We all know that New Hampshire shares a border with Maine, but did you know there’s one place where you can be in both at nearly the same time? If you’re torn between your love of the Granite State and Vacationland (which is reasonable as they’re both lovely!) you might consider spending more time in this border town. It might be the best of both worlds!
The small town of Chatham is located in Carroll County. It has a population of about The 337 making it a lovely place to stop through.
By Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
With the exception of the southeast corner, you’ll find all of the town inside the White Mountain National Forest.
Nathaniel F / TripAdvisor
The town is located right on the Maine border. While that’s a fun fact, things get more interesting from here.
Google Maps
There are actually no roads leading into the town center of Chatham. Instead, to get to town visitors must make a fairly extensive detour through the state of Maine.
management / TripAdvisor
Even the folks that live and work in the center of town must take that trip to Maine to get to where they need to go. It truly lends new meaning to Maine and New Hampshire’s favorite directional phrase, “you can’t get there from here, bub!”
management / TripAdvisor
But what makes it this way?
management / TripAdvisor
It seems the person drawing out state borders didn’t consider what the land actually looked like. The reality is that most of the town is nestled within the mountains, making for some interesting road necessities. The mountains in the west cut Chatham off from the rest of the state.
management / TripAdvisor
Further, some folks believe that the mountains and topography made the development of roads difficult. And so, none made their way through directly to town.
Nathaniel F / TripAdvisor To put a little context around this fun fact, here are some directions:
Let’s say you wanted to get from Evans Notch to Shelburne. Route 113 runs through Evans Notch, but it’s fairly steep. It’s lovely in the fall, but as an efficient means of getting one place to another there’s a lot left to be desired.
Route 113 heads through three different Maine towns before heading back to Shelburne. How long does this take? Nearly an hour!
So, the next time you drive through your own New Hampshire town and hit a stop light. Remember how lucky you are to have the roads to get there! And, considering stopping into Chatham. It’s a beautiful place to see.
We love appreciating all the wacky things about New Hampshire. To continue the fun here are 9 totally true stereotypes New Hampshirites should just accept as fact already.
By Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Nathaniel F / TripAdvisor
Google Maps
management / TripAdvisor
To put a little context around this fun fact, here are some directions:
Let’s say you wanted to get from Evans Notch to Shelburne. Route 113 runs through Evans Notch, but it’s fairly steep. It’s lovely in the fall, but as an efficient means of getting one place to another there’s a lot left to be desired.
Route 113 heads through three different Maine towns before heading back to Shelburne. How long does this take? Nearly an hour!
So, the next time you drive through your own New Hampshire town and hit a stop light. Remember how lucky you are to have the roads to get there! And, considering stopping into Chatham. It’s a beautiful place to see.
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Address: Chatham, NH 03813, USA
