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LOCATION - Somersworth is in the south central, eastern part of New Hampshire. It is in Strafford County. Take Exit 9 off the Spaulding Turnpike. It will bring you to Somersworth.
GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES - The annual precipitation average in Somersworth is 42 inches. The Salmon Falls River with its falls, runs through Somersworth. This town was built on lots of hills.
TOURIST ATTRACTION - The old home week is one of the city's biggest celebrations. The Somersworth Children's Festival is also popular.
POPULATION - The population of Somersworth was about 11,249 in 1990.
BUSINESSES - There are several businesses in Somersworth. General Electric manufactures meter controls. Market Basket is a grocery store. Walmart is a retail-grocery store. Busily Bee Janitorial Services is a professional cleaning company.
HISTORY - Somersworth began as a part of Dover's church family. It was called Sligo after a town in Ireland. The name changed to ''Summersworth '' meaning ''summer town'' because during the summer, ministers from Dover would preach there. In 1729, Somersworth got its own minister. Somersworth became a town in 1754. The spelling of the town's named changed to Somersworth due to a mistake on an official document. It's the only town with that name in the whole U.S. and England.
The center of town of Somersworth had been where Rollinsford Junction is today. When the mills grew, the center of town moved up stream to the village of Great Falls. The old and new parts of town began to fight. The old part became the town of Rollinsford in 1849.
Somersworth began mills along the Salmon Falls River. The mills needed workers and people came to work. Other businesses and stores were opened. New roads had to be built to get to Dover where goods for the mills were sent. People from other countries called immigrants, came to work in Somersworth.
Railroads were built in 1842 in Somersworth. In 1882, trolleys came. Somersworth became a city in 1893.
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