Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
No town among the 127 in New Hampshire we compare has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Gilsum. 30% of the land in Gilsum is conserved, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Surry Mountain Preserve, at 1,166 acres with 7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Gilsum has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Gilsum beats most towns.
Census counts: 298 in 1790, 752 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 5 maps from 1927 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gilsum, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 19, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Gilsum.
22 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. At 1.3 miles per square mile, Gilsum’s trail density is against 1.2 in New Hampshire’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Surry Mountain Preserve | 7 mi | 1,166 |
| 2. John and Rosemarie Calhoun Family Forest | 0.9 mi | 198 |
| 3. Bear's Den Natural Area | 0.9 mi | 96 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Monadnock Regional School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilsum STEAM AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 50 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Most working residents leave Gilsum for work: only 2% work in town. 13% of Gilsum residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Keene (28%), Walpole (7%) and Alstead (5%).
| Gilsum | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Gilsum home is worth about $374,000, up 13.4% in a year, 27% below the New Hampshire typical home. 94% of households own their home in Gilsum.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Gilsum has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Gilsum’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gilsum.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Gilsum beats the New Hampshire average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
| Gilsum | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 25% |
| What stands out | Gilsum | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6.2% |
| More smokers | 14.2% | 10.8% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 17.7% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gilsum. Close and well known come first.
15 mi MountainMount Monadnock
33 mi Ski areaMount Snow119 runs · 1,648 ft vertical
33 mi Ski areaStratton Mountain Resort106 runs · 1,899 ft vertical
35 mi Ski areaOkemo Mountain119 runs · 2,165 ft vertical
22 mi Ski areaMount Sunapee77 runs · 1,469 ft vertical
36 mi Ski areaBromley Mountain Ski Resort;Bromley Mountain67 runs · 1,297 ft verticalMount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Snow: William J Sisti from Morristown, NJ, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Stratton Mountain Resort: Rudi Riet from Washington, DC, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Okemo Mountain: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Sunapee: User:Josephbrophy, Public domain · Bromley Mountain Ski Resort;Bromley Mountain: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Gilsum
About 3 of every 100 Gilsum residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Gilsum is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 752 at the 2020 census. Home to Bear's Den Natural Area, Gilsum includes Gilsum Lower Village.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gilsum has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
2 notable people were born here, including Lucy Mack Smith and Daniel Whitney.
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