We are pleased you have chosen Laconia and welcome the opportunity to serve you in whatever way we can.

Laconia was established as a City in 1893 and has evolved over the years into a gentle mix of both the old and the new. From the restored mills in the downtown area to the proposed new business park, the City constantly strives to meet the needs of our residents and visitors. We are proud of our City and the many opportunities available for employment, recreation, business and education.

As you experience the area, you will see that Laconia is surrounded by three beautiful lakes which offer year round enjoyment. The Indian heritage of our area is reflected in their names: Opechee (Robin), Winnisquam (Beautiful Water) and Winnipesaukee (Smile of the Great Spirit). The wonderful, expressive language of the American Indian has bestowed a unique spirit on our area, and each of us hopes to express and amplify that spirit in our business and personal lives.

With the advent of computerization, home/work opportunities and the proximity of a large metropolitan area, Laconia provides an unparalleled opportunity for a family to live in a rural, yet sophisticated setting within reach of a myriad of opportunities.

Laconia is a wonderful place for a vacation on one of our lakes or the surrounding mountains or for your home. We hope you experience the peace and contentment of our City whether you spend a week or a lifetime.

Sincerely,

Susan N. Malboeuf
Executive Director,
Greater Laconia - Weirs Beach Chamber of Commerce

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The magic of water, the majesty of mountains- the combination is the hub of New Hampshire, the Lakes Region. Set in the mid-eastern sector of the Granite State, the Lakes Region’s history dates back to Indian lore, to Colonial times, to Henry David Thoreau’s trek up the Merrimack River where he boarded a Concord coach to seek the big lake. He stood both at the Weirs channel and later on Red Hill to admire the length and breadth of the giant waters, such a contrast to the pond he lived on, the rivers he traversed.

"There are all the shapes and hues of the kaleidoscope, and the designs and ciphers of books of heraldry. Every time I see a nodding pine top, it seems as if a new fashion of weaving plumes had come into vogue.

His adulation would herald the success of the nineteenth century mill industries and reverberate in the twentieth century diversity shared by regional industry and tourism alike.

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As a tourist one may:

• boat on the various lakes, large Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam or smaller Squam, Newfound or Silver

•ski and snowshoe on a variety of slopes including the famed Gunstock, the Belknap County Recreation area

• hike, swim, bike, camp in the Lakes Region’s various areas set aside for enjoyment and challenge.

In fact, although the Region boasts a collective 15 major lakes and ponds, none can match the grandeur of Winnipesaukee, whose name in ancient Abenaki language means "Smile of the Great Spirit." By far New Hampshire's largest lake, it has a surface area of 72 square miles and fronts nine towns with 240 miles of shoreline. From Center Harbor in the north to Alton Bay in the south, the Big Lake spans 28 miles and offers a total of 274 habitable islands.

Three mountain ranges surround Winnipesaukee and cup the lake in rugged forested land:

• to the east, the Ossipee Mountains feature the Castle in the Clouds where one can view the complex of Winnipesaukee

• to the north, the Squam mountains signal the first high peaks as preface to the fabled Presidential Range

• to the south, the Belknap Range with the stellar Gunstock Mountain invites the skier and snowshoer in the winter and the camper and hiker in the summer.

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The Lakes Region’s accessibility (90 miles from Boston, 230 miles from Montreal) has made it one of New England’s oldest and most popular destinations.

Sharing the four-season beauty of the Lakes Region is a stable local economy. The tourism industry in the Lakes Region employs thousands of people and generates millions of dollars in direct and indirect spending.

More than a tourist destination, the Lakes Region boasts great accessibility tucked between Interstate 93 and the Maine turnpike with major highways including routes 16, 101, 2, 3 and 25.

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