Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States

History | Geography | Economy : Top employers | Arts and culture | Historic house museums | Sport | Government | Education | Media : Print : Radio | Transport

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmouth was formerly the home of the Strategic Air Command's Pease Air Force Base, since converted to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease.

History American Indians of the Abenaki and other Algonquian languages-speaking nations, and their predecessors, inhabited the territory of coastal New Hampshire 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 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, after the many wild strawberries 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 and shipbuilding 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, 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 Indians and the colonies of Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire.

In 1774, in the lead-up to the Revolution, Paul Revere rode to Portsmouth warning that the British Royal Navy was coming to capture the port. Although Fort William and Mary protected the harbor, the Patriot government moved the capital inland to Exeter, 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, 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. The legislature tabled their petition. New Hampshire abolished slavery in 1857, by which time the institution was effectively extinct in the state.

Thomas Jefferson's 1807 embargo against American trade with Britain severely disrupted New England's trade with Canada, and several local businessmen went bankrupt. Portsmouth was host to numerous privateers during the War of 1812. 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 federal-style (neoclassical) furniture, particularly by the master cabinet maker Langley Boardman.

The Industrial Revolution spurred economic growth in New Hampshire mill towns such as Dover, Keene, Laconia, Manchester, 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.

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.

This emphasis on historic preservation and revitalization was the result of much pain and destruction. Portsmouth is largely walkable due to its network of streets and tight blocks filled with preserved Revolution-era homes. However, like many other cities all over the region (and nation), Portsmouth was hit by Urban Renewal, a planning tool used nationwide to provide Federal funds to address โ€œurban blightโ€ and revitalize downtown cores after decades of suburbanization and loss of tax revenue. An urban renewal district for Portsmouth was its North End neighborhood, which similar to Bostonโ€™s, was home to an Italian-American population.

In 1964, federal funds were allocated to the North End project area in Portsmouth, for urban renewal. Prior to redevelopment, the North End was a mix of residential and commercial buildings, with many older houses converted into storefronts with apartments above. In the mid-1960s, the area was considered overcrowded, run down, and a fire hazard. As a result, the Portsmouth Housing Authority proposed the destruction of approximately 200 buildings, a school, and a church and redevelopment for commercial, industrial, and public use, rather than for residences. The project would displace approximately 300 families as a result. In 1968, Portsmouth Preservation Inc., a preservation organization was formed to attempt to save some of the historic building stock in the area slated for redevelopment. After bitter fighting and preservation advocacy, just fourteen houses were saved and mostly moved to an area known today as โ€œThe Hillโ€. This preservation was only the beginning, and eventually efforts conspired to created the afformentioned historic district. Urban renewal was many events that led to its creation.

Portsmouth shipbuilding history has had a long symbiotic relationship with Kittery, Maine, across the Piscataqua River. In 1781โ€“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 Hopestill Cheswell, an African American, it has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. 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. Though US President Theodore Roosevelt 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 for his diplomacy in bringing about an end to the war.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.8 square miles (43.6ย kmยฒ), of which 15.7 square miles (40.6ย kmยฒ) are land and 1.2 square miles (3.0ย kmยฒ), 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. The highest point in the city is 110 feet (34ย m) above sea level, within Pease International Airport.

Economy Heinemann 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.

Economy: Top employers According to a recent Financial Report, the top ten employers in the city are: 1 US Dept of State Consular Center; 2 Lonza Biologics; 3 Liberty Mutual; 4 HCA Hospital; 5 City of Portsmouth; 6 Bottomline Technologies; 7 John Hancock; 8 Service Credit Union; 9 Amadeus; 10 High Liner Foods.

Arts and culture The Portsmouth Downtown Historic District encompasses the city's historic urban core and Market Square.

Sites of interest โ€ข USS Albacore Museum & Park โ€“ 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. โ€ข Buckminster House โ€“ built in 1725, formerly a funeral parlor. โ€ข Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro โ€“ Thai restaurant at 35 Portwalk Place opened in 2015. โ€ข Cabot Lyford four public sculptures โ€“ including "The Whale" and "My Mother the Wind", a seven-ton blank granite statue which was installed on Portsmouth's waterfront in 1975. โ€ข The Music Hall โ€“ a 900-seat theater opened in 1878. โ€ข New Hampshire Theatre Project โ€“ founded in 1986, a non-profit theater organization producing contemporary and classical works, and offering educational programs. โ€ข North Church โ€“ historic church, the steeple of which is visible from most of Portsmouth โ€ข The Player's Ring Theater โ€“ a black-box theater that produces original work from local playwrights. โ€ข Pontine Theatre โ€“ produces original theater works based on the history, culture and literature of New England at their 50-seat black box venue. โ€ข Portsmouth African Burying Ground โ€“ a memorial park and the only archeologically verified 18th-century African burying ground in New England. โ€ข Portsmouth Athenรฆum โ€“ a private membership library, museum and art gallery open to the public at certain times. โ€ข Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse โ€“ first established in 1771, the current structure was built in 1878 and is open for monthly tours from May through September. โ€ข Portsmouth Historical Society โ€“ founded in 1917, includes museum galleries, a gift shop, welcome centre, walking tours, and operates the John Paul Jones House. โ€ข Prescott Park Arts Festival โ€“ summer entertainments in Portsmouth's waterfront park since 1974. โ€ข Rockingham Hotel and the Library Restaurant โ€“ historic former hotel and contemporary restaurant. Built in 1885, it is a prominent early example of Colonial Revival architecture. โ€ข Seacoast Repertory Theatre โ€“ founded in 1988, a professional theater troupe. โ€ข Strawbery Banke Museum โ€“ 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. โ€ข Whaling Wall โ€“ 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.

Historic house museums โ€ข Richard Jackson House (1664) โ€ข John Paul Jones House (1758) โ€ข Governor John Langdon House (1784) โ€ข Tobias Lear House (1740) โ€ข Moffatt-Ladd House (also called William Whipple House) (1763) โ€ข Rundlet-May House (1807) โ€ข MacPheadris-Warner House (1716) โ€ข Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion (1750) โ€ข Wentworth-Gardner House (also called Wentworth House) (1760) โ€ข Henry Sherburne House (1766)

Sport 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.

Freedom Rugby Football Club is a men's rugby union team based in Portsmouth, founded in the summer of 2014. The club is an active member of USA Rugby and New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU).

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. Portsmouth is part of the Executive Council's 3rd district. In the State Senate, Portsmouth. In the State House of Representatives, Portsmouth is divided among the 25th through 31st Rockingham districts.

Politically, Portsmouth is a centre of liberal politics and a stronghold for the Democratic Party. Ronald Reagan was the last Republican presidential nominee to carry the city in his 1984 landslide reelection. In 2016, Portsmouth voted 67.70% for Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, 62.53% for Colin Van Ostern in the gubernatorial election, 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, 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, 70.16% for Maggie Hassan in the gubernatorial election, 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 9โ€“0 vote of the city council.

Education โ€ข Community College System of New Hampshire, Great Bay Community College โ€“ Portsmouth campus โ€ข Franklin Pierce University โ€“ Portsmouth campus โ€ข Granite State College โ€“ Portsmouth campus and on-site location at Great Bay Community College

Media: Print โ€ข The New Hampshire Gazette โ€ข The Portsmouth Herald

Media: Radio โ€ข WSCA-LP Portsmouth Community Radio 106.1 FM โ€ข WHEB 100.3 FM rock formatted

Transport The city is crossed by Interstate 95, U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 4, New Hampshire Route 1A, New Hampshire Route 16, and New Hampshire Route 33. Boston is 55 miles (89ย km) to the south, Portland, Maine, is 53 miles (85ย km) to the north-east, and Dover, New Hampshire, is 13 miles (21ย km) to the northwest.

The Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (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, 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's Downeaster train service, is available in Dover and Durham, nearby to the northwest. Allegiant Air offers scheduled airline service from Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (PSM).

Portsmouth, New Hampshire 
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Image: Adobe Stock Loud Canvas Media #381497985

Portsmouth has a population of over 21,927 people. Portsmouth also forms part of the wider Rockingham County which has a population of over 314,176 people. Portsmouth is ranked #421 for startups with a score of 0.498. Portsmouth is situated 42 km north-east of Brentwood.

Twin Towns, Sister Cities Portsmouth has links with:

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Agadir, Morocco ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ญ Kitase, Ghana ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Nichinan, Japan ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ช Pรคrnu, Estonia ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Portsmouth, England ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italy ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Severodvinsk, Russia ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ Szolnok, Hungary ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Zittau, Germany
Text Atribution: Wikipedia Text under CC-BY-SA license | StartupBlink

Antipodal to Portsmouth is: 109.25,-43.067

Locations Near: Portsmouth -70.75,43.0667

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Dover -70.867,43.183 d: 16.1  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Brentwood -71.073,42.978 d: 28.1  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Biddeford -70.491,43.494 d: 51.9  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Lawrence -71.162,42.709 d: 52.1  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Peabody -70.917,42.517 d: 62.7  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Derry -71.317,42.867 d: 51.2  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Lynn -70.95,42.467 d: 68.7  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Lowell -71.307,42.645 d: 65.3  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Malden -71.062,42.428 d: 75.4  

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Revere -71,42.4 d: 76.9  

Antipodal to: Portsmouth 109.25,-43.067

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Bunbury 115.637,-33.327 d: 18797.7  

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Albany 117.867,-35.017 d: 18852.4  

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Mandurah 115.721,-32.529 d: 18713.7  

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Rockingham 115.717,-32.267 d: 18687.2  

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ City of Cockburn 115.833,-32.167 d: 18672.6  

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Perth 115.857,-31.953 d: 18649.9  

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Vincent 115.834,-31.936 d: 18649  

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Guildford 115.973,-31.9 d: 18640.2  

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Midland 116.01,-31.888 d: 18637.5  

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Wanneroo 115.803,-31.747 d: 18630.8  

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