Â鶹APP

5 Best Cities to visit in New Hampshire

New Hampshire is renowned for its astounding natural beauty. With majestic mountains and endless forests found alongside its glittering Lakes Region and small stretch of the Atlantic coastline. The state’s stunning natural sights which lend themselves perfectly to outdoor adventuring such as hiking, camping, kayaking and skiing. One of the best times to visit is during fall when all the leaves on the trees turn a myriad of yellows, oranges, and reds.

The city is also full of cultural activities; concert and performance venues, symphony orchestras, film festivals, live theater, art museums, and galleries. It is also home to some of the oldest historical sights and cultural landmarks in the whole of the U.S.

Throughout most of New England, the distinction between towns and cities is based on their form of government, not their size or population. So, some “cities” in this list are technically towns, but you wouldn’t know it from their busy Main Street or abundance of things to do there. Below is a list of the 5 Best cities in New Hampshire;

1. Portsmouth

Portsmouth – Unsplash

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, southeastern New Hampshire, across the Piscataqua River from Kittery, Maine, on the Atlantic coast. Originally it was called Piscataqua and then Strawbery Banke after the many wild strawberries growing there. It got its current name in 1653 at the town’s incorporation, in honor of the colony’s founder, John Mason. In 1849, Portsmouth was incorporated as a city.

The city of Portsmouth is the oldest settlement, second-oldest city, first capital, and only seaport in New Hampshire. Portsmouth was part of the Triangle Trade, which made significant profits from slavery, with records showing enslaved Africans were imported to the area as early as 1645.

Portsmouth hosted historical negotiations such as 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, and the site of the 1905 signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth which ended the Russo-Japanese War making New Hampshire the only state to play host for the conclusion of a foreign war.

While in Portsmouth you can enjoy the architecture which is comprises mostly of Colonial, Georgian, and Federal style houses, rich history with the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (across the river in Maine) was established in 1800 as the country’s first naval shipyard, the beautiful waterfront view and most exciting is the tax-free shipping.

Portsmouth is at the top of the list because of its mesmerizing waterfront view.

2. Keene

Keene – Flickr

Keene is a city in, and the seat of, Cheshire County, in southwestern on the Ashuelot River. It was intended to be a fort town, protecting the Province of Massachusetts Bay from the French and their Native allies during the French and Indian Wars. Governor Benning Wentworth named the city “Keene” after Sir Benjamin Keene, an English minister to Spain and a West Indies trader. Keene was incorporated as a city in 1874.

Industries developed in the city after the arrival of the Boston and Maine Railroad in the late 1840s. Beginning in 1945, Keene was a stopping point for the Boston & Maine’s streamlined trainset known at that time as the Cheshire. Today Keene’s Cheshire Rail Trail is a 42-mile-long rail trail that runs through Fitzwilliam, Troy, Keene, Westmoreland and North Walpole.

Today Keen is a center for business, the grocery wholesaler C&S Wholesale Grocers is based in Keene, education, Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and tourism, Keen has a rich history and beautiful scenery best described by Timothy Dwight, the Yale president who chronicled his travels, described the town as “… one of the prettiest in New England.”

We included Keen on the list as homage to the iconic Jumaji movie of 1994 by the Robin Williams. Various scenes in the movie were filmed in Keene.

3. Concord

Corncord – Flickr

Concord lies along the Merrimack River above Manchester. It is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the county seat of Merrimack County, and the third-largest city in New Hampshire. The area was first settled in 1659 as “Penacook”. On February 9, 1734, the town was incorporated as “Rumford”, after Sir Benjamin Thompson. It was renamed “Concord” in 1765 by Governor Benning Wentworth following a bitter boundary dispute between Rumford and the town of Bow; the city name was meant to reflect the new concord, or harmony, between the disputant towns. The city was incorporated in 1734 and has been a capital city since 1808.

The city of Concord is made up of its downtown, including its North End and South End neighborhoods, plus the four distinct villages of Penacook, Concord Heights, East Concord, and West Concord. The city was originally famed throughout the U.S. for its furniture making and granite quarrying, before moving on to become a main hub for the railroad industry.

Concord is a city with a rich history which is well documented in the New Hampshire Historical Society, Education being home to University of New Hampshire School of Law and Beautiful landscape enhanced by its lush nature, vibrant culture, and one-of-a-kind attractions.

A visit in New Hemisphere is not complete without visiting vibrant and energetic capital, Concord. 

4. Manchester

Manchester – Flickr

Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County in southern New Hampshire, along the Amoskeag Falls of the Merrimack River. It is the state’s largest city and the centre of a metropolitan area that includes Goffstown, Bedford, Londonderry, and Hooksett. The town was first called Old Harry’s Town, it became Tyngstown after 1735, when it was granted to Capt. William Tyng’s men by the Massachusetts Bay colony. In 1751, it was incorporated as the town of Derryfield.

The merchant and inventor Samuel Blodgett renamed the town to Manchester in 105. His vision was to create a great industrial center similar to that of the original Manchester in England, which was the world’s first industrialized city. Until the late 1930s, the city’s economy depended mainly on the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company’s cotton-milling operations. Their products were so well-made that the queen of England bought socks from those mills.

Today the city is the largest arts, cultural, and entertainment mecca in New Hampshire. It has unique attractions such as the palace theater which is now listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, great museums and natural feature.

The city of Manchester is a must on the list because of its beautiful architectural designs from the Victoria houses to the modern skyscrapers.

5. Londonderry

Londonderry – Flickr

Londonderry is a town in western Rockingham County, New Hampshire that sits between Manchester and Derry. It was first known as “Nutfield” because of the dense woods with nut trees. In 1722, the town was chartered and given the name “Londonderry”. It was the second-largest town in early colonial times, and Derry, Windham and a portion of Manchester were formed from it.

The city is famous for its apple orchards and is home to the headquarters of Stonyfield Farm and part of Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. There are five huge orchards in town, with U-Pick strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blueberries, apples, pumpkins and “you-name-it.” It has a scenic natural landscape between the White Mountains and New Hampshire lakes.

A visit in New Hemisphere is not completed without visiting the beautiful apple orchards of Londonderry.