Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. On the Atlantic coast, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination, and part of the census-designated place of Seabrook Beach.

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, which then held authority over the colony. Winnacunnet is an Algonquian Abenaki word meaning "pleasant pines" and is the name of the town's high school, serving students from Hampton and the surrounding towns of Seabrook, North Hampton, and Hampton Falls.

In March 1635, Richard Dummer and John Spencer of the Byfield section of Newbury, Massachusetts, came round in their shallop, 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."

thumb|Lane Memorial Library

The town was settled in 1638 by a group of parishioners led by Oxford University graduate Reverend Stephen Bachiler, who had formerly preached at the settlement's namesake: Hampton, England. The town, incorporated in 1639, once included Seabrook, Kensington, Danville, Kingston, East Kingston, Sandown, North Hampton and Hampton Falls. Since Hampton was founded under the authority of the Massachusetts charter, it was the only one of the four New Hampshire towns that did not hold a vote to join Massachusetts. When the other three towns voted to join, Hampston became part of Old Norfolk County.

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 province of New Hampshire" as a member of the newly established council of seven men.

In 1683, Hampton Councilman Edward Gove launched a rebellion against the royal governor. He was arrested, and Crown Magistrate Richard Waldron sentenced him to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, the only time in New Hampshire history that one received that sentence. While Gove was waiting in the Tower of London, King James II commuted his sentence and he returned to Hampton.

Also among Hampton's earliest settlers was Thomas Leavitt, who previously had been among the first settlers at Exeter. 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. The highest point in Hampton is Bride Hill (approximately above sea level), near the town line with Exeter.

Adjacent municipalities

  • North Hampton (north)
  • Seabrook (south)
  • Hampton Falls (southwest)
  • Exeter (northwest)

Climate

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Demographics

thumb|left|Hotel Whittier

thumb|left|The marshes,

As of the census 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, 0.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.5% some other race, and 1.3% from two or more races. 1.7% of the population were Hispanic 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 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.

Education

Hampton is part of School Administrative Unit 90, which covers the elementary and middle schools, and SAU 21 which includes Winnacunnet High School, a regional high school serving Hampton and several surrounding communities.

Economy

thumb|Town hall

Hampton is home to the headquarters of Planet Fitness.

Sites of interest

  • Benjamin James House (1723)
  • Hampton Beach State Park
  • Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

Notable people

thumb|right|Beach & Casino

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  • Bill Alfonso (born 1957), professional wrestling personality
  • Stephen Bachiler (1561–1656), English clergyman; town founder
  • Nicholas Bridle (born 1983-), New Hampshire state representative
  • Eunice "Goody" Cole (–1680), the only woman convicted of witchcraft in New Hampshire
  • Henry Dearborn (1751–1829), physician, general and 5th U.S. Secretary of War
  • 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
  • Thomas Leavitt (1616–1696), early settler
  • Paul Maher Jr. (born 1963), author
  • Stephen E. Merrill (1946–2020), 77th governor of New Hampshire
  • Jonathan Moulton (1726–1787), Revolutionary War era brigadier general
  • Jane Pierce (1806–1863), First Lady of the United States, wife of Franklin Pierce
  • Robert Preston (1929–2021), businessman and New Hampshire state senator
  • Trish Regan (born 1972), business news broadcaster
  • Tristram Shaw (1786–1843), U.S. congressman

References

  • Hampton Beach State Park
  • Hampton Historical Society
  • Lane Memorial Library, Hampton's public library (with town historical information)
  • New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
  • Winnacunnet High School
  • Hampton Union, local newspaper