Bristol, New Hampshire

Bristol is a census-designated place (CDP) and the main village in the town of Bristol in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population of the CDP was 1,911 at the 2020 census, out of 3,244 in the entire town.

The Central Square Historic District of Bristol, New Hampshire, encompasses the central commercial district of the town. The square is a four-sided space near the junction of six roadways in the center of Bristol, just north of the Newfound River and west of the Pemigewasset River. The district includes all of the buildings that are arrayed around the square, as well as one contemporary commercial building located just south of the Newfound River on South Main Street. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.The center of Bristol began to take shape in the 1760s with the arrival of the first non-Native settlers. A road was cut along the Pemigewasset River, which crossed the Newfound River near where South Main Street does today. A mill was built a little way to the east. By the 1790s a small town center had emerged, including two tavern buildings that still stand. A new road (now North Main Street) to Newfound Lake in 1805 further enhanced the area's importance as a transportation junction, shortly followed by what is now Pleasant Street in 1808. How the square itself formed is uncertain, since there are no formal town documents discussing the matter.The center grew in the 19th century with the arrival of industrial mills and the railroad. Most of the municipal functions were located away from the square, which developed as a commercial business district. Early surviving instances of wood frame commercial construction include in the 1841 Bean-Tukey Block and the 1848 Cass Block. The west side of the square was subjected to destructive fires in 1861 and 1871, resulting in the construction of Victorian brick blocks on that side of the square. The square's basic structures today are, with only few exceptions, what they were in the late 19th century.

Bristol Town Hall, at 45 Summer Street, is the town hall of Bristol, New Hampshire. It is a single story Greek Revival structure, built in 1849, and was the town's first purpose-built town hall. It continues to serve as a municipal meeting and polling place, although town offices are now in a modern building on Lake Street. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

The Minot–Sleeper Library is the public library of Bristol, New Hampshire. It is located at 35 Pleasant Street, in an 1885 brick building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The library was the first in the state's Lakes Region to have a purpose-built building. The library offers borrowing service, as well as Wifi, Internet-accessible computers, and a variety of programmed activities.

The Newfound River is a 3.2-mile-long (5.1 km) river in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Pemigewasset River, part of the Merrimack River watershed. The Newfound River begins at the outlet of Newfound Lake in Bristol, New Hampshire. The river drops rapidly through the town of Bristol, passing over several hydroelectric dams before reaching the Pemigewasset. Major tributaries of the Newfound River (via Newfound Lake) are the Fowler River and the Cockermouth River.

The Ayers Island Reservoir is an impoundment located on the Pemigewasset River in central New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Bristol and New Hampton.

The Smith River is a 25.0-mile-long (40.2 km) river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Pemigewasset River, part of the Merrimack River watershed. The Smith River begins at the outlet of Tewksbury Pond in Grafton, New Hampshire. The river flows southwest and then southeast through Grafton, passing through Kilton Pond. Continuing through Danbury, the river remains generally flat until shortly before reaching the Alexandria-Hill town line, where it enters a narrow valley and produces several miles of whitewater. Passing under the New Hampshire Route 3A bridge at the Bristol-Hill town line, the Smith River drops over Profile Falls and arrives at the Pemigewasset River. U.S. Route 4 follows the Smith River from its source to Danbury. NH-104 follows the river from Danbury to the east side of Alexandria.

William Thomas State Forest is a 1,660-acre (670 ha) state forest in the town of Hill, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is named for Harvard University class of 1945 graduate and B-24 Liberator pilot William H. Thomas Jr. who used his discharge pay to acquire 60 wooded acres and subsequently expanded his holdings to about 1,700. He had visions of a resort development, but retreated to the area in 1987 and donated the lands to the state of New Hanpshire when he died in 2001. The area reportedly has some double track but no single track trails.

Bridgewater is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,160 at the 2020 census.

The Fowler River is a 6.1-mile-long (9.8 km) river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is an inflow to Newfound Lake, part of the Pemigewasset and Merrimack River watersheds. Below Bog Brook, the Fowler River is subject to the New Hampshire Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act. The primary tributary of the river is Clark Brook, which rises south of Mount Cardigan in the town of Alexandria and drops over Welton Falls. Chesley Brook joins from the north, at which point the stream valley widens and begins to support small agricultural operations. The brook's name changes to "Fowler River" when Brock Brook joins from the right at the first crossing of Fowler River Road. The river flows southeast to a junction with Bog Brook, where it turns north and flows one mile to Newfound Lake.