or just six inches.
The Layout of the Granite State
New Hampshire doesn't do "unincorporated" land like the West does. Well, mostly. In the North Country, there are some "grants" and "locations" where nobody lives, but for the most part, every square inch of the state belongs to a specific town.
When you look at a county map of New Hampshire with towns, you'll notice the counties are oddly shaped. Rockingham and Strafford hug the coast and the Maine border. Hillsborough and Cheshire take the bottom-left corner, rubbing shoulders with Massachusetts and Vermont.
Then there’s Grafton and Coos. These two are massive. Coos County alone covers about a fifth of the state’s land area but has the smallest population. It’s basically all trees and mountains. If you get lost up there, you're looking at towns like Pittsburg—the largest town by land area in the state—which shares a border with Canada.
Why the Borders Look So Weird
Ever wonder why the town lines look like a toddler with a crayon drew them? Most of these borders follow rivers or mountain ridges. The Connecticut River defines the entire western edge of the state, separating us from Vermont. On a detailed map, you’ll see towns like Hanover and Chesterfield clinging to that riverbank.
The eastern border with Maine is a straight shot north until it hits the mountains, then it gets squiggly again.
The 10 Counties You Need to Know
Let's break these down. You can’t just lump them all together.
Belknap County is the heart of the Lakes Region. Think Laconia, Meredith, and Alton. If you’re looking at the map, look for the giant blue blob that is Lake Winnipesaukee. Most of the towns here are defined by their waterfront. In the summer, the population triples. In the winter, it’s quiet, icy, and beautiful.
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Carroll County sits to the east of the lakes. It’s got Conway and Albany. This is tourist central. If you’ve ever been stuck in traffic on Route 16 trying to get to North Conway for outlet shopping, you were in Carroll County. It also contains some of the most photographed parts of the White Mountain National Forest.
Cheshire County is down in the southwest corner. Keene is the big hub here. It feels different than the rest of the state—a bit more "Vermont-y," if that makes sense. It’s academic, artsy, and home to Mount Monadnock, which is supposedly the second most climbed mountain in the world.
Coos County is the "Great North Woods." Berlin and Lancaster are the main spots. This is where the pavement ends and the real wilderness begins. On a county map of New Hampshire with towns, Coos looks like the crown of the state. It’s rugged. It’s tough. It’s where people go to disappear for a weekend.
Grafton County is a long, vertical stretch. It’s got Lebanon and Hanover (home to Dartmouth College) on the river, but it also swallows up a huge chunk of the White Mountains. Plymouth is another big anchor here. It’s a mix of high-end academia and old-school logging towns.
Hillsborough County is the powerhouse. Manchester and Nashua are here. This is where the people are. If you’re looking for a job in tech or manufacturing, you’re looking at this part of the map. It’s dense. The towns are smaller in acreage but packed with strip malls and suburbs.
Merrimack County is home to Concord, the state capital. It’s smack in the middle. It’s the political heart. Towns like Bow and Hopkinton are classic New England—white steeples, town greens, and lots of political yard signs.
Rockingham County is the seacoast and the "Mass-border" towns. Portsmouth is the jewel here. It’s expensive. It’s historic. Towns like Salem and Derry are basically bedroom communities for Boston, which is why the traffic on I-93 is a nightmare every Monday morning.
Strafford County is tucked between Rockingham and Carroll. Dover and Rochester are the big names. It’s got a lot of grit and a lot of history from the old mill days. It’s also home to UNH in Durham, so there’s a massive student population that fluctuates with the semesters.
Sullivan County is the quiet one. Claremont and Newport are the main hubs. It’s often overlooked, but it’s got some of the prettiest rolling farmland in the state. It’s the kind of place where you can still find a diner that serves a real breakfast for five bucks.
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Navigating the Town-County Relationship
In New Hampshire, counties don't do much.
Seriously.
Unlike in the South or West, where the county is the main level of government, New Hampshire is all about the town. Your property taxes? Paid to the town. Your snow plowing? Done by the town. Your schools? Run by the town district.
The county mostly handles the jail, the registry of deeds, and some social services. So when you’re looking at a county map of New Hampshire with towns, remember that the town lines are what actually matter to the people living there.
The Mystery of the "Unincorporated Places"
If you look at the very top of a Coos County map, you’ll see names like "Second College Grant" or "Dixville." These aren't really towns. They are unincorporated places.
Dixville Notch is famous for being the first place in the country to vote in presidential elections at midnight. There are only a handful of voters. They gather in a room, cast their ballots, and the results are on the news before you’ve even finished your first cup of coffee. It’s a weird New Hampshire tradition that reinforces just how much we care about these tiny dots on the map.
How to Use This Map for Travel or Moving
If you’re planning a trip, don't just look at the miles. Look at the terrain.
A twenty-mile drive in Hillsborough County takes twenty minutes. A twenty-mile drive in Coos County could take an hour if you're stuck behind a log truck on a winding two-lane road.
Real Estate and Taxes
If you're moving here, the county map of New Hampshire with towns is basically a tax map. Since we have no state income tax and no sales tax, the state runs on property taxes.
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Two towns right next to each other in the same county can have wildly different tax rates. One town might have a massive power plant or a mall that pays a lot of taxes, keeping the burden low for residents. The next town over might be purely residential, meaning the homeowners foot the entire bill for the school. Always check the "mil rate" of the specific town, not just the county average.
The Commuter Reality
Most people live in the bottom three counties (Hillsborough, Rockingham, Strafford). If you work in Massachusetts but want the "Live Free or Die" lifestyle, you’re going to be looking at towns like Pelham, Windham, or Atkinson.
The map shows these as being right on the border, but the reality of the commute is intense. Route 3 and I-93 are the lifelines. If there’s an accident in Derry, the whole bottom half of the state map turns red on Google Maps.
Making Sense of the White Mountains
The White Mountain National Forest cuts a giant hole through the middle of the county map of New Hampshire with towns.
It spans across Grafton, Carroll, and Coos counties. Many of the "towns" on the map in this area are actually just small clusters of houses surrounded by federal land. When you see a town like Lincoln or Waterville Valley, you’re looking at "resort towns." Their economy is entirely dependent on skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer.
- Pro Tip: If you're hiking, don't rely on a basic town map. Get a USGS topographical map. Town lines don't mean much when you're 4,000 feet up on Mount Lafayette.
Actionable Insights for Using the Map
Don't just stare at the lines. Use the data to your advantage.
- Check the Registry of Deeds: If you're buying land, you need to know which county seat to visit. Each county has its own registry (though most are online now).
- Understand School Districts: Many small towns share high schools. For example, several towns in the Monadnock region send their kids to the same regional school. Your town on the map might not have its own high school.
- Winter Travel: The "Notches"—Franconia, Crawford, and Pinkham—are the gaps in the mountains that allow you to travel between counties. In a blizzard, these notches can close. Always have an alternate route planned on your map.
- Sales Tax Shopping: Since there's no sales tax, people from out of state flock to border towns. Salem (Hillsborough/Rockingham line) and Nashua are packed with retail. If you want to avoid crowds, stay away from these map points on weekends.
The county map of New Hampshire with towns is a living document. It changes as populations shift and new roads are built, but the bones of it—the 10 counties and the fiercely independent towns—have been the same for a long time. Whether you’re a leaf-peeper, a hiker, or someone looking to relocate, knowing where those lines are makes all the difference.
Grab a physical map from a rest stop on I-93. There’s something about seeing the whole state laid out on paper that a phone screen just can't replicate. You start to see the patterns of the rivers, the clusters of the villages, and the vast emptiness of the north. That's the real New Hampshire.