Living in Belmont, NH: A Local's Guide to Winnisquam's East Shore
Living in Belmont, NH: A Local's Guide to Winnisquam's East Shore
What's it like to live in Belmont, New Hampshire? It's a former mill town on the east side of Lake Winnisquam, with a village along the Tioga River, a second lake in Silver Lake, and a trail that connects to Laconia's WOW Trail. By the town's own count, the village is four miles from I-93 Exit 20 and seven miles south of Laconia.
Lake Winnisquam and Silver Lake
Lake Winnisquam is one of New Hampshire's largest lakes, at more than 4,200 acres, and Belmont is one of five towns on it, along with Laconia, Meredith, Sanbornton and Tilton. Belmont's town beach on the lake is the Leslie E. Roberts Beach and Recreation Area, which the town lists as resident-only with a current beach decal. A public boat launch is in neighboring Laconia, at the end of Water Street.
Silver Lake is the other water body here, about 202 acres and shared with Tilton. The town also protects land along the water: the Currier-Sanborn Conservation Area has frontage on Silver Lake and on the Winnipesaukee River.
The village and the Belmont Mill
Belmont's history, in the town's words, centers on the Tioga River and the mills that clustered along its banks. It was part of Gilmanton until 1859 and took the Belmont name in 1869. The Belmont Mill was built in the 1830s by the Gilmanton Village Manufacturing Company, led by Gov. William Badger. It made cotton cloth first, switched to hosiery in 1865, and by 1885 had the largest annual hosiery production in New Hampshire, according to the state historical marker beside the Tioga River bridge on Route 140.
After a 1992 fire and a close call with demolition, townspeople pushed to save it, and the mill was rededicated in August 1998. Today it's town-owned and used for offices and meeting rooms, and it's on the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places.
The Winni Trail and the WOW Trail
Belmont's Lake Winnisquam Scenic Trail, the "Winni Trail," is a multi-use trail the town describes as running through wooded, lakeside areas. The town's plan is roughly five miles, built in phases, from Daniel Webster Highway at the Laconia line to Jamestown Road at the Tilton line. At the Laconia line it meets the WOW Trail, a paved, 10-foot-wide rail trail that runs through downtown Laconia to Lakeport. The name stands for Winnisquam, Opechee and Winnipesaukee, and the WOW Trail's own count is about 4.25 continuous miles from Lakeport into Belmont.
Getting around: Routes 106, 140 and 3
The village sits where Route 106, Laconia Road, meets Route 140, Gilmanton Road. Route 106 heads north to Laconia, seven miles from the village by the town's count, and the town puts Concord 24 miles to the south. Route 140 runs west to I-93 at Exit 20 in Tilton, four miles from the village, and east toward Gilmanton. Route 3, the Daniel Webster Highway, runs together with Route 11 through town toward Laconia and Tilton. Those distances are to the village center, so measure from any address you're considering.
Belmont through the four seasons
Spring is ice-out season, when Winnisquam opens back up and the trails dry out. Summer means the beach, staffed from late June to mid-August, the Belknap County 4-H Fair in early August, and Old Home Day on the second Saturday in August, which the town calls its largest community event. It starts with a pancake breakfast and ends with fireworks.
Fall brings color, and Visit NH publishes a foliage tracker to help you time it. Currier-Sanborn, part of the 273-acre Tioga Marsh, is open to passive recreation, hunting and fishing. In winter, the town lists snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling on its open space, Gunstock in nearby Gilford offers downhill skiing, and NH Fish and Game publishes the ice fishing rules if you plan to be out on the lake.
What buyers should know
Here's the thing about Belmont: it's several kinds of property in one town. The town's zoning ordinance divides Belmont into six districts, including Village, Rural and Residential Single-Family, so a village street, a piece of rural land and a lakeside lot can be very different purchases. Utilities follow the map too. The town's sewer serves designated areas only, and municipal water serves properties within its distribution system, so some properties will have a private well and septic system. Confirm what serves the exact address.
On any lake property, frontage and access are not the same thing. Frontage means the lot itself touches the water. Access is a right to reach it, like a deeded right of way or an association beach, so confirm in the deed what actually conveys, including docks, moorings and beach rights. State rules apply too: under RSA 483-B, land within 250 feet of the reference line of a lake over 10 acres is protected shoreland, and construction, excavation or filling there generally needs an NHDES permit. New docks and boat lifts need a wetlands permit under RSA 482-A. I'd also check the FEMA flood map for the address.
FAQ: Belmont, NH
Is Belmont on Lake Winnisquam? Yes. Belmont is one of five towns on the lake, with Laconia, Meredith, Sanbornton and Tilton. It also shares Silver Lake with Tilton.
Can non-residents use the Belmont town beach? The town lists the Leslie E. Roberts Beach and Recreation Area as resident-only, with a current-year beach decal. It's staffed from late June to mid-August, weather permitting, so check with the town clerk before you go.
What school district is Belmont in? Belmont is in the Shaker Regional School District (SAU 80), which it shares with Canterbury. The district's schools are Belmont Elementary, Belmont Middle, Belmont High and Canterbury Elementary. For enrollment questions, contact the district directly.
What is the property tax rate in Belmont? Rates change every year, so check the current rate with the town or the NH Department of Revenue Administration, which posts municipal rates annually.
Thinking about Belmont?
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Cami Navoy - Cami Navoy & Associates, Keller Williams Lakes & Mountains Realty, Meredith, NH
