Belknap County, New Hampshire

Belknap County is a county in New Hampshire, United States, in the Lakes Region near the state’s geographic center. It had a population of 63,705 at the 2020 census and covers 470.0 square miles (1,217 km2), of which 401.8 square miles (1,041 km2) is land, centred near 43°31′N 71°26′W.

Laconia is the county seat; its postal code is 03246. The county holds 1 city and 10 towns, plus several unincorporated lakeshore villages such as Lakeport and Weirs Beach. Belknap County is in the Eastern time zone and carries FIPS code 33001. It has the second-smallest land area of New Hampshire’s ten counties, and Lake Winnipesaukee — the state’s largest lake — fills most of its water area.

Towns & Villages in Belknap County

Belknap County has 11 incorporated municipalities — one city (Laconia, the seat) and ten towns, the standard form of local government across New Hampshire — plus a handful of named unincorporated villages inside those towns. The table lists both, with the parent town noted for each village.

One name on the county line needs a note: the Tilton–Northfield census-designated place (population 3,075 in 2020) straddles Belknap and Merrimack counties, with Northfield itself sitting entirely in Merrimack County — only the Tilton half belongs here. Winnisquam village and the lake it sits on similarly touch Belmont and Sanbornton as well as Tilton; the table lists it once, under Tilton, to avoid double-counting.

ZIP Codes

• 03246 — Laconia (also serves Lakeport and Weirs Beach)
• 03809 — Alton
• 03810 — Alton Bay
• 03225 — Barnstead (also serves Center Barnstead)
• 03220 — Belmont
• 03226 — Center Harbor
• 03249 — Gilford (also serves Glendale)
• 03237 — Gilmanton
• 03837 — Gilmanton Ironworks
• 03253 — Meredith
• 03256 — New Hampton
• 03269 — Sanbornton
• 03276 — Tilton

Lochmere and Winnisquam use Tilton’s post office and have no separate ZIP of their own.

Geography

Belknap County sits in the Lakes Region, a landscape of granite hills and glacial lakes in the state’s east-central interior. Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire’s largest lake, covers a large share of the county’s eastern and northern shoreline, with Lake Winnisquam forming a second major waterbody near Laconia and Tilton. The Belknap Range, capped by Mount Major and Belknap Mountain, rises in the towns of Alton and Gilford.

Belknap County borders Carroll County to the north and east, Strafford County to the southeast, Merrimack County to the south and southwest, and Grafton County to the northwest.

Demographics

Belknap County had 63,705 residents at the 2020 census, a density of about 159 people per square mile of land. Laconia (16,871) is by far the largest municipality; Gilford (7,699) and Belmont (7,314) rank second and third. Median household income in the county runs close to the New Hampshire median of $96,838, though it varies by town, with lakefront communities such as Gilford and Meredith skewing higher than inland towns like Barnstead and Gilmanton.

Economy & Local Life

Tourism anchors the county’s economy: the lakes, ski areas, and Weirs Beach’s arcades and motels draw summer and winter visitors alike, and Meredith’s marinas and Gilford’s Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion concert venue extend the season. Laconia is the county’s commercial and healthcare hub, home to LRGHealthcare’s Lakes Region General Hospital. Manufacturing survives in Belmont and Tilton, and the Tanger Outlets in Tilton draw shoppers off Interstate 93. Laconia Motorcycle Week each June, centered on Weirs Beach, is the county’s best-known annual event and one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the country.

History

Belknap County was organized in 1840, split off from the much larger Strafford County, and named for the Reverend Jeremy Belknap, an 18th-century New Hampshire historian and clergyman best known for his three-volume “History of New Hampshire.” Laconia grew around 19th-century hosiery and knitting mills powered by the Winnipesaukee River, and the Belknap Mill, built in 1823, still stands as one of the oldest unaltered textile mills in the country. Tourism took hold after the railroad reached the Weirs in the 1850s, turning the lakeshore into a resort destination that still defines the county today.

Getting There

Interstate 93 runs through the western edge of the county past Tilton and Belmont, and U.S. Route 3 and New Hampshire Route 11 link Laconia to the surrounding towns.

• Concord — 30 miles southwest
• Manchester — 35 miles south
• Portsmouth — 45 miles southeast
• Plymouth — 20 miles north

The nearest commercial airport is Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, about 40 miles south of Laconia; Laconia Municipal Airport handles general aviation traffic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Belknap County located?
It is in central New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, about 30 miles northeast of Concord.

What is the population of Belknap County?
It had a population of 63,705 at the 2020 census.

How big is Belknap County?
It covers 470.0 square miles (1,217 km2), of which 401.8 square miles is land.

What is the county seat of Belknap County?
Laconia is the county seat.

How many towns are in Belknap County?
Eleven municipalities in all: one city, Laconia, and ten towns.

What ZIP codes are in Belknap County?
Laconia uses 03246; the surrounding towns each have their own code, from 03225 (Barnstead) to 03276 (Tilton) — see the full list above.

What is Belknap County known for?
Lake Winnipesaukee, the Weirs Beach lakefront, and Laconia Motorcycle Week, one of the country’s largest motorcycle rallies.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in New Hampshire.