Stratham is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,355 at the 2000 census. It is bounded on the west by the Squamscott River. The town is home to a branch of the New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges. It is the home of the only U.S. Lindt & Sprüngli factory and the headquarters of the Timberland Corporation.
History
Stratham Hill Park c. 1905
Stratham was settled in 1631 and incorporated in 1716. The area, called Winnicutt by the Pennacook Indians, was known as Squamscott Patent or Point of Rocks because of its location between Great Bay and the Squamscott River. The sixth town in the colony to be incorporated, the town was named for Wriothesley Russell, Baron Howland of Streatham, a friend of Massachusetts Royal Governor Samuel Shute, when New Hampshire was still a part of that state. [1]
The town is unusual among New England settlements of its size in having been comprehensively mapped in 1793 by Phinehas Merrill. It is therefore possible to identify how many of the extant buildings of the town predate the map.
Each summer the town hosts the Stratham Fair, held at Stratham Hill Park.
Notable inhabitants
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.5 square miles (40 km2), of which 15.1 sq mi (39 km2) is land and 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2) is water, comprising 2.39% of the town. Stratham is drained by the Squamscott River, a tributary of the Piscataqua River. The highest elevation in town is 290 feet (88 m) above sea level, found on the summits of Stratham Hill and neighboring Jewell Hill.
Stratham is crossed by New Hampshire Route 33, New Hampshire Route 108 and New Hampshire Route 111.
Demographics
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 6,355 people, 2,306 households, and 1,743 families residing in the town. The population density was 420.6 people per square mile (162.4/km²). There were 2,371 housing units at an average density of 156.9/sq mi (60.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.97% White, 0.16% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.
There were 2,306 households out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $76,726, and the median income for a family was $81,391. Males had a median income of $53,271 versus $36,759 for females. The per capita income for the town was $33,270. About 0.5% of families and 1.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 1.1% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
In 2004, 1,832 Stratham residents were registered Republicans, and 1,167 voters were registered as Democrats. [1]
Education
Stratham is home to the Cooperative Middle School, 100 Academic Way and Stratham Memorial School, 39 Gifford Farm Road.
References
- ^ Austin J. Coolidge & John B. Mansfield, A History and Description of New England; Boston, Massachusetts 1859
- ^ Stewart, Rochelle, "Stratham songstress to sing for the Sox", Portsmouth Herald, June 24, 2004.
- ^ Avery, Vicky, "Lane dial mystery revealed", Exeter News-Letter, October 17, 2003.
- ^ "The Years of the Life of Samuel Lane, 1718-1806: A New Hampshire Man and His World", Museum of New Hampshire History, December 11, 2001; URL last accessed June 8, 2006
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
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