Hampton is a town of contrasts: a small town and a large business center; a bedroom community and robust economic center; a summer playground and a year-round home to more than 15,000 residents.

That Hampton is flourishing can be seen in the number of new businesses along Route 1, in the new homes being built, and in the number of children in the town’s two public elementary schools, junior high school and Winnacunnet High School, the regional high school.

The white wooden retail and office buildings in the town center look relatively unchanged from their turn-of-the-century beginnings. Lamie’s Inn, originally a Colonial farmhouse, still stands as a landmark in the center. Change is evident too, in the new town offices located in a former bank building, in the continuing efforts of the town to rebuild and repave Route 1 (one of the busiest commercial centers on the Seacoast) and in the construction of a new gazebo in Marelli Square.

Like many towns in the Seacoast, Hampton is blessed with a robust economy. Some of the larger employers are Foss Manufacturing, Wheelabrator Technologies, Hampton Beach Casino, Seacoast Health Center, Fisher Scientific, Hampton Water Works, Ashworth Hotel and Unitil-Exeter and Hampton Electric Company.

Boston, only 45 miles away, is a convenient commute. About 75 percent of residents work outside Hampton, and Interstate 95 is about a mile west of the center of town. Manchester, and its newly-renovated airport, is 32 miles west and a faster commute since the recent widening of Route 101.

Hampton is less than an hour’s drive from mountains and lakes. Best of all, five miles of pristine sandy beaches are right down the street for most residents of this 14-square mile town.

Hampton Beach, says Town Manager James Barrington, is a neighborhood of Hampton and not to be thought of as a separate community. If so, then Hampton Beach is the neighborhood that invites hundreds of thousands of guests each summer to swim, surf, dine and stay. Visitors play at the arcades, shop, enjoy weekly fireworks shows, entertainment at the Sea Shell Stage, and a varied concert schedule at the Hampton Beach Casino.

The beach is governed by three commissioners who serve the Hampton Beach Village District. All of the beach is considered state beach and most is free for public use. A fee is charged to visitors entering the Hampton Beach State Park at the southern end of the beach. Next to the state park is the Hampton Harbor, where whale-watching and fishing expeditions are offered.

Hampton Beach has been attracting tourists for more than 100 years. In earlier times, trolleys brought vacationers to the beach to enjoy its long boardwalks, hotels, and the wide, sandy beaches. The boardwalk along Ocean Boulevard exists today, and bus trolleys still provide scenic tours and transportation.

Hampton was once home to the world’s longest wooden bridge, almost a mile long, that ran from the beach across the Hampton River into Seabrook. Hampton itself extends across the Hampton River to Sun Valley, a small section of town located on the Seabrook side of Hampton Harbor.

A two-day Seafood Festival held the weekend after Labor Day extends the beach season and brings in thousands of tourists. The event has become one of the top 100 tour bus destinations in the country.

Hampton’s beginnings can be traced back to a small band of Puritans who came up the Hampton River and settled the area in 1638. Hampton originally included the towns of Rye, Seabrook, North Hampton and Hampton Falls, as well as Kingston, East Kingston and Sandown. The town’s history is preserved at the Tuck Museum and the Old Schoolhouse at Founder’s Park alongside the Farm Museum and the Firemen’s Museum.

Mystery surrounds some early history of Hampton. Eunice "Goody" Cole was the only woman ever convicted of witchcraft in New Hampshire. The Hampton woman was accused in 1656, jailed in Boston, and returned to Hampton in 1671, where she was again accused of trafficking with the devil. She remained in Hampton until her death in 1680.

For centuries there was a rock near Boar’s Head with strange markings. Some claimed the marks were Viking runes, to mark the grave of Leif Eriksson’s brother, Thorwald, who legend says, had come exploring around 1,000 AD. Thorwald’s Rock was located in the area of what is now called Thorwald Avenue and Viking Road. The markings are still unexplained, but the rock is now in a protective well on the grounds of the Tuck Museum.

Hampton’s beaches, history and Colonial beauty are just some of the reasons people come to this surf-side town. Hampton also offers a new Performing Arts Center at Winnacunnet High School. During the summer the New Playhouse at Hampton presents professional theater, concerts and comedy. The Hampton Recreation Department has youth sports and gymnastics, aerobics, arts and crafts, dance, fishing, aikido, adult tennis and trips for seniors. A summer camp is available for toddlers through teens. The town has cinemas, an active night life, and for those preferring a fresh water swim, Kingston State Park is less than a 30-minute drive west.

Hampton’s clubs and organizations include the Hampton Area Lions, the American Legion Post #35, Hampton Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Hampton Garden Club, Hampton Historical Society, Hampton VFW Post #14488, the Knights of Columbus and the Holy Name Society of Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Church.

Hampton Information At-A-Glance

LAST FACT

Since it located in a former bank, the town office is equipped with a drive-up window. Residents can stay in their cars as they pay their property taxes. Car registrations still require an inside transaction however.

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