Newington, New Hampshire Facts for Kids

Newington is a small town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, in the United States. In 2020, about 811 people lived there. The town is located near several bodies of water: Great Bay to the west, Little Bay to the northwest, and the Piscataqua River to the northeast.

Newington is home to the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease, which used to be a military base called Pease Air Force Base. The New Hampshire Air National Guard also has a presence here. A special area called the Old Town Center Historic District, which is about 110 acres, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site.

Discovering Newington's Past
Newington's Location and Features
- Neighboring Towns
Newington's Population Over Time
Newington's Economy
Places to Visit
Famous People from Newington
Images for kids
See Also

Discovering Newington's Past

How Newington Began

Newington was first part of Dover. Early settlers had arguments over land boundaries, which led to this area being called "Bloody Point." By 1640, a ferry called Trickey's Ferry helped people cross between Bloody Point and Hilton's Point in Dover.

In 1712, a meetinghouse (a place for church and town meetings) was built. The area was then officially separated and named "Newington." This name came from an English village whose residents sent a bell for the new meetinghouse. Behind the meetinghouse, you can still see old horse sheds, which were very common long ago. Around 1725, a house for the minister, called a parsonage, was built near the Town Forest. This forest is thought to be one of the oldest in the United States.

Becoming an Official Town

Newington officially became a town in 1764. This was approved by the colonial governor at the time, Benning Wentworth. In 1794, a bridge was finished across Little Bay. It connected Fox Point in Newington to the south bank of the Bellamy River in Dover, going through Goat Island. Building this bridge was a big engineering achievement for its time!

Newington in the 20th Century

In 1952, the U.S. government decided to buy large areas of land in Newington to build Pease Air Force Base. This base opened on June 30, 1956. About 60% of the base was in Newington, including land right in the town's center. The other 40% was in nearby Portsmouth.

However, in 1988, Pease Air Force Base was one of the first bases recommended to be closed. Military staff started leaving in 1990, and the base officially closed on March 31, 1991. The Air National Guard kept some parts of the property. The rest of the old base has been developed into a large business park called the Pease International Tradeport, mostly in the Portsmouth area.

In the 1970s and 1980s, more businesses started to open in Newington, spreading from Portsmouth. The Newington Mall opened in the 1970s. Later, it was replaced by a new shopping area called the Crossings at Fox Run in the 2000s. The Fox Run Mall also opened during this time.

Newington's Location and Features

According to the United States Census Bureau, Newington covers a total area of about 32.0 square kilometers (12.4 square miles). About 21.0 square kilometers (8.1 square miles) of this is land, and 11.0 square kilometers (4.2 square miles) is water. This means water makes up about 34.5% of the town's total area.

The highest point in Newington is about 130 feet (40 meters) above sea level. This spot is near Newington Cemetery, in the middle of town. Major roads like U.S. Route 4 and New Hampshire Route 16 pass through the town.

Neighboring Towns

Newington shares borders with several other towns:

Dover (to the north)
Eliot, Maine (to the northeast)
Portsmouth (to the southeast)
Greenland (to the south)
Newmarket (to the southwest)
Durham (to the west)

Newington's Population Over Time

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	542	—
1800	481	−11.3%
1810	508	5.6%
1820	541	6.5%
1830	549	1.5%
1840	543	−1.1%
1850	472	−13.1%
1860	475	0.6%
1870	414	−12.8%
1880	433	4.6%
1890	401	−7.4%
1900	390	−2.7%
1910	296	−24.1%
1920	398	34.5%
1930	381	−4.3%
1940	418	9.7%
1950	494	18.2%
1960	2,499	405.9%
1970	798	−68.1%
1980	716	−10.3%
1990	990	38.3%
2000	775	−21.7%
2010	753	−2.8%
2020	811	7.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2000, there were 775 people living in Newington. There were 294 households, and 209 of these were families. The average household had about 2.55 people, and the average family had about 3.01 people.

The population was spread out by age:

21.9% were under 18 years old.
4.6% were between 18 and 24.
28.4% were between 25 and 44.
32.1% were between 45 and 64.
12.9% were 65 years or older.

The average age in Newington was 43 years old.

Newington's Economy

Newington has several important businesses that help the town's economy. Here are some of the top businesses, based on their value in 2016:

EP Newington Energy: This is a large power plant that produces electricity. It is now owned by Carlyle Power Partners.
Eversource Energy: Another power plant.
Fox Run Joint Venture and SBAF Running Fox: These are businesses related to the local shopping malls.
Sprague & Sons: This company provides services for handling materials.

Another local business, Little Bay Lobster Co., used to export a lot of lobster to China. In early 2018, they sent about 50,000 pounds of lobster each week! Also, a company called SubCom makes special fiber-optic cable that goes across oceans. As they make the cable, it's loaded directly onto a cable laying ship docked nearby on the Piscataqua River.

Places to Visit

Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge: This is a protected area for wildlife, great for exploring nature.

Famous People from Newington

Charles Coffin Harris (1822–1881): He was born in Newington and became a lawyer. He later served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.
John Pickering (1737–1805): Also born in Newington, he was a federal judge and the Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court.
Louis de Rochemont (1899–1978): This filmmaker, known for The March of Time, lived in Newington.

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Newington, New Hampshire facts for kids

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