Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire is the largest
city in
Rockingham County in the
state of
New Hampshire in the
United States of America. Its location is 43°3' North, 70°47' West. The city population was 20,784 as of the 2000 census. The city is served by
Pease International Airport.
The first known
European to explore the area was
Martin Pring in
1603. It would be settled in
1630 as "Piscataqua," then given the name "Strawbery Banke" because of abundant wild
strawberries growing beside the
Piscataqua River, a tidal
estuary. Strategically located for trade between various upstream industries (particularly
logging) and
mercantile interests abroad, the
port prospered.
Fishing and
shipbuilding were principal businesses.
At the town's incorporation in
1653, the name "Portsmouth" was adopted in honor of the colony's founder,
John Mason, captain of the port of
Portsmouth, England (which happens to be in the county of
Hampshire for which
New Hampshire is named). In
1679, Portsmouth became the colony's capital. It also became a refuge for exiles from
Puritan Massachusetts. In
1774,
Paul Revere rode there to warn that the
British were coming. Indeed, the seaport's vulnerablity during the
American Revolution to the
Royal Navy, which on
October 18,
1775 bombarded "Falmouth" (now
Portland, Maine), helped justify the rebellious government's move inland to
Exeter. Some local fortunes would be lost by withered trade during President
Thomas Jefferson's 1807 embargo, and others gained by
privateering during the
War of 1812. In
1849, Portsmouth incorporated as a city.
|
Warner House, built in 1716, as it appeared in 1902 |
Once one of the nation's busiest ports and shipbuilding cities, Portsmouth's wealth was expressed in fine
architecture. It contains significant examples of
Colonial,
Georgian, and
Federal style houses, a selection of which are now museums. Portsmouth's heart contains stately brick Federalist stores and townhouses, built
all of a piece after devastating early
19th century fires. The city is also noted for producing boldly
veneered Federalist furniture, particularly that crafted by Langley Boardman.
The
Industrial Revolution, however, would leave Portsmouth in the shadow of New Hampshire
mill towns like
Dover,
Keene,
Laconia,
Manchester and
Nashua. The effect of this economic shift was to preserve old Portsmouth. Now, with the protection of an
Historic District Commission, much of the city's architectural legacy survives - to the delight of
tourists and
artists.
John Paul Jones' ship
Ranger was built in Portsmouth, and the
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, located across the river in
Kittery, Maine, was established in
1800 -- the nation's first. Portsmouth is also known as the site where President
Theodore Roosevelt arranged the
Treaty of Portsmouth, signed at 3:47 p.m. on
September 5,
1905 at the shipyard by diplomats from
Russia and
Japan, ending the
Russo-Japanese War. The occasion was marked by an honor guard, firing a 19-gun salute, and ringing area church bells. In
2005, there was a re-enactment of the signing of the
Portsmouth Peace Treaty.
Portsmouth is located at (43.067038, -70.772838). According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.5
km² (16.8
mi²). 40.4 km² (15.6 mi²) of it is land and 3.1 km² (1.2 mi²) of it (7.03%) is water. Portsmouth is drained by Sagamore Creek and the Piscataqua River. The highest point in the city is 100
feet (30
meters) above
sea level, within Pease International Airport.
|
Court Street from Haymarket Square in 1908 |
As of the
census of 2000, there were 20,784 people, 9,875 households, and 4,858 families residing in the city. The
population density was 514.1/km² (1,331.3/mi²). There were 10,186 housing units at an average density of 251.9/km² (652.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.55%
White, 2.13%
African American, 0.21%
Native American, 2.44%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.28% from
other races, and 1.36% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.
There were 9,875 households out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were
married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.8% were non-families. 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.75.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.2% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 36.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,195, and the median income for a family was $59,630. Males had a median income of $41,966 versus $29,024 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $27,540. About 6.4% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
Located in the "South End," one of Portsmouth's oldest neighborhoods,
Strawbery Banke Museum features an extensive collection of restored Colonial, Georgian, and Federal style architecture, saved from
1950s urban renewal by the efforts of Dorothy M. Vaughan and others. Guests learn local history from guides dressed in era costume. Across the street from the museum are the riverside gardens and entertainments of Prescott Park.
|
Jackson House, 1664, the oldest in New Hampshire |
*
Jackson House (
1664)
*
John Paul Jones House (
1758)
*
Gov. John Langdon House (
1784)
*
Tobias Lear House (
1740)
*
Moffatt-Ladd House (
1763)
*
Rundlet-May House (
1807)
*
Warner House (
1716)
*
Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion (c.
1741)
*
Wentworth-Gardner House (also, "Wentworth House") (
1760)
|
Gov. John Langdon House, built in 1784, as it appeared in c. 1915 |
*
Amos T. Akerman, former
United States Attorney General, born in Portsmouth
*
Thomas Bailey Aldrich,
poet &
novelist*
Hosea Ballou,
clergyman* Langley Boardman,
architect & furniture-maker
*
Peter Bonerz,
actor* Charles Warren Brewster,
journalist &
historian*
Joseph Stevens Buckminster,
Unitarian minister &
writer*
Ronnie James Dio,
musician*
John Hart, Officer during King George's War and the French and Indian War
* Frank Jones, alemaker
*
John Paul Jones, "father" of
U.S. Navy*
John Langdon,
statesman &
governor*
Woodbury Langdon,
merchant &
justice* Tobias Lear, secretary to George Washington
*
Nathaniel Meserve,
shipwright &
soldier*
Tom Rush,
singer &
songwriter*
Richard A. Searfoss,
astronaut*
Ezra Stiles, clergyman
*
Celia Thaxter,
poetess &
writer * Dorothy Mansfield Vaughan, historian &
historical preservationist*
Daniel Webster,
lawyer & statesman
*
Benning Wentworth, royal governor
* Sir
John Wentworth, last royal governor
*
William Whipple, signer of
Declaration of IndependencePortsmouth has five
sister cities, as designated by
Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
*
Nichinan,
Japan*
Pärnu,
Estonia*
Szolnok,
Hungary*
Carrickfergus,
Northern Ireland,
UK*
Severodvinsk,
Russia*
*
City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire Official Website**
Guide to Portsmouth and the Seacoast Region**
Portsmouth Athenaeum**
Portsmouth Public Library**
Prescott Park**
The Seacoast Repertory Theatre*
New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
