Here’s some good news to know this morning:

Here’s what’s inside today’s newsletter:

📸 Reader photo: Check out BJ Hall’s view of the Friendship Bridge in Wentworth—a bridge with a pretty wild journey of its own. Share YOUR photo!

🏞️ What we’re reading: Counties with the most born-and-raised residents in New Hampshire

📢 Question of the week: Is New Hampshire’s 400-member House too big? Why or why not? Sound off!

🌞 The bright side, including: Why global leaders are coming to Kensington

💪 Nominate a local hero, and we’ll feature them in this newsletter. Tell us your hero!

(Courtesy BJ Hall)

Shoutout to BJ Hall for sharing this view of Hampshire Covered Bridge No. 71 in Wentworth.

🌉 Fun fact: This bridge was saved from demolition in Bedford and moved to Wentworth in 2016, where it was rebuilt across the Baker River and renamed the Friendship Bridge. The 106-foot bridge was originally built in 1962.

Share your pic: Click the button below to send us your photo, and we might feature it in this newsletter. Don’t be bashful!

Related: Fascinating facts from New Hampshire’s covered bridge expert

(Balazs Busznyak/Unsplash)

By Stacker

Many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in for reasons ranging from wanting to be close to family, to not having the resources to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.

In order to determine where people stay put in your home state, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in New Hampshire using data from the Census Bureau. 

Here they are:

5. Strafford County
Population: 132,575
Born in New Hampshire: 61,533 (46.4%)
Born in a different state: 63,479 (47.9%)
Born in US territories: 1,754 (1.3%)
Born in another country: 5,809 (4.4%)

4. Belknap County
Population: 64,659
Born in New Hampshire: 31,640 (48.9%)
Born in a different state: 30,451 (47.1%)
Born in US territories: 761 (1.2%)
Born in another country: 1,807 (2.8%)

3. Sullivan County
Population: 43,715
Born in New Hampshire: 22,937 (52.5%)
Born in a different state: 19,502 (44.6%)
Born in US territories: 343 (0.8%)
Born in another country: 933 (2.1%)

2. Merrimack County
Population: 155,967
Born in New Hampshire: 82,331 (52.8%)
Born in a different state: 65,672 (42.1%)
Born in US territories: 1,175 (0.8%)
Born in another country: 6,789 (4.4%)

1. Coös County
Population: 31,271
Born in New Hampshire: 17,495 (55.9%)
Born in a different state: 12,557 (40.2%)
Born in US territories: 344 (1.1%)
Born in another country: 875 (2.8%)

New Hampshire’s 400-member House of Representatives is the largest state legislative chamber in the United States. In fact, it’s nearly twice the size of the next-largest state House: Pennsylvania has 203 members.

So this week’s question is …

Is New Hampshire’s 400-member House too big? Why or why not?

Here’s what you’re saying…

“It’s not easy to balance the unwieldiness of a large legislature with the need to give many small communities an equal voice in the state government. That being said; it seems to me that intelligent use of up-to-date communication and efficient planning should enable our representatives to continue to conduct state business within the existing structure. Throwing the baby out with the bath water in the name of efficiency serves no one.” — JoAnn Carlson

The following briefs featuring good news around the world are presented in partnership with Andy DeMeo Granite Goodness. Subscribe today.

There’s a place tucked away in Kensington that has quietly become a gathering spot for leaders from around the world.

It’s called Alnoba, run by the Alnoba Lewis Family Foundation, which says it has donated more than $200 million in 70 countries since 1981, supporting work around conservation, human rights, sustainability, and community change.

Through its Pinnacle Leadership and Team Development program, Alnoba has brought hundreds of leaders from more than 80 countries to Kensington to work on leadership, resilience, and some of the biggest challenges facing their communities.

The Lewis family also created Sawyer Park, a 35-acre recreation area in Kensington that was gifted to the town in 2008 and now draws more than 1,000 families each season.

So how did a property in a small New Hampshire town become connected to a global network of activists, nonprofit leaders, and changemakers?

That story starts with the Lewis family and a grand idea about what could happen in the woods of New Hampshire.

💙 Know someone in New Hampshire who’s doing something worth celebrating? Whether it’s a neighbor, volunteer, small business owner, artist, or community leader, we want to hear about it!

Send us their name, what they’re doing, and why it matters to you at info@granitepostnews.com.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Katy Savage with stories from Granite Goodness. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

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