The Seacoast region of New Hampshire was first settled in the early 1600's by English fishermen. By the 1630's a permanent settlement was created near Dover, NH. This historical heritage is an integral part of the Seacoast region of NH's character, and is reflected everywhere from its road design to its architecture. Portsmouth, the largest city in the seacoast region, was once one of the busiest ports in America. In 1814 a fire destroyed many of the buildings in Portsmouth, leading to a law requiring all buildings to be brick with slate roofs, creating a charming historical feel to the downtown area. Dover and Exeter thrived off of the success of Portsmouth, especially in the lumber business, supplying ship makers in Portsmouth with lumber for ship making.
The industrial Revolution eventually led Portsmouth and the Seacoast to become less important than neighboring inland cities like Manchester, Nashua, and Keene, but the stagnation meant that the historic character of the Seacoast region was preserved into modern times.
During World War II, because of the importance of Portsmouth's naval yards, the United States bought most of the coastline, closed it to civilians, and transformed it into a military base named Fort Dearborn. In 1961 the state bought the land back from the Federal government, resold some of it, and reopened the rest to visitors and tourists. Remnants of Fort Dearborn can still be seen along the coast.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Seacoast (New Hampshire)
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Seacoast (New Hampshire) - updated May 2024
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Seacoast (New Hampshire) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
