Welcome to Hart’s Location

The Smallest Town in New Hampshire and the First in the Nation to Vote.

Located in Carroll County in the White Mountains Region of New Hampshire, Hart’s Location is only 11 miles long and 1.5 miles wide with a population of 43. Much of this area lies within the 800,000+ acre White Mountain National Forest with steep mountains and sheer cliffs on both sides. The town is home to Crawford Notch State Park noted for its rugged wilderness beauty, crossed by the Appalachian Trail and provides access to Arethusa Falls, New Hampshire’s highest waterfall.

This is one time when size does not matter! For more than seventy years, the eyes of the nation turned to Hart’s Location every four years as the smallest town in New Hampshire to cast their votes for the Presidential primary and election. Voting members of the town population gathered at midnight to be the first in the country to cast their votes on voting day.

The tradition began in 1948 when the township was inhabited mostly by Maine Central Railroad workers and their families. Early voting at 7 am started to accommodate the railroad workers living in town. This was the most convenient time for the best voter turnout. The midnight voting practice started in 1952 and continued for many years until the number of media who came grew and the residents voted after the 1964 election to stop midnight voting. Read more about how and when Hart’s Location became first in the nation to vote.

Photo Credit:  Conway Scenic Railroad Snow Train photo above © Kevin Burkholder, Steel Wheels Photography.