to
Update
is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, USA, in the White Mountains Region. The population was 2,038 at the 2000 census. Situated on the northern edge of the White Mountains, Whitefield is home to the Mount Washington Regional Airport and the White Mountains Regional High School.
Whitefield is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area. The central village in the town, where over 53% of the population resides, is defined as the Whitefield census-designated place (CDP) and is located at the junction of U.S. Route 3, New Hampshire Route 116 and NH Route 142.
The last town to be granted under the English provincial government, Whitefield was chartered on July 4, 1774, exactly two years before adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Some believe it was named for George Whitefield, a famous English evangelist, and a friend of William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, the patron of Dartmouth College. Others believe the name originated from earlier references to the snowy white fields one would see upon approach through any of the surrounding mountain passages. The chartered name was "Whitefields" but the "s" was dropped on December 1, 1804-- the date of incorporation. Early grantees included Jeremy Belknap, historian, and John Langdon, who succeeded John Wentworth as governor.
Whitefield has many fine examples of Victorian architecture, including a landmark bandstand built in 1875 on the picturesque common. With the entrance of the railroad in the 19th century, tourists discovered the town and its cool, clean mountain air. They sought relief from the heat, humidity and pollution of coal-era summers in Boston, Hartford, New York and Philadelphia. Several inns and hotels were built to accommodate their increasing numbers. On a hilltop facing the Presidential Range is the grandest, The Mountain View House, established in 1866. The historic hotel recently underwent an expensive renovation, and is now one of the most luxurious in New Hampshire.