Newington, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Newington is a town in Rockingham County
, New Hampshire
, United States. The population was 753 at the 2010 census. It is bounded to the west by Great Bay
, northwest by Little Bay and northeast by the Piscataqua River
. It is home to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (formerly Pease Air Force Base), and to the New Hampshire National Guard
. The 110 acres (44.5 ha) Old Town Center Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, boundary disputes among early river settlers caused this area to be called Bloody Point. By 1640, Trickey's Ferry operated between Bloody Point and Hilton's Point in Dover. In 1712, the meetinghouse was erected and the parish
set off, named Newington for an English
village, whose residents sent the bell for the meetinghouse. Behind the meetinghouse is a row of horse sheds, once commonplace but now rare. About 1725 the parsonage was built near the Town Forest, considered one of the oldest in the America
. The town would be incorporated in 1764 by Colonial
Governor Benning Wentworth
. In 1794, a bridge was completed across Little Bay from Fox Point in Newington to the south bank of the Bellamy River
in Dover, by way of Goat Island—a major engineering feat in its day.
In 1952, the House Armed Services Committee authorized acquiring by eminent domain
large tracts to create Pease Air Force Base, which opened on June 30, 1956. Approximately 60% of the installation lay in Newington, including land in the town's center. It would be, however, the first base recommended to be closed by the 1988 Commission on Base Realignment and Closure
. Military personnel in 1990 began leaving the base, which officially closed on March 31, 1991. Although the Air National Guard
retained some property, the old base has been extensively redeveloped as the Pease International Tradeport, a business park
.
In the 1970s and 1980s, commercial development from neighboring Portsmouth
spread into Newington. The Newington Mall opened in the 1970s (replaced by the Crossings at Fox Run in the 2000s), followed by the Fox Run Mall
.
, the town has a total area of 12.5 square miles (32.4 km²), of which 8.2 square miles (21.2 km²) is land and 4.2 square miles (10.9 km²) is water, comprising 34.25% of the town. The highest elevation in Newington is 120 feet (36.6 m) above sea level
, within the bounds of the Pease International Airport.
The town is crossed by U.S. Route 4
and New Hampshire Route 16
.
of 2000, there were 775 people, 294 households, and 209 families residing in the town. The population density
was 92.7 people per square mile (35.8/km²). There were 305 housing units at an average density of 36.5 per square mile (14.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.00% White, 1.81% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.03% Asian, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.81% of the population.
There were 294 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples
living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $59,464, and the median income for a family was $76,202. Males had a median income of $48,750 versus $30,250 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $30,172. About 5.0% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
In 2004, roughly 70% of party registered voters in Newington were registered to the Republican party. http://services.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/view/S2fqLEsOtha6thUGVQ-RE2-
made a plea in protest to the state legislature
to consider allowing the town to secede
from the state due to disproportionate property tax
laws which had been passed by the state in 1997 to balance the state's education economy. The dispute was largely quelled by the lack of support for the movement, as only 52 of the town's 700+ (and 100 of Rye's 5,000) residents signed the petition. The property tax issue itself quieted as Governor Craig Benson
announced in 2003 the property taxes would be cut almost by half by 2008.
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 277,359 people, 104,529 households, and 74,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 399 people per square mile . There were 113,023 housing units at an average density of 163 per square mile...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, United States. The population was 753 at the 2010 census. It is bounded to the west by Great Bay
Great Bay (New Hampshire)
Great Bay is a tidal estuary located in Strafford and Rockingham counties in eastern New Hampshire, United States. The bay occupies over , not including its several tidal river tributaries. Its outlet is at Hilton Point in Dover, New Hampshire, where waters from the bay flow into the Piscataqua...
, northwest by Little Bay and northeast by the Piscataqua River
Piscataqua River
The Piscataqua River, in the northeastern United States, is a long tidal estuary formed by the confluence of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco rivers...
. It is home to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (formerly Pease Air Force Base), and to the New Hampshire National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
. The 110 acres (44.5 ha) Old Town Center Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
Originally a part of DoverDover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
, boundary disputes among early river settlers caused this area to be called Bloody Point. By 1640, Trickey's Ferry operated between Bloody Point and Hilton's Point in Dover. In 1712, the meetinghouse was erected and the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
set off, named Newington for an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
village, whose residents sent the bell for the meetinghouse. Behind the meetinghouse is a row of horse sheds, once commonplace but now rare. About 1725 the parsonage was built near the Town Forest, considered one of the oldest in the America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town would be incorporated in 1764 by Colonial
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
Governor Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth was the colonial governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766.-Biography:The eldest child of the John Wentworth who had been Lieutenant Governor, he was born and died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wentworth graduated from Harvard College in 1715...
. In 1794, a bridge was completed across Little Bay from Fox Point in Newington to the south bank of the Bellamy River
Bellamy River
The Bellamy River, in Strafford County, southeastern New Hampshire, is a tributary of the Piscataqua River about long. It rises in Swains Lake in Barrington, west of Dover...
in Dover, by way of Goat Island—a major engineering feat in its day.
In 1952, the House Armed Services Committee authorized acquiring by eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
large tracts to create Pease Air Force Base, which opened on June 30, 1956. Approximately 60% of the installation lay in Newington, including land in the town's center. It would be, however, the first base recommended to be closed by the 1988 Commission on Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
. Military personnel in 1990 began leaving the base, which officially closed on March 31, 1991. Although the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
retained some property, the old base has been extensively redeveloped as the Pease International Tradeport, a business park
Business park
A business park or office park is an area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. All of the work that goes on is commercial, not industrial or residential....
.
In the 1970s and 1980s, commercial development from neighboring Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
spread into Newington. The Newington Mall opened in the 1970s (replaced by the Crossings at Fox Run in the 2000s), followed by the Fox Run Mall
Fox Run Mall
The Fox Run Mall is a shopping mall in Newington, New Hampshire, just north of Portsmouth. Its main anchor stores include JCPenney, Macy's Men's & Home Store , Macy's Women's , and Sears. At , it is New Hampshire's fourth largest mall, with nearly 100 shops, all on one level...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 12.5 square miles (32.4 km²), of which 8.2 square miles (21.2 km²) is land and 4.2 square miles (10.9 km²) is water, comprising 34.25% of the town. The highest elevation in Newington is 120 feet (36.6 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, within the bounds of the Pease International Airport.
The town is crossed by U.S. Route 4
U.S. Route 4 in New Hampshire
In the state of New Hampshire, U.S. Route 4 runs for across the central and southern part of the state, stretching from Lebanon on the Connecticut River border with Vermont southeast to Portsmouth on the eastern coast.-Route description:U.S...
and New Hampshire Route 16
New Hampshire Route 16
New Hampshire Route 16 is a long north–south highway in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Much of its length is close to the border with Maine. NH 16 is the main route from the Seacoast region north to the Lakes Region and the White Mountains. The section from Portsmouth to Milton is a...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 775 people, 294 households, and 209 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 92.7 people per square mile (35.8/km²). There were 305 housing units at an average density of 36.5 per square mile (14.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.00% White, 1.81% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.03% Asian, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.81% of the population.
There were 294 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $59,464, and the median income for a family was $76,202. Males had a median income of $48,750 versus $30,250 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $30,172. About 5.0% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
In 2004, roughly 70% of party registered voters in Newington were registered to the Republican party. http://services.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/view/S2fqLEsOtha6thUGVQ-RE2-
Politics
In August 2001, a group of townspeople from Newington and RyeRye, New Hampshire
Rye is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,298 at the 2010 census.-History:The first settlement in New Hampshire, originally named Pannaway, was established in 1623 at Odiorne's Point. The first settler in Rye was William Berry...
made a plea in protest to the state legislature
New Hampshire General Court
The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 members...
to consider allowing the town to secede
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
from the state due to disproportionate property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
laws which had been passed by the state in 1997 to balance the state's education economy. The dispute was largely quelled by the lack of support for the movement, as only 52 of the town's 700+ (and 100 of Rye's 5,000) residents signed the petition. The property tax issue itself quieted as Governor Craig Benson
Craig Benson
Craig R. Benson is an American politician and businessman. He served as Governor of New Hampshire from 2003 to 2005...
announced in 2003 the property taxes would be cut almost by half by 2008.