Deerfield, New Hampshire
Located in the northern part of Rockingham County in beautiful New Hampshire, Deerfield is a quiet New England town with a strong adherence to traditional family values. Located away from the busy thoroughfares and main streets of city life, this town of just over 4000 is the epitome of a bedroom community with little to no industrial or retail businesses. In fact, the largest current employer in town is the Bozeman pipe organ company, with eight employees. Residents have no interest in living a big city lifestyle – that’s why they chose Deerfield as their home.
Originally a parish of Nottingham, NH, residents petitioned several times to separate from Nottingham without success. As legend has it, it wasn’t until after local hunters, in 1765, presented the Colonial Governor with a deer from their parish that their petition was granted. Whether or not Governor Benning Wentworth granted his permission because of the gift is still up for debate, as is the reason for the town’s name. Some believe it was dubbed Deerfield for the gift the governor received, others believe the town was named after Deerfield, Massachusetts. Either way, the name stuck and the town was incorporated in 1766.
Located between Concord and Portsmouth, Deerfield was part of an early postal route between these two towns and was once considered for the state’s capital. “Deerfield Parade” was a district of town settled in the 1740’s and quickly became a central training area for revolutionary war troops to practice and “parade” through the village common. With no railroads in town and little waterpower available to them, Deerfield residents needed an attraction of some kind to stimulate their economy. In 1876 the town established the first “Deerfield Fair”, now touted as “New England’s Oldest Family Fair”. Residents from all over New England still travel great distances to attend this highly anticipated, annual event.
Deerfield is situated in what New England residents call “the sticks”, literally meaning “far away in the woods”. Winding country roads make their way through these forests giving homes and properties located there a great deal of privacy in their natural surroundings. Deerfield is about twenty minutes from Manchester, so it’s close enough to enjoy the city offerings, but still distant enough to avoid the traffic and the noise. Just up the road in Raymond, NH is the Pawtuckaway State Park with seasonal camping, hiking, swimming and bicycling. The NH seacoast is only about forty minutes east and the Lakes Region about the same distance north. Nothing is too far from Deerfield, but if you’re looking for a place to relax and actually be able to hear yourself think, you’ve found it – Deerfield is the answer to your unasked question.
A part of SAU# 53, Deerfield operates and maintains resident student classes for children in kindergarten up to the eighth grade at the Deerfield Community School. Students in grades nine through twelve are tuitioned under contract to attend the Concord High School. Due to its somewhat low student population, Deerfield has no current plans to build its own high school.
Enjoy hunting, fishing and generally being outdoors? If you answered “yes”, your first step should be to call Jim Miller Bean Group at (603) 801-3987. At Bean Group, we have the answers to your New Hampshire Community questions and we’d love to talk to you. Our NH MLS is the most current and we know New Hampshire like no others do. Call us today and find out more about the wonderful NH towns and cities that you could be a part of tomorrow.
Deerfield Community School (k-8)
(603) 463-8811
Concord High School (9-12)
(603) 225-0800
