Hampton is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Rockingham County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders 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 16,214 at the 2020 census. On the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

coast, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination. The densely populated central part of the town, where 9,597 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Hampton census-designated place (CDP) and centers on the intersection of U.S. 1 and NH 27.

History

First called the "Plantation of Winnacunnet", Hampton was one of four original New Hampshire townships chartered by the

General Court of Massachusetts The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. The name "General Court" is a holdover from the earliest days ...

, which then held authority over the colony. '' Winnacunnet'' is an Algonquian

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...

word meaning "pleasant pines" and is the name of the town's

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

, serving students from Hampton and the surrounding towns of Seabrook, North Hampton, and

Hampton Falls Hampton Falls is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,403 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Archaeological excavations have confirmed that what is now Hampton Fal ...

. In March 1635,

Richard Dummer Richard Dummer (158914 December 1679) was an early settler in New England. He made his fortune as a trader, operating in the port of Southampton, England. He was a Puritan, which at times was contrary to the Established Church and the monarch. He ...

and John Spencer of the Byfield section of

Newbury, Massachusetts Newbury is a town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, ...

, came round in their

shallop Shallop is a name used for several types of boats and small ships (French ''chaloupe'') used for coastal navigation from the seventeenth century. Originally smaller boats based on the chalupa, the watercraft named this ranged from small boats a ...

, coming ashore at the landing, and were much impressed by the location. Dummer, who was a member of the General Court, got that body to lay its claim to the section and plan a plantation here. The Massachusetts General Court of March 3, 1636, ordered that Dummer and Spencer be given power to "To presse men to build there a Bound house." The town was settled in 1638 by a group of parishioners led by

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

graduate Reverend

Stephen Bachiler Stephen Bachiler (About 1561 – 28 October 1656) was an English clergyman who was an early proponent of the separation of church and state in the American Colonies. He was also among the first settlers of Hampton, New Hampshire, Hampton, New Hamp ...

, who had formerly preached at the settlement's namesake:

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbour ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The town, incorporated in 1639, once included Seabrook,

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, Danville,

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, East Kingston,

Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, England. The neighbouring resort of Shanklin and the settlement of Lake, Isle of Wight, Lake are sited just to the south of t ...

, North Hampton and Hampton Falls. On September 18, 1679, the Acts of Privy Council records that Stephen Bachiler's son-in-law, " Christopher Hussey of Hampton, Esquire", was appointed by King Charles II to "govern the provence of New Hampshire" as a member of the newly established council of seven men. Also among Hampton's earliest settlers was Thomas Leavitt, who previously had been among the first settlers at

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

. His descendant Thomas Leavitt, Esq., lived in Hampton Falls, and was the leading Democratic politician in southern New Hampshire for many years. He made a noted early survey and plan of the town of Hampton in 1806. James Leavitt, of the same family, occupied the home which had previously belonged to Gen.

Jonathan Moulton Brigadier General Jonathan Moulton (; July 21, 1726 – September 18, 1787) played an important role in the early history of New Hampshire and many tales of his adventures would become legendary. He is the namesake of the town of Moultonborough i ...

. Later members of the family ran Leavitts' Hampton Beach Hotel, a fixture in the area for generations. Construction of the

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

in the 1850s, as well as the Exeter and Hampton Trolley line, made Hampton's oceanfront a popular resort. Hampton Beach remains a tourist destination, offering shops, restaurants, beaches, and summer seasonal housing.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 11.76% of the town. Hampton is drained by the

and Drakes rivers. The town lies fully within the New Hampshire Coastal

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

. The highest point in Hampton is Bride Hill (approximately above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

), near the town line with

Adjacent municipalities

* North Hampton (north) * Seabrook (south) *

(southwest) *

(northwest)

Climate

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 14,976 people, 6,868 households, and 4,079 families residing in the town. There were 9,921 housing units, of which 3,053, or 30.8%, were vacant. 2,221 of the vacant units were for seasonal or recreational uses. The racial makeup of the town was 96.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.6%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.2%

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

n, 0.1%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

or Pacific Islander, 0.5% some other race, and 1.3% from two or more races. 1.7% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. Of the 6,868 households, 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were headed by

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16, and the average family size was 2.77. In the town, 17.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.0% were from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 35.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males. For the period 2011–2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $76,836, and the median income for a family was $98,642. Male full-time workers had a median income of $65,519 versus $51,009 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $45,189. 5.9% of the population and 4.7% of families were below the poverty line. 5.9% of the population under the age of 18 and 2.5% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.

Education

Hampton is part of School Administrative Unit 90, which covers the elementary and middle schools, and SAU 21 which includes

Winnacunnet High School Winnacunnet High School is an American public high school in Hampton, New Hampshire. It serves students in grades 9 through 12 who live in Hampton, Seabrook, North Hampton, South Hampton, and Hampton Falls. Students from South Hampton attend ...

, a regional high school serving Hampton and several surrounding communities.

Economy

Hampton is home to the headquarters of

Planet Fitness Planet Fitness, Inc. is an American franchisor and operator of fitness centers based in Hampton, New Hampshire. The company has around 2,600 clubs, making it one of the largest fitness club franchises by number of members and locations. The fr ...

Sites of interest

Benjamin James House The Benjamin James House is a historic house museum at 186 Towle Farm Road in Hampton, New Hampshire. Built in 1723, it is believed to be the oldest surviving example in New Hampshire of the traditional five-bay Georgian Colonial house, with a p ...

(1723) * Hampton Beach State Park * Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

Notable people

Bill Alfonso William Matthew Sierra (born August 11, 1957), better known by his ring name Bill Alfonso, is an American former professional wrestling referee and manager, currently performing for Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he serves as the manager of ...

(born 1957), professional wrestling personality *

(1561–1656), English clergyman; town founder * Eunice "Goody" Cole (–1680), the only woman convicted of witchcraft in New Hampshire *

Henry Dearborn Henry Dearborn (February 23, 1751 – June 6, 1829) was an American military officer and politician. In the Revolutionary War, he served under Benedict Arnold in his expedition to Quebec, of which his journal provides an important record ...

(1751–1829), physician, general and 5th

U.S. Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the C ...

* Abraham Drake (1715–1781), Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and politician * Jimmy Dunn, stand-up comedian, actor * Christopher Hussey (1599–1686), English nobleman, one of the original founders of

Nantucket, Massachusetts Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

* Thomas Leavitt (1616–1696), early settler * Paul Maher Jr. (born 1963), author * Stephen E. Merrill (1946–2020), 77th

governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along w ...

(1726–1787), Revolutionary War era brigadier general *

Jane Pierce Jane Means Pierce (née Appleton; March 12, 1806 – December 2, 1863) was the first lady of the United States from 1853 to 1857, being married to Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States. Born in Hampton, New Hampshire, she marr ...

(1806–1863), First Lady of the United States, wife of

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

* Robert Preston (1929–2021), businessman and New Hampshire state senator *

Trish Regan Patricia Ann "Trish" Regan (born December 13, 1972) is a conservative American Podcaster, author, and former television talk-show host. She hosted ''Trish Regan Primetime'' on the Fox Business Network from 2015 to 2020. Regan was previously a ...

(born 1972), business news broadcaster * Tristram Shaw (1786–1843), U.S. congressman

References

External links

*
Hampton Beach State Park

Hampton Historical Society

Lane Memorial Library
Hampton's public library (with town historical information)

* ttps://www.winnacunnet.org/ Winnacunnet High School
''Hampton Union''
local newspaper {{authority control Towns in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Populated places established in 1638 Towns in New Hampshire Populated coastal places in New Hampshire 1638 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies