New Hampshire Highlights
Bretton Woods

By Ugur Akinci, Ph.D.

"Bretton Woods" is a name that you'll recall right away if you're interested in politics and global affairs since it is the location where a new global monetary system was signed into effect in 1944.

And guess what? Bretton Woods is in New Hampshire, in the township of Carroll, to be exact. The area is surrounded by the White Mountain National Forest, near Mount Washington.

The World Bank and International Monetary Fund were both established with the signing of the "Bretton Woods Agreement" during the "United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference" which was held in New Hampshire in 1944.

Today Bretton Woods is a 434-acre Alpine skiing resort with 33 miles of trails, 101 in total, including 5 night trails. It's a good place to go for ski and winter sports enthusiasts.

Mount Washington Hotel nearby offers attractive accommodations for tourists, including a heated pool which was reviewed by a visitor in a New York Times story as follows:

"We go to the Mount Washington Hotel every year. The kids' favorite part, even though they ski for most of the day, is to go outside in the frigid temperatures to the heated pool and then roll in the snow. They just get the biggest kick out of swimming outside in the winter. It was 4 degrees out that day -- but once you get in the pool it's fine. The pool's got to be at least 95 degrees and you get kind of hot in there. Then you roll in the snow, and jump back in the pool. It absolutely takes your breath away, in a great way. You feel like a million dollars when you're done -- if you don't have pneumonia."