Hampton Beach

History

The Hampton Beach Village District was established on June 26, 1907, to provide electric power and water to the summer tourist community. In 1923, the village's first fire station was built, after two fires destroyed a large section of the beach settlement in 1919 and 1922. The original fire station was razed and replaced in 2014. On February 26, 2010, a windstorm-fueled fire burned down all the buildings in a block at Hampton Beach, including the Surf Hotel, Happy Hampton Arcade, and Mrs. Mitchell's Gift Shop. The fire started in the Surf Hotel and was spread to the other buildings by high winds. The cause of this fire is unknown. The area has been rebuilt, with a larger hotel and a new Mrs. Mitchell's. On July 29, 2023, a single-engine Piper PA-18 crashed off the shore of the beach. Only one person was aboard the aircraft at the time and was not injured.

Geography

Most of the resort village lies on a barrier spit separated from the mainland by a large estuary system known as Hampton Harbor. The estuary serves as the mouth of several rivers, the largest being the Hampton River from the northwest. New Hampshire Route 1A serves as the main north-south route through the beach area, connecting the village to Seabrook Beach to the south (across the Hampton Bridge traversing the Hampton Harbor Inlet) and Little Boar's Head in North Hampton to the north. Access from the west is provided by three roads: New Hampshire Route 101 is the main access point to the densely populated southern resort area from most points west, while Winnacunnet Road (officially New Hampshire Route 101E) provides access to the less developed areas in the northern part of the village near a large salt marsh conservation area. Winnacunnet Road marks the northern edge of the census-designated place, but New Hampshire Route 27, known locally as High Street, marks the northern edge of the resort area. The heaviest development lies south of the Ashworth-by-the-Sea hotel, located at the eastern terminus of NH 101 where it meets NH 1A, known locally as Ocean Boulevard. From this point south, NH 1A splits into two one-way streets: the southbound Ashworth Avenue, and the northbound Ocean Boulevard. Cross streets through this area run from A Street in the north to M Street in the south. The southern end of the spit is mostly state park, with little to no buildings or development. North of the junction of 101 and 1A, the area is much less developed, dominated mostly by a large salt marsh conservation area, with small businesses and bungalows along Ocean Boulevard (NH 1A). North of Winnacunnet Road (and outside the CDP), a second area of heavier development begins with Kings…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American herring gull, Smithsonian Gull

  Larus smithsonianus Coues, 1862 · Aves
  35,269
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  30,812
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  23,268
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  22,918
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,873
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  22,501
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,224
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,894

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2025-01-27
  9 km SE of York Harbor, Maine
• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
• M 2.6 — 2021-12-07
  38 km SE of Old Orchard Beach, Maine
• M 2.7 — 2020-03-09
  50 km ESE of Old Orchard Beach, Maine
• M 2.7 — 2018-02-15
  0 km SE of East Kingston, New Hampshire
• M 2.8 — 2016-03-21
  4 km ESE of Warner, New Hampshire