<P> Between 1884 and 1903, New Hampshire attracted many immigrants . French Canadian migration to the state was significant, and at the turn of the century, French Canadians represented 16 percent of the state's population, and one - fourth the population of Manchester . Polish immigration to the state was also significant; there were about 850 Polish Americans in Manchester in 1902 . </P> <P> The textile industry was hit hard by the depression and growing competition from southern mills . The closing of the Amoskeag Mills in 1935 was a major blow to Manchester, as was the closing of the former Nashua Manufacturing Company mill in Nashua in 1949 and the bankruptcy of the Brown Company paper mill in Berlin in the 1940s, which led to new ownership . </P> <P> The post-World War II decades have seen New Hampshire increase its economic and cultural links with the greater Boston, Massachusetts, region . This reflects a national trend, in which improved highway networks have helped metropolitan areas expand into formerly rural areas or small nearby cities . </P> <P> The replacement of the Nashua textile mill with defense electronics contractor Sanders Associates in 1952 and the arrival of minicomputer giant Digital Equipment Corporation in the early 1970s helped lead the way toward southern New Hampshire's role as a high - tech adjunct of the Route 128 corridor . </P>

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