Your Guide to Buying a Home in Hampstead, NH

Buying a Home in Hampstead, New Hampshire

Hampstead is located in Rockingham County

Population: 6,732 Hampstead was incorporated in 1749 and named after the town in England. It is a peaceful bedroom community with rural, hilly landscapes and beautiful ponds and streams. Hampstead prides itself on the fact that each resident has a voice in managing the town. Community spirit is high and volunteers help keep the town service oriented. Hampstead has had a great deal of residential growth and has worked hard to provide quality services while keeping properties affordable, as well as to maintain the quaint center that is reminiscent of the "Old Days." Top-rated schools and extensive sports and recreational opportunities for youngsters continue to attract young couples to this bedroom community of 7,700. The Middle School serves 574 students in grades five through eight and has an addition to provide computer labs, a music room and a large library area. Central School accommodates grades transitional through fourth with an enrollment of 563. High School students attend Pinkerton Academy in Derry (SAT scores of Math/517, Verbal/519) with 82% going on to post secondary schools.

Older residents choose to remain in the town they love for its historic charm and family values. Three adult communities offer desirable living opportunities for the retired.

Hampstead is proud of its distinction as the first town in New Hampshire to establish a town-wide trail network. The effort, which began in 1987 when townspeople agreed to pay for a feasibility study, has attracted statewide attention. Seven trail sections have opened since work began by the Hampstead Trails Committee. Throughout the effort, property owners have donated land and the town has bought other parcels to reestablish the trails. Other portions remain privately owned, with the public able to use the land. The trails are open to hikers, horseback riders and cross-country skiers. Motorized vehicles are prohibited.

Selectmen have established a committee that is creating a nature park on land in West Hampstead bequeathed to the town for that purpose more than 60 years ago. The town's Master Plan recognizes the preservation of open space as "a priority in Hampstead," as a means to maintain its rural character, protect wildlife habit and provide recreational opportunities. Several plans to provide a framework for planned growth in town have been completed and are available at the library.

See other communities near Hampstead