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Bethlehem is a hillside town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,526 at the 2010 census.〔United States Census Bureau, (American FactFinder ), 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011.〕 It is home to Cushman and Strawberry Hill state forests. The eastern half of the town is within the White Mountain National Forest. The Appalachian Trail crosses in the south. The main village of the town, where 972 people resided at the 2010 census,〔 is defined as the Bethlehem census-designated place (CDP), and is located at the junction of U.S. Route 302 with New Hampshire Route 142. The town also includes the villages of Maplewood and Pierce Bridge. == History == Granted as Lloyd's Hills in 1774 by Colonial Governor John Wentworth, the town was named for James Lloyd of Boston. It would be the last of the provincial grants in New Hampshire. In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, the original grant could not be found. Lack of documentation would deter settlement until 1787, when the first permanent houses were built. Dropping its homage to Lloyd, a Loyalist, the town would be incorporated as Bethlehem on December 27, 1799, the name selected on the last Christmas Day of the century. There were just 33 families, with agriculture the only industry. By 1850, however, the population had grown to 950, and the town contained a gristmill, 5 large sawmills and 2 starch factories. Then, in 1867, the railroad came to Bethlehem Junction. With it traveled tourists from Boston, New York and elsewhere, many to avoid respiratory ailments in the low pollen count environment of "the highest town in New Hampshire" (as claimed on a present-day sign in the village, although several other towns in the state are higher). Others were attracted by the paintings of the White Mountain artists. Conveniently located near Mount Washington and other attractions of the White Mountains, Bethlehem developed into a Gilded Age resort for the rich and famous. In 1873, at the beginning of a building boom, Governor Henry Howard of Rhode Island built Howard House. Eventually, over 30 hotels would line Bethlehem's streets. Seven trains arrived daily, some direct from Grand Central Terminal, stopping at Bethlehem's five depots. Patrons included Presidents Grant, Hayes, Roosevelt, Taft and Harding, as well as author Thornton Burgess and poet Robert Frost. Entertainments included strolling Main Street on a two and a half mile raised boardwalk, carriage rides in the countryside, croquet games or simply lounging about the hotels' sweeping piazzas. On the hills and thoroughfares were built large summer "cottages," including that of the Woolworth family. Beginning in 1887, an annual Coaching Parade was held, with prizes awarded for lavishly decorated horse-drawn carriages. Ornamentations cost as much as $5000, prompting visitor Phineas T. Barnum to proclaim it "the ''Second'' Greatest Show on Earth." But the rise of the automobile would bring the decline of grand hotels. Tourists could now explore regions beyond the limits of rail service. Beginning about 1916, Jewish families began arriving in town, often seeking relief from hay fever symptoms. In fact, an organization named the Hebrew Hay Fever Relief Association, which was organized in the 1920s, existed in Bethlehem for many years.〔''The New Hampshire Atlas and Gazetteer''. (1988). Freeport, MD: DeLorme Mapping Company. See Map 44.〕〔(The Bethlehem Landfill Controversy WhiteMountainNews.com June 20, 2010 )〕 For a town in northern New Hampshire, contemporary Bethlehem has a sizable Jewish community (and a number of synagogues), a legacy of its hay-fever-relief experience. It was at Bethlehem that the National Hay Fever Relief Association was founded. World War II gave the hotels a second life, as tourists avoided war-ravaged Europe and stayed closer to home. By the 1950s, however, hotel attendance had dwindled. Many would close and be demolished. Today, the town is known for its special Christmas postal cancellation stamp. Every year, people from all over the world send Christmas cards to the Bethlehem post office to have them postmarked. In 2000, it handled 56,000 Christmas cards. Bethlehem has experienced a continuing controversy, beginning in the 1980s. The Rutland, Vermont company Casella Waste Systems, through its subsidiary North Country Environmental Services, purchased the town dump, and created a landfill. The company has made efforts to expand the landfill. Town residents have tried to terminate the landfill, but Casella has repeatedly challenged the residents in court.〔 Image:Railway Station, Bethlehem, NH.jpg|Railway Station c. 1905 Image:View of Main Street, Bethlehem, NH.jpg|Main Street in 1919 Image:Mount Agassiz, Bethlehem, NH.jpg|Mount Agassiz in 1906 Image:Bethlehem, NH from Mount Agassiz.jpg|Bird's-eye view in 1909 Image:Horse Trolley, Bethlehem, NH.jpg 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bethlehem, New Hampshire」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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