Newington

Newington is a paradox wrapped in a peninsula — surrounded by water on three sides (Great Bay, Little Bay, and the Piscataqua River), it is simultaneously a commercial powerhouse and a conservation leader with more publicly owned green space than any other municipality in southeastern New Hampshire. The 110-acre Old Town Center Historic District features the oldest New Hampshire meetinghouse in continuous use (1712), the rare surviving horse sheds behind it, and the oldest Town Forest in the United States. Fox Point juts 120 acres into Little Bay, and the 1,100-acre Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge protects six miles of estuary shoreline. The town's commercial corridor along the Spaulding Turnpike has evolved into a regional destination, anchored by Fox Run Mall with its Regal Fox Run Stadium 15 & RPX cinema complex serving moviegoers throughout the Seacoast. Local establishments like Stoneface Brewing Co., which opened in 2014, add to the mix alongside major industrial operations. SubCom manufactures transoceanic fiber-optic cable here, loading it directly onto ships at the Piscataqua dock, while EP Newington Energy and Sprague Energy operate major facilities. With only about 800 residents, the commercial tax base keeps residential property taxes remarkably low. The abundance of protected land and waterfront access creates an unusual living situation — you're minutes from shopping and dining, yet surrounded by conservation areas and tidal waters that feel worlds away from the commercial bustle.