Formed December 24, 1803 (6th county)
Coos County (31,262), Lancaster* (1,941), Berlin (9,425)
A Modern red brick courthouse built in 1997 replaced the 1886 building. The structure is located at School Street and Main Street. Main Street is United States Highway 2. Keith P. Hemingway is the building architect. There is an augmenting 2011 courthouse in Berlin. Coos County was organized on December 24, 1803 from Grafton County as the 6th county. Berlin was the original county seat and moved to Lancaster. The county name is Native American for “crooked.” The county seat is named for Lancaster, Massachusetts. Coos County was the birthplace for 1 New Hampshire Governor, Chester B. Jordan.
Coos County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, and a clerk (executive). It has 3 Commissioners and 9 Delegates (legislative.) One Circuit Court Judge serves Coos County (judicial.) The county is on the northern cap of the state bordering Vermont, Canada, and Maine. Manchester, New Hampshire is south and Burlington, Vermont is southeast of the county. The county center is 33.5 miles Northeast of Lancaster nearer Errol. The county is surrounded clockwise by Canada and Maine and Carroll and Grafton counties and Vermont.
The area of the county is 1801 square miles. It is 1 out of 10 in the state. It ranks 10 out of 10 in population in the state. It has a density of 17.4 persons per square mile making it 10 out of 10 in the state. Coos County has 30.2% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 2 crosses the county from Maine, east, to Vermont, west. United States Highway 3 originates on the Canadian border and southwest into Grafton County. United States Highway 302 travels southeast, Carroll County, to southwest, Grafton County. The highest point in New Hampshire, Mount Washington, is in the county. The county looks like a funnel. Lancaster is located in the southwest quarter of the county. Berlin is in the southeast quarter of the county. Lancaster is the county seat and Berlin is the largest city since it is the only incorporated city. Lancaster is 6.2% of the county population although it is unincorporated. Berlin is 30.2% of the county population. The county is pronounced KOOZ. This county is in the Berlin Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Berlin
Lancaster (unincorporated)
