Hampstead is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Rockingham County,
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, United States. The population was 8,998 at the 2020 census.
Hampstead, which includes the village of
East Hampstead, is home to a portion of the Rockingham Recreational Trail.
History
Once part of
Haverhill and
Amesbury
Amesbury () is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settle ...
,
, and settled in 1640, this town was formed as a result of the 1739 decision fixing the
boundary line between Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It was originally known as "Timberlane Parish" because of the heavy growth of native trees. The town was incorporated in 1749 by
colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 au ...
governor
Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth (July 24, 1696 – October 14, 1770) was an American merchant and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. While serving as governor, Wentworth is best known for issuing several la ...
, who renamed it after
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
, England, the residence of
William Pitt, a close friend.
The
Hampstead Meetinghouse
The Hampstead Meetinghouse, also once known as Hampstead Town Hall, is a historic meeting house at 20 Emerson Avenue in Hampstead, New Hampshire. The core of this dual-purpose (religious and civic) structure was begun in 1749, although its inte ...
, constructed circa 1749–1768, was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1980.
Hampstead was the home of the first
honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
factory in the United States, in 1816.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 4.72% of the town.
Island Pond is in the southwest, with Wash Pond near the center and Angle Pond on the northern border. The highest point in Hampstead is greater than above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
at the town's northwestern corner, near the eastern knob of Butman Hill. Hampstead lies mostly within the
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Mas ...
watershed, though the area east of Butman Hill and north of Smith Mountain is part the
Piscataqua River
The Piscataqua River (Abenaki: ''Pskehtekwis'') is a tidal river forming the boundary of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine from its origin at the confluence of the Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River. The drainage basin of the river ...
(Coastal) watershed.
Hampstead is home to
Camp Tel Noar
Camp Tel Noar is a Jewish summer camp for children ages 7 through 16. It is located in Hampstead, New Hampshire, in the United States, which is about 1 hour north of Boston. The camp sits on Sunset Lake (Wash Pond) and has about 275 campers.
...
, an overnight summer camp on Wash Pond (Sunset Lake).
Adjacent municipalities
*
Sandown, New Hampshire
Sandown is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,548 at the 2020 census, up from 5,986 at the 2010 census.
History
Once part of Kingston, Sandown was incorporated as a separate town in 1756 by coloni ...
(north)
*
Danville, New Hampshire
Danville is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,408 at the 2020 census. Danville is part of the Timberlane Regional School District, with students attending Danville Elementary School, Timberlane Regio ...
(northeast)
*
Kingston, New Hampshire
Kingston is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 6,202.
History
Kingston was the fifth town to be established in New Hampshire. Originally, it was a part of Hampton, New Hampshire. ...
(east)
*
Plaistow, New Hampshire
Plaistow (, ) is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,830 at the 2020 census.
History
Plaistow was officially established as a town in 1749 after the 1739 resolution ...
(southeast)
*
Atkinson, New Hampshire
Atkinson is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,087 at the 2020 census.
History
Atkinson's history dates back to the American Revolution. The community was incorporated September 3,Article i''Statist ...
(south)
*
Derry, New Hampshire
Derry is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 34,317 at the 2020 census. Although it is a town and not a city, Derry is the most populous community in Rockingham County and the fourth most populous in the ...
(west)
Demographics
At the
2000 census there were 8,297 people, 3,044 households, and 2,279 families living in the town. The population density was 623.0 people per square mile (240.5/km). There were 3,276 housing units at an average density of 246.0 per square mile (95.0/km). The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the town was 98.47% White, 0.23% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.78%.
Of the 3,044 households 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 20.7% of households were one person and 6.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.19.
The age distribution was 28.9% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.
The median household income was $68,533 and the median family income was $79,114. Males had a median income of $56,625 versus $31,449 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,195. About 2.4% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Three
New Hampshire state routes cross Hampstead:
*
NH 111 crosses the town from the southwest to the northeast corner. It connects to Atkinson in the southwest and Danville in the northeast.
*
NH 121 crosses the western part of town from north to south; it is known locally as Main Street and Stage Road. It connects to
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
in the north via the southwest corner of
Sandown
Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake, Isle of Wight, Lake in between. Together ...
and to Atkinson in the south.
*
NH 121A crosses the northeastern corner of town through the village of East Hampstead, connecting
Danville in the north and
Plaistow in the south. It is known locally as Sandown Road and East Main Street.
The nearest airport is
Manchester–Boston Regional Airport
Manchester–Boston Regional Airport , commonly referred to as Manchester Airport, is a public use airport south of the central business district of Manchester, New Hampshire, United States on the border of Hillsborough and Rockingham countie ...
along the border of Londonderry and Manchester.
Education
Local public schools include:
Hampstead Central SchoolHampstead Middle School
The Town of Hampstead pays tuition for town students to attend
Pinkerton Academy
Pinkerton Academy is a secondary school in Derry, New Hampshire, United States. It serves roughly 3,269 students, making it by far the largest high school in New Hampshire, more than 1,300 students greater than the next largest high school. Pi ...
in
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
, and therefore Pinkerton serves as Hampstead's public high school.
Hampstead Academy is a private school in Hampstead.
Notable people
*
Andy Seuss
Andrew T. Seuss (born March 15, 1987) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He won two consecutive championships in 2014 and 2015 in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour. Seuss has also competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR ...
(born 1987),
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
professional driver
References
External links
*
Hampstead Historical SocietyHampstead Public Library community news
*
ttps://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/repositories/2/resources/1640 Hampstead (N.H.: Town) Recordsat Dartmouth College Library
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Towns in Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Populated places established in 1760
Towns in New Hampshire