Laconia New Hampshire community information

Laconia, New Hampshire

Laconia, New Hampshire, is a resort town of about 18,000 people located on the western shores of Lake Winnepesaukee. Technically a city, Laconia maintains a small town feel, particularly in the Weirs Beach area, by carefully planning where new businesses and homes are allowed to be built as well as limiting growth overall. A hotspot for tourists in both the summer and winter months, Laconia is enveloped in natural beauty and close to dozens of New Hampshire’s finest attractions.

The land of Laconia was first surveyed in the mid-1600’s, but was not actually utilized until a fort was constructed in 1746. Hostilities in the area between not only the settlers and the Native Americans, but the English and the French, restricted true settlement of the region until 1761. The area was then a part of Meredith and a part of Gilford called Meredith Bridge and remained so until the town was incorporated as Laconia in 1855. Prior to its incorporation, the area was referred to as “The Province of Laconia” in some documents, a reference to a region in Greece. The southern beach area was named Weirs Beach for the fishing weirs, small fish traps that were found at the Lake Winnepesaukee’s outlet.

Laconia, New Hampshire, is probably best recognized as the site of the annual Laconia Motorcycle Week, or more simply, Bike Week. Every year, for nine days in June, Laconia and Weirs Beach in particular are filled to overflowing with motorcycle enthusiasts from all over not just this country, but also the entire world. The festivities are not only contained within the city limits, but spread out into the surrounding communities as well. For example, there’s a motorcycle hill climb competition in Gilford at the Gunstock Recreation Area, several organized group rides that take riders all over the Granite State, races at Laconia’s NH International Speedway, and countless other activities within and without the city limits. At the end of the week, the normally well-behaved visitors of this event disappear as quickly as they arrived.

If you don’t know about Laconia, NH, for its Bike Week celebration, you may know it as the home of NHIS, the NH International Speedway, mentioned above. This is a track visited twice per year by the professional stock car drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. An event that is basically celebrated by the entire state, it’s an opportunity for NH residents and those of the surrounding states to get up close to the excitement of NASCAR racing.

Laconia has many other activities going on, not just in summer, but in winter as well. Laconia hosts the annual Laconia World Champion Dog Sled Derby. Many visitors sleep at the inns and motels of Laconia while during the day they make excursions on the far-reaching snowmobile trails that weave their way through the state. Others take part in one of the many ice-fishing derbies that take place on the frozen Lake Winnepesaukee, while still others are more interested in snowshoeing or cross-country skiing through the rolling hills and glades of New Hampshire’s central lakes region.

Businesses abound in Laconia, but with forethought and strategic planning, those businesses are well out of the resort areas of the town. Several of these businesses have been in town for over forty years, including NH Ball Bearings, Inc, Baron Machine Co., Inc, and Aavid Engineering Corporation. New businesses appear on the scene to replace the old, but Laconia keeps all these things in perspective, making sure the quality of life for its residents and visitors alike is not tarnished. Laconia is home to several stores and shopping centers, making life in town all the simpler and more convenient. And if what you need can’t be found in Laconia, the neighboring towns of Gilford and Meredith offer superstores like Wal-Mart and Home Depot.

Laconia is a member of SAU #30 and maintains three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Though many other towns in the state share the responsibility of educating their children, none of the surrounding communities tuition their students to Laconia. Resident children are not without activities of their own to stay busy – organized sports are available in the forms of baseball, soccer, basketball, football, hockey and more. There are Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America chapters, a 4H club and many after-school, extra-curricular activities provided by the school district in an effort to keep the town’s children occupied and entertained, while possibly teaching them a thing or two about cooperation and team effort.

Laconia is a wonderful place to raise a family with lively events and friendly people throughout. Busy, yet personable, this city has something to offer everyone. If you think you’d be interested in living in Laconia or any of the other wonderful towns and cities of this state, you should first call Jim Miller Bean Group at (603) 801-3987. Jim knows the Granite State and is eager to talk to you about it. He’s a great listener and focuses only on what you want in a home and a community. Jim won’t be happy unless you are, so call him today and see just how quickly he can make your home-ownership dreams a reality. New Hampshire homes sell quickly, so pick up the phone before yours is gone.

Elm Street School (p/k-3)
(603) 524-4113

Pleasant Street School (2-3)
(603) 524-2168

Woodland Heights School (k-5)
(603) 524-8733

Memorial Middle School (6-8)
(603) 524-4632

Laconia High School (9-12)
(603) 524-3350