The Town of Sunapee shares its name with Lake Sunapee and Mt. Sunapee. The name itself comes from the Algonquin Indian words “suna” (goose) and “apee” (lake) chosen because the lake was a favorite spot of wild geese. The town was incorporated in 1781.

Today, the Sunapee area is a favorite of tourists and vacationers, but, historically, it was an industrial area. According to Wikipedia, one factory produced 110 clothespins a minute. Now the pristine lake, which was once surrounded by a number of grand hotels, is the main attraction. In the late 1800’s, when the summer grand hotels were still very active, there were a number of ferries on the lake, but these were mostly gone by 1915, replaced by the automobile.

The town has a total geographic area of approximately 25 square miles, with about 4 square miles of that being water. As of the 2000 censes, there were 3,055 people, 1,294 households, and 878 families residing in the town.

Sunapee Harbor bustles in the summertime with tour and dinner boats taking off on the lake, concerts in the bandstand, restaurants at water’s edge, and lots of pedestrian traffic in and out of the many shops and attractions. It’s a lively, fun place to be.

For more information about Sunapee, visit their web site at: Welcome to Sunapee, NH