Land Utilization in New Hampshire 



II. SUMMER HOMES AND THE RURAL ECONOMY 1 



John C. Blum 2 



THE RAPID GROWTH in recreational activity which has taken 

 place within the life span of the present generation sprang from a 

 complex of social forces. The advance of an industrial economy brought 

 urban concentrations of population, revolutionary changes in production 

 techniques, shorter working days and more leisure hours, cash incomes 

 on a more universal scale, faster and more comfortable transportation, a 

 greater need for relief from the specialized routine of daily affairs, and a 

 more general recognition of the value of leisure-time pursuits. The re- 

 sult has been a general expansion in the extent and types of recreational 

 activity. 



Land and capital resources adapted to recreational use are widely 

 distributed geographically. Improvements in transportation and the 

 lengthening of vacations steadily have brought more remote areas within 

 reach of the vacationing public, but to the casual Meek-end or holiday 

 vacationist the relative proximity of recreational facilities is of primary 

 importance. 



Rural New England possesses a number of recreational assets. It is 

 easily accessible from the urban centers of the industrial northeast. Its 

 rugged topography, cool climate, and heavy snowfall, its lakes, streams, 

 and coastline make up a varied recreational pattern. Its colonial archi- 

 tecture, town halls, churches, commons, and shaded villages are rich in 

 historical tradition. Its small towns, cleared farms, and vast forest wilder- 

 ness are inviting retreats from urban life. 



The "recreation industry" is now second only to manufacturing as 

 a source of income in New England. Half a billion dollars were realized 

 from this source in 1939. an eightfold increase over 191 0, 3 and more than 

 twice the income from all agricultural marketings.' In northern New 

 England, recreational activity assumes an even greater relative importance. 

 New Hampshire's annual income from recreation is estimated to be 75 

 million dollars,' more than three times the value of all agricultural sales, 6 

 and second only to the combined income from all industrial activity. 



1 This study was completed before the United States entered the War. As a result of the in- 

 tensification toward the war effort since December 7, the situation may have changed in many 

 respects. However, even if details may have changed abruptly and permanently, it is expected 

 that summer homes in our rural areas will have about the same influence after the War, and 

 that the descriptions and analyses of the situations contained in this bulletin will be important 

 in the postwar period. 



2 The author acknowledges the assistance given by Harry C. Woodworth and associates of the 

 New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station who contributed generously of counsel and 

 administrative aid. Elmer W. Hallowell. Richard L. Bigelow, Jr.. and Joseph T. Elvove, Bureau 

 of Agricultural Economics, aided in gathering data and making the preliminary analysis. 



3 From a statement by the New England Council appearing in the Boston Herald, October 17, 1940. 

 * Agricultural Statistics, 1940. 



5 Based on data gathered by the New Hampshire Planning and Development Commission. 



6 Agricultural Statistics, 1940. 



