Portsmouth is a city in
Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the
2020 census it had a population of 21,956.
A historic
seaport
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...
and popular summer tourist destination on the
Piscataqua River bordering the state of
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...
, Portsmouth was formerly the home of the
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
's
Pease Air Force Base
Pease, in Middle English, was a noun referring to the vegetable pea; see that article for its etymology. The word survives into modern English in pease pudding.
Pease may also refer to:
People
*Pease family (Darlington), a prominent family in D ...
, since converted to
Portsmouth International Airport at Pease.
History
American Indians of the
Abenaki
The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples 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 pre ...
and other
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages ( or ; also Algonkian) are a subfamily of indigenous American languages that include most languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically simi ...
-speaking nations, and their predecessors, inhabited the territory of coastal
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 ...
for thousands of years before European contact.
The first known European to explore and write about the area was
Martin Pring in 1603. The Piscataqua River is a tidal
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...
with a swift current, but forms a good natural harbor. The west bank of the harbor was settled by European colonists in 1630 and named
Strawbery Banke
Strawbery Banke is an outdoor history museum located in the South End historic district of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is the oldest neighborhood in New Hampshire to be settled by Europeans, and the earliest neighborhood remaining in the pr ...
, after the many wild
strawberries
The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...
growing there. The village was protected by
Fort William and Mary on what is now
New Castle Island. Strategically located for trade between upstream industries and
mercantile interests abroad, the port prospered. Fishing,
lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
and
shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to bef ...
were principal businesses of the region.
Enslaved Africans were
imported as laborers as early as 1645 and were integral to building the city's prosperity.
Portsmouth was part of the
Triangle Trade, which made significant profits from slavery.
At the town's incorporation in 1653, it was named "Portsmouth" in honor of the colony's founder,
John Mason. He had been captain of the English port of
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most d ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
, after which New Hampshire is named.
When
Queen Anne's War ended in 1712, Governor
Joseph Dudley selected the town to host negotiations for the 1713
Treaty of Portsmouth, which temporarily ended hostilities between the
Abenaki
The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples 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 pre ...
Indians and the colonies of
Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire.
In 1774, in the lead-up to the
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
,
Paul Revere rode to Portsmouth warning that the
British Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
was coming to capture the port. Although
Fort William and Mary protected the harbor, the Patriot government moved the capital inland to
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
, which ensured that it would be under no threat from the Royal Navy, which
bombarded Falmouth (now
Portland, Maine) instead on October 18, 1775. Portsmouth was the destination for several of
Beaumarchais's ships containing
materiel
Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context.
In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the spec ...
, such as artillery, tents, and gunpowder, to help the American revolutionary effort. African Americans helped defend Portsmouth and New England during the war. In 1779, 19 enslaved African Americans from Portsmouth wrote a
petition to the state legislature and asked that it abolish slavery, in recognition of their war contributions and in keeping with the principles of the Revolution.
Their petition was not answered, but New Hampshire later abolished slavery.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
's 1807
embargo against American trade with
Britain severely disrupted New England's trade with
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
, and several local businessmen went bankrupt. Portsmouth was host to numerous
privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
s during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...
. In 1849, Portsmouth was incorporated as a city.
Once one of the nation's busiest ports and shipbuilding cities, Portsmouth expressed its wealth in fine architecture. It has significant examples of
Colonial,
Georgian, and
Federal style houses, some of which are now museums. Portsmouth's heart has stately brick Federalist stores and townhouses, built all-of-a-piece after devastating early 19th-century fires. The worst was in 1813 when 244 buildings burned.
A fire district was created that required all new buildings within its boundaries to be built of brick with
slate roofs; this created the downtown's distinctive appearance. The city was also noted for the production of boldly
wood-veneered Federalist furniture, particularly by the master
cabinet maker Langley Boardman.
The
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
spurred economic growth in New Hampshire
mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories, usually cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe
Italy
* '' Crespi d'Adda'', UNESCO World ...
s such as
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maids ...
,
Keene,
Laconia
Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word '' laconic''—to speak in a blunt, c ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
,
Nashua and
Rochester, where rivers provided water power for the mills. It shifted growth to the new mill towns. The port of Portsmouth declined, but the city survived
Victorian-era doldrums, a time described in the works of
Thomas Bailey Aldrich, particularly in his 1869 novel ''
The Story of a Bad Boy
''The Story of a Bad Boy'' (1870) is a semi-autobiographical novel by American writer Thomas Bailey Aldrich, fictionalizing his experiences as a boy in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The book is considered the first in the "bad boy" genre of literatu ...
''.
In the 20th century, the city founded a Historic District Commission, which has worked to protect much of the city's irreplaceable architectural legacy. In 2008, the
National Trust for Historic Preservation named Portsmouth one of the "Dozen Distinctive Destinations". The compact and walkable downtown on the waterfront draws tourists and artists, who each summer throng the cafes, restaurants and shops around Market Square. Portsmouth annually celebrates the revitalization of its downtown (in particular Market Square) with Market Square Day, a celebration dating back to 1977, produced by the non-profit Pro Portsmouth, Inc.
Portsmouth shipbuilding history has had a long
symbiotic
Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or para ...
relationship with
Kittery, Maine
Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals. The southernmost tow ...
, across the Piscataqua River. In 1781–1782, the naval hero
John Paul Jones lived in Portsmouth while he supervised construction of his ship
''Ranger'', which was built on nearby
Badger's Island in Kittery. During that time, he boarded at the
Captain Gregory Purcell house, which now bears Jones' name, as it is the only surviving property in the United States associated with him. Built by the master
housewright
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters t ...
Hopestill Cheswell, an African American,
it has been designated as a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
. It now serves as the Portsmouth Historical Society Museum.
The
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, established in 1800 as the first federal navy yard, is on
Seavey's Island in Kittery, Maine. The base is famous for being the site of the 1905 signing of the
Treaty of Portsmouth which ended the
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
. Though US President
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
orchestrated the peace conference that brought Russian and Japanese diplomats to Portsmouth and the Shipyard, he never came to Portsmouth, relying on the Navy and people of New Hampshire as the hosts. Roosevelt won the 1906
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolo ...
for his diplomacy in bringing about an end to the War.
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 th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 6.92%, are water.
Portsmouth is drained by Berrys Brook, Sagamore Creek and the
Piscataqua River, which is the boundary between New Hampshire and
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...
. The highest point in the city is above sea level, within Pease International Airport.
Climate
Portsmouth has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...
(
Dfb) in spite of its maritime position, due to prevailing inland winds. Summers are moderately warm with winter days averaging around the freezing point, but with cold nights bringing it below the required isotherm to have a humid continental climate. With high year-round precipitation, the cold winters can often be very snowy and summers wet.
Demographics
Portsmouth is the sole city in Rockingham County, but the fourth-largest municipality, with fewer people than the towns of
Derry,
Londonderry, and
Salem.
As of the census of 2010, there were 21,233 people, 10,014 households, and 4,736 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,361.1 people per square mile (524.4/km). There were 10,625 housing units at an average density of 681.1 per square mile (262.3/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 city was 91.5%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 1.7%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 3.5%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.7% some other race, and 2.3% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population.
There were 10,014 households, out of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.5% were headed by married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.7% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03, and the average family size was 2.75.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
For the period 2010–2014, the city's estimated median annual household income was $67,679, and the median family income was $90,208. Male full-time workers had a median income of $58,441 versus $45,683 for females. The city's
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $42,724. About 4.0% of families and 7.6% 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 ...
, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Heinemann Heinemann may refer to:
* Heinemann (surname)
* Heinemann (publisher), a publishing company
* Heinemann Park, a.k.a. Pelican Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
See also
* Heineman Heineman is a surname. Notable people with the surnam ...
USA is based in Portsmouth. Before its dissolution,
Boston-Maine Airways (Pan Am Clipper Connection), a regional airline, was also headquartered in Portsmouth.
Companies with headquarters in Portsmouth include packaged software producer Bottomline Technologies and frozen yogurt maker Sweet Scoops.
Top employers
According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top ten employers in the city are:
Arts and culture
Sites of interest
* USS ''Albacore'' Museum & Park – a museum featuring the
USS ''Albacore'', a U.S. Navy submarine used for testing, which was decommissioned in 1972 and moved to the park in 1985. The submarine is open for tours.
* Buckminster House – built in 1725, formerly a funeral parlor.
* Discover Portsmouth Center – visitor center, gallery, gift shop, John Paul Jones Historic House, walking tours, short film on the history of Portsmouth; operated by the Portsmouth Historical Society.
*
The Music Hall – a 900-seat theater originally opened in 1878. The theater is now run by a non-profit organization and is fully restored. The venue hosts musical acts, theater, dance and cinema.
* New Hampshire Theatre Project – founded in 1986, a non-profit theater organization producing contemporary and classical works, and offering educational programs.
*
North Church – historic church, the steeple of which is visible from most of Portsmouth
* Pontine Theatre – produces original theater works based on the history, culture and literature of New England at their 50-seat black box venue.
*The Player's Ring Theater – a black-box theater that produces original work from local playwrights.
*
Portsmouth Athenæum – a private membership library, museum and art gallery open to the public at certain times.
*
Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse – first established in 1771, the current structure was built in 1878 and is open for monthly tours from May through September.
*
Prescott Park Arts Festival – summer entertainments in Portsmouth's waterfront park since 1974.
* Seacoast Repertory Theatre – founded in 1988, a professional theater troupe.
*
Strawbery Banke Museum – a neighborhood featuring several dozen restored historic homes in Colonial, Georgian and Federal styles of architecture. The site of one of Portsmouth's earliest settlements.
*
Whaling Wall – Painting of
Isles of Shoals Humpbacks created by
Robert Wyland, situated on the back of Cabot House Furniture. It is in disrepair, and restoration has not been allowed by the owners of Cabot Furniture.
[Choate, David]
Whaling Wall endangered
" September 14, 2010, Seacoast Online
*Four public sculptures carved by
Cabot Lyford stand in the city, including "The Whale" and "My Mother the Wind," a seven-ton blank granite statue which was installed on Portsmouth's waterfront in 1975.
*
Portsmouth African Burying Ground – a memorial park and the only archeologically verified 18th-century African burying ground in New England.
Historic house museums
*
Richard Jackson House (1664)
*
John Paul Jones House
The John Paul Jones House is a historic house at 43 Middle Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Now a historic house museum and a National Historic Landmark, it is where American Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones, resided from 1781 ...
(1758)
*
Governor John Langdon House
The Governor John Langdon House, also known as Governor John Langdon Mansion, is a historic mansion house at 143 Pleasant Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. It was built in 1784 by Founding Father John Langdon (1741-1819), a m ...
(1784)
*
Tobias Lear House (1740)
*
Moffatt-Ladd House
The Moffatt-Ladd House, also known as the William Whipple House, is a historic house museum and National Historic Landmark in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. The 1763 Georgian house was the home of William Whipple (1730–1785), a Fou ...
(also called William Whipple House) (1763)
*
Rundlet-May House (1807)
*
MacPheadris-Warner House (1716)
*
Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion (1750)
*
Wentworth-Gardner House (also called Wentworth House) (1760)
*
Henry Sherburne House (1766)
Sports
The
Seacoast United Phantoms are a soccer team based in Portsmouth. Founded in 1996, the team plays in the Northeast Division of
USL League Two (USL2), one of the unofficial fourth tier leagues of the
American Soccer Pyramid
The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by the system of prom ...
.
Government
The city of Portsmouth operates under a council-manager system of government. Portsmouth elects a nine-member at-large City Council to serve as the city's primary legislative body. The candidate who receives the most votes is designated the Mayor (currently Deaglan McEachern), while the candidate receiving the second-highest vote total is designated the Assistant Mayor (currently Joanna Kelley). While the mayor and council convene to establish municipal policy, the City Manager (currently Karen Conard) oversees the city's day-to-day operations.
Portsmouth is part of
New Hampshire's 1st congressional district, currently represented by Democrat
Chris Pappas. Portsmouth is part of the
Executive Council's 3rd district, currently represented by Republican
Janet Stevens. In the
State Senate, Portsmouth is represented by Democrat
Rebecca Perkins Kwoka. In the
State House of Representatives, Portsmouth is divided among the 25th through 31st Rockingham districts.
Politically, Portsmouth is a center of liberal politics and a stronghold for the Democratic Party.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
was the last Republican presidential nominee to carry the city in his 1984 landslide reelection. In 2016, Portsmouth voted 67.70% for
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
in the
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The p ...
, 62.53% for
Colin Van Ostern in the
gubernatorial election
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of politica ...
, 64.48% for
Maggie Hassan in the
senatorial election, and 62.16% for
Carol Shea-Porter in the
congressional election. In 2014, Portsmouth voted 70.05% for Maggie Hassan in the
gubernatorial election
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of politica ...
, 67.34% for
Jeanne Shaheen in the
senatorial election, and 68.34% for Carol Shea-Porter in the
congressional election. In 2012, Portsmouth voted 67.56% for Barack Obama in the
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The p ...
, 70.16% for Maggie Hassan in the
gubernatorial election
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of politica ...
, and 68.50% for Carol Shea-Porter in the
congressional election.
In March 2014, Portsmouth became the first municipality in New Hampshire to implement protections for city employees from discrimination on the basis of gender identity, by a 9–0 vote of the city council.
Education
*
Community College System of New Hampshire,
Great Bay Community College – Portsmouth campus
*
Franklin Pierce University
Franklin Pierce University is a private university in Rindge, New Hampshire. It was founded as Franklin Pierce College in 1962, combining a liberal arts foundation with coursework for professional preparation.
The school gained university stat ...
– Portsmouth campus
*
Granite State College
Granite State College was a public college in Concord, New Hampshire. It was part of the University System of New Hampshire.
In 2023, it merged into the University of New Hampshire as the College of Professional Studies.
History
Founded in 1 ...
– Portsmouth campus and on-site location at Great Bay Community College
Media
Print
* ''
The New Hampshire Gazette
''The New Hampshire Gazette'' is a non-profit, alternative, bi-weekly newspaper published in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Its editors claim that the paper, which all but disappeared into other publications until the late 1900s, is the oldest n ...
''
* ''
The Portsmouth Herald''
Radio
*
WSCA-LP Portsmouth Community Radio 106.1 FM
*
WHEB
WHEB (100.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and serving the Seacoast Region of New Hampshire and Southern Maine. The station airs a mainstream rock radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia. WHEB bro ...
100.3 FM rock
formatted
Infrastructure
Transportation
The city is crossed by
Interstate 95,
U.S. Route 1,
U.S. Route 4
U.S. Route 4 (US 4) is a long United States highway that runs from East Greenbush, New York, in the west to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in the east, traversing Vermont.
In New York, US 4 is signed North-South to reflect its alignment in the sta ...
,
New Hampshire Route 1A
New Hampshire Route 1A is an long state highway located in southeast New Hampshire. The route runs along the Atlantic coastline from the Massachusetts border north to Rye, then turns toward downtown Portsmouth. The southern terminus is at the Mas ...
,
New Hampshire Route 16, and
New Hampshire Route 33
New Hampshire Route 33 is an east–west highway in the Seacoast Region of southeastern New Hampshire, connecting Stratham with Portsmouth. The western terminus is at New Hampshire Route 108 in Stratham. The eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 1 ( ...
.
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
is to the south,
Portland, Maine, is to the northeast, and
Dover, New Hampshire, is to the northwest.
The
Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation
The Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (COAST) is the primary provider of mass transportation for the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, as well as parts of southern Maine. COAST is a non-profit agency founded in 1981 to provide p ...
(COAST) operates a publicly funded bus network in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire and neighboring Maine including service in, to and from Portsmouth. C&J is a private intercity bus carrier connecting Portsmouth with coastal New Hampshire and Boston, as well as direct service to New York City.
Wildcat Transit, operated by the
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College ...
, provides regular bus service to the UNH campus in
Durham and intermediate stops. The service is free for students, faculty and staff and $1.50 for the general public.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
's ''
Downeaster'' train service, is available in
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maids ...
and
Durham, nearby to the northwest.
Allegiant Air offers scheduled airline service from
Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (PSM).
Sister cities
Portsmouth's
sister cities are:
*
Agadir, Morocco
*
Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
*
Kitase, Ghana
*
Nichinan, Japan
*
Pärnu, Estonia
*
Severodvinsk, Russia
Portsmouth also has friendly relations with:
[
* ]Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most d ...
, England, United Kingdom
* Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italy
* Szolnok, Hungary
Notable people
See also
* Portsmouth Public Library (New Hampshire)
* 2006 Little League World Series, when a team from Portsmouth advanced to the quarter-finals
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce
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Cities in New Hampshire
Cities in Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Former colonial and territorial capitals in the United States
Populated places established in 1630
Populated coastal places in New Hampshire
1630 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies