Carroll County is named for Charles Carroll, the only Catholic person to sign the Declaration of Independence, who lived until the very old age of 95 - quite an accomplishment in 1832. In many ways, Carroll County links the Lakes and White Mountain regions of New Hampshire, and can boast the beauty of both. It contains a portion of the White Mountain National Forest.

The White Mountain Highway, Route 16, serves in many ways as "Main Street" for towns throughout the county. Originating in Portsmouth as the Spaulding Turnpike (a toll road), it winds from the seacoast through the towns of Ossipee, Albany, Conway and Bartlett. Route 16 crosses into Coös County, and directly passes the entrance to the Mount Washington Auto Road. Route 16 is a mandatory portal for skiers, leaf peepers, and summer travelers.

The beauty of Carroll County is in many ways its trademark. Year 'round activities make it a favorite for visitors. Major attractions in Carroll County include:

  Attitash Mountain Ski Area, Bartlett

  Barnstormer's Theater, Tamworth

  Castle in the Clouds, Moultonborough

  Conway Scenic Railroad, North Conway

  Cranmore Mountain, North Conway

  Crawford Notch State Park, Hart's Location

  Red Jacket Mountain View Resort, North Conway

  Storyland, Glen

  Weather Discovery Center, North Conway

  Wright Museum, Wolfeboro

Carroll County is situated in an interesting place in New Hampshire's economic diagram. It enjoys relatively low unemployment, however many jobs are based in the tourism industry, and relatively low-paying. People may work in one tourist industry in the warmer months, and then in a ski-related job in the winter. There is no large manufacturing and Carroll County also has the highest number of self-employed people in the state, so some numbers may be hard to incorporate into standard data models.

Keep in mind that Carroll County is sparsely populated: The city of Concord has about 43,000 residents, while Carroll County's entire population is about 48,000. In fact, there are only 2 towns with populations over 6,000 in the entire county.

Carroll County has the second highest number of residents over the age of 65 according to a Carsey Institute Report and the highest median age in NH at 48.3 years of age (NHES). For some reason, older residents are attracted to Carroll County than younger ones. For detailed information on services, see TriCap's (Tri-County Community Action Program, Inc.) website.

Carroll is the only county in New Hampshire that has no homeless shelter.

Carroll County was the first county in the US to have a full-time Sherriff and produced the first machine-made nails.

The National Register of Historic Places list many places of interest in Carroll County. Click here for details.