to
Update
is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,399 at the 2000 census. It consists of three villages: Hopkinton, West Hopkinton, and Contoocook. Hopkinton is home to the Hopkinton State Fair.
The town was granted by Colonial Governor Jonathan Belcher in 1735 as "Number 5" to settlers from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, who renamed it "New Hopkinton." First settled in 1736, colonists were required to build homes, fence in their land, plant it with English grass, and provide a home for a minister, all within seven years. The community would be incorporated in 1765 by Governor Benning Wentworth. Built in 1789, the Congregational Church has a Revere bell. The legislature met in Hopkinton occasionally between 1798 and 1807. In 1808, the town competed for the coveted position of state capitol, but was defeated by nearby Concord.
A substantial portion of the town in the north was named "Contoocook Village" for a tribe of the Pennacook Indians who once lived there. Due to its position along the Contoocook River, it became a center for water-powered industry, particularly lumber and textiles. The covered railroad bridge located in Contoocook Village is a remnant of the Boston & Maine Railroad, and is the oldest covered bridge of its kind still standing in the United States.
Since 1915, Hopkinton has been home to the Hopkinton State Fair, an event which attracts thousands of visitors each year during the Labor Day weekend.