Hillsborough County · Merrimack Valley

New Ipswich

Where New Hampshire's First Cotton Mill Began the Industrial Revolution

About New Ipswich

New Ipswich is a quiet Monadnock Region town tucked along the Massachusetts border where stone walls, old farmsteads, and dense forests tell the story of two centuries of New England rural life. The Wapack Trail, one of New Hampshire's oldest hiking paths, traverses the ridgeline above town offering sweeping views of the Monadnock highlands. Barrett Mountain and Kidder Mountain provide dramatic backdrops to the town's rolling landscape of fields and woodlots. A thriving cluster of construction and trades businesses gives New Ipswich a working-town character, while the Mascenic Regional School District anchors community life for families from New Ipswich and neighboring Greenville. The town's proximity to the Massachusetts border puts Fitchburg and Nashua within easy reach while preserving a distinctly unhurried, off-the-beaten-path feel.

Why New Ipswich?

Direct access to the Wapack Trail and Barrett Mountain hiking right from town
Affordable homes compared to southern NH communities closer to Boston
Strong trades and construction economy with local employment opportunities
Small-town character with no commercialization — a genuine rural retreat
Easy access to Nashua and Fitchburg MA job markets via Route 101 and Route 124

Quick Facts

Population

5,425

County

Hillsborough

Region

Merrimack Valley

School District

SAU 89

Weather in New Ipswich

42°F

Partly Cloudy

Today

54 / 30

Sun

58 / 39

Mon

60 / 38

Map

Living in New Ipswich

What you need to know about making New Ipswich your home.

Major Employers

Hutter ConstructionS&S ConcreteMascenic Regional School DistrictBlack Box CorporationTown of New Ipswich

Schools & Education

New Ipswich students attend schools in the Mascenic Regional School District, which serves New Ipswich and Greenville with Highbridge Hill Elementary, Boynton Middle, and Mascenic Regional High School.

Cost of Living

New Ipswich is one of the more affordable towns in southern New Hampshire with a median home price around $421,000 and a moderate tax rate of $15.22 per $1,000.

Real Estate

$421,000 median home price

$15.22 per $1,000 property tax rate

No state income or sales tax in NH

View listings in New Ipswich

Commute Times

90 min

Boston

40 min

Nashua

50 min

Manchester

25 min

Fitchburg MA

20 min

Peterborough

School District

Regional district

Mascenic Regional School District(SAU 89)

Grades served: PreK-12

Website

New Ipswich serves as a district hub for students from nearby towns in this district.

District towns

Mason Greenville

Highbridge Hill Elementary School

PK-4High School

Boynton Middle School

5-8Middle School

Mascenic Regional High SchoolVikings

9-12High School

Parks & Public Spaces

New Ipswich Town FieldTown Park

Hidden Gems in New Ipswich

Beyond the well-known attractions, New Ipswich has spots that locals love and visitors rarely find.

Pratt Mountain Overlook with Binney Pond View

year-round

A spectacular overlook reached via the Wapack Trail that offers a bird's-eye view down to marshy Binney Pond with its lily pads and old stone walls disappearing into the swamp. The ledge provides stunning vistas back toward Mount Watatic in Massachusetts and Mount Wachusett in the distance. The overlook is just 0.2 miles south of Pratt Mountain's summit and captures the scene featured on the cover of the Friends of the Wapack trail map.

Windblown Primitive Shelters

year-round

Four rustic three-sided shelters and two huts hidden in the woods at the former Windblown Cross Country Ski Area, now available for overnight camping. These shelters provide the only official camping accommodation along the entire Wapack Trail. The warming hut features queen-sized bunks and a wood-burning stove, while the area offers access to 25 miles of former ski trails and connects directly to the Wapack Trail.

Barrett House Gothic Revival Summerhouse

spring

A charming Gothic Revival gazebo tucked among the trees on the hillside behind the famous Barrett House mansion. The summerhouse crowns the hill overlooking the expansive 70-acre grounds and provides a romantic architectural contrast to the Federal-style main house. It's accessible via stone steps flanked by maples that climb up the hillside, creating an elegant allée that most visitors to the main house never discover.