Land was granted by Governor John Wentworth on February 8, 1772, to Sir Thomas Wentworth, Samuel Langdon, and 81 others. Sir Thomas Wentworth resided in West Bretton, England, on his estate called Bretton Hall, after which the township was named "Bretton Woods".[3] On the 1816 Carrigain map of New Hampshire, it appears as "Breton Woods". On June 22, 1832,[4] the town was incorporated by the General Court as Carroll, in honor of Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.[5]
Zealand was a logging community within Carroll, established by James Everell Henry (1831–1912) c. 1880.[7] By 1884, Henry had started the Zealand Valley Railroad, which would extend about 11 miles (18 km) into the forest.[7] Zealand was a company town with various buildings including a boarding house, store, engine house, and a post office that operated from 1883 to 1897.[7] After much lumber had been removed through clearcutting, Henry moved his operations to Lincoln in 1892.[7] George Van Dyke then leased land and the Zealand mill from Henry, and constructed the Little River Railroad in 1893.[7] Following a major fire in May 1897,[9] and the removal of most remaining lumber, the railroad and ultimately Zealand were abandoned c. 1900.[7] A few remnants of the Zealand community can still be found.[7]
A substantial portion of the town is part of the White Mountain National Forest, including Cherry Mountain ("Mount Martha", at 3,554 feet (1,083 m) above sea level), which is traversed by the Cohos Trail; and part of the Dartmouth Range, which contains Mount Deception, the 3,670-foot (1,120 m) summit of which is the highest point in town. The southeastern corner of town boasts the Mount Washington Hotel and the height of land in Crawford Notch. The Ammonoosuc River rises at the confluence of several brooks and flows westward generally along Route 302 through town. The Saco River begins at Saco Lake in Crawford Notch and runs south-southeast to the Maine coast.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 50.3 square miles (130.3 km2), of which 0.023 square miles (0.06 km2) are water, comprising 0.05% of the town.[1] Carroll lies almost fully within the Connecticut Riverwatershed, leading south to Long Island Sound;[10] the southernmost tip of the town surrounding Saco Lake, however, is part of the Saco River watershed, leading east to the Gulf of Maine.
As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 663 people, 279 households, and 189 families residing in the town. The population density was 13.2 inhabitants per square mile (5.1/km2). There were 740 housing units at an average density of 14.7 per square mile (5.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.79% White, 0.75% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.
There were 279 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.76.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.0% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,286, and the median income for a family was $45,227. Males had a median income of $27,426 versus $20,781 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,734. About 3.1% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
