Economy
The New Hampshire quarter features an image of one of the state’s best-known symbols, the Old Man of the Mountain. The rock formation in the Franconia Range resembled the profile of a man until it crumbled in 2003.Service industries are New Hampshire's leading economic activity. Major activities within the service industries include education, health care, real estate, retail trade, and tourism. Manufacturing also ranks high among the economic activities. In addition, a flourishing tourist industry is a mainstay of the economy. Ski resorts, ocean beaches, placid lakes, and colorful autumn foliage attract most of the visitors.
The leading service industry in New Hampshire is finance, insurance, and real estate. Other major activities within the service industries include education, health care, real estate, retail trade, and tourism. Manchester is the major financial center. The White Mountains and the lake and coastal areas of New Hampshire have many resorts.
By value, the major product groups are computer and electronic products, metal products, and machinery. Most of the manufacturing is done in Manchester, Nashua, and other communities in the southeastern part of the state. There is little manufacturing in the north.
Greenhouse and nursery products are New Hampshire's most important agricultural activity. Plants for gardens and homes, and Christmas trees are leading products from this category. Dairy farming is another important agricultural activity.
Hay, used mainly on farms to feed livestock, is the most widely grown crop. Apples are the chief fruit crop. The Connecticut and Merrimack river valleys and the lowlands along the coast are the areas most suited for farming. Numerous farmers supplement their income by making maple syrup and sugar from the sap of maple trees on their land.
Forests cover about 85 per cent of the state. Timber is cut mainly for lumber. Softwoods, particularly white pine, hemlock, and spruce, make up much of the timber cut. Hardwoods such as birch, oak, maple, and beech are also a portion of the annual cut.
New Hampshire has few mineral resources. Sand and gravel, stone, and granite account for virtually all the value of the state's mineral output.
New Hampshire relies heavily on automobile and railroad transportation. Interstate highways and two turnpikes in the southeast are the prime thoroughfares. Railway freight service is provided for most parts of the state, and there is also passenger service. Manchester has scheduled airline service.
