Seabrook is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,401 at the 2020 census. Located at the southern end of the coast of New Hampshire, on the border with Massachusetts, Seabrook is noted as the location of the Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant, the third-most recently constructed nuclear power plant in the United States.

Seabrook is the first town one encounters when entering New Hampshire northbound on I–95.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 7.46% of the town.

As of the 2010 census, there were 8,693 people, 3,706 households and 2,276 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 4,544 housing units in the town, 838 of which (18.4%) were vacant. 512 of the vacant units were for seasonal or recreational use. The racial makeup of the town was 96.3% White, 0.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.6% some other race, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

Of the 3,706 households in the town, 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were headed by married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34, and the average family size was 2.90.

Regional accent

The town of Seabrook has historically been known to have an accent unique to New England and even the surrounding towns, colloquially known as the "Brookah Accent". Sources have described the accent as reminiscent of rural England, particularly Yorkshire, accents. This is believed to have been influenced by the relationship between Seabrook and towns in Maine due to the shared fishing-based economy. Others have claimed that the accent originates from Elizabethan London through colonists entering America, which was preserved to an unusual extent in the town. This leads to the claim that the accent is particularly similar to Shakespearean English, which can be sparsely found in a few American states today.

Sites of interest

  • Seabrook Beach, a census-designated place
  • Seabrook Greyhound Park, which ended live racing in 2009, and now operates as a casino-like facility under a different name
  • Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant, in operation since 1990

Fireworks

Due to its location along I-95 on the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border, Seabrook has many fireworks and fireworks supply stores; consumer fireworks are legal in New Hampshire, whereas in Massachusetts, they are illegal and cannot be purchased. This creates a demand for fireworks in border towns like Seabrook, to the point where Massachusetts State Police have entered New Hampshire in efforts to crack down on transport of fireworks back over the border.

Notable people

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  • Alvah Augustus Eaton (1865–1908), botanist
  • Pamela Gidley (1965–2018), actress
  • Scotty Lago (born 1987), bronze medalist snowboarder (2010 Olympics)
  • Jackson Nicoll (born 2003), child actor
  • Meshech Weare (1713–1786), New Hampshire's first president (now known as governor)

References

  • Seabrook Library
  • New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile