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is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,845 at the 2000 census. Situated at the edge of the White Mountains, Littleton is bounded on the northwest by the Connecticut River.
The primary settlement in town, where over 75% of the population resides, is defined as the Littleton census-designated place (CDP), and is centered around the intersection of U.S. Route 302 with New Hampshire Route 116, along the Ammonoosuc River.
Called "Chiswick" in 1764, the area was settled in 1769. The name "Chiswick" is of Saxon origin and means "Cheese Farm".
The town was part of Lisbon until 1770, when it was granted as "Apthorp" in honor of George Apthorp, head of one of the wealthiest mercantile establishments in Boston, Massachusetts. The land was later passed to the Apthorp family's associates from Newburyport, Massachusetts, headed by Colonel Moses Little. Colonel Little held the post of "Surveyor of the King's Woods", and the town was named in his honor when it was incorporated in 1784, the same year New Hampshire became a state.
Located along the banks of the Ammonoosuc River is the Littleton Grist Mill. The historic mill first opened in 1798, and has been fully restored to its original appearance. Between 1867 and 1909, the local Kilburn Brothers factory published photographs, stereoviews, and sold stereoscopes, double-picture viewers popular in the Victorian age.