Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire is an historic town of about 15,000 people located just a few miles west of the popular Atlantic seacoast. Exeter offers much to its residents including a highly acclaimed preparatory school, a renowned hospital, parks, golf courses and much, much more. Exeter is an industrious town that hasn’t forgotten its rural roots and has great plans for the future.
Prior to the arrival of John Wheelwright in 1638, the area was predominantly populated by the Squamscott Indian tribe, a sub-tribe of the Pennacook Nation. Wheelwright and others purchased the land from Wehanownowit, the Squamscott’s chief. In the beginning, the settlers hunted, fished and planted crops but eventually a sawmill was built, followed by gristmills, cotton mills and factories producing saddles, shoes, carriages and sailing ships. For fourteen years Exeter held the title of Revolutionary War Capital until those duties were taken over by Concord, NH. The Boston & Maine Railroad came to town in 1840 and the tracks are still used today, with the Amtrak Downeaster service stopping in Exeter daily.
Exeter’s rich history can be found everywhere you look in this quiet, yet commercially driven community. Historic buildings line the downtown area and the old brick mills have been converted into condominiums overlooking the Squamscott River and the old public library has been turned into the Exeter’s Historical Society building. But history is not all there is in Exeter. The Exeter Hospital offers leading-edge medical services for most of the surrounding communities and has plans for further expansion in an effort to maintain top-notch healthcare for the growing seacoast area. Phillips Exeter Academy is one of the nation’s best-known college preparatory schools accepting student from all over the world. Downtown Exeter boasts fine dining, the historic Ioka Theater, shopping and many other services for your needs and pleasures. The Swasey Parkway is a beautiful municipal park built beside the Squamscott River on land once occupied by wharfs and warehouses but now giving visitors and residents alike a wonderful place to bring the family for a picnic beside the river. Exeter also has bicycle and cross-country skiing trails, several more parks with playground equipment, museums, baseball, football and soccer fields, tennis courts, the Exeter Country Club (right on the river), indoor ice skating, camping, fishing, boating – even bowling. With no less than seven state routes in and out of Exeter and I-95 just three miles away, Exeter is convenient to just about anywhere you’d want to drive, and for air travel, the Pease Tradeport in Portsmouth is only a twenty-minute drive north.
Exeter is a part of SAU# 16 and operates it’s own elementary schools, the Main Street School and the Lincoln Street School. Students in grades six through twelve are part of the Exeter Region School District, along with Stratham, Brentwood, Newfields, East Kingston and Kensington. The Exeter Cooperative Middle School teaches students in grades six through eight while grades nine through twelve attend Exeter High School.
Exeter is as beautiful as it is historic. Charm and character permeate the town, its buildings and its residents. If you’d like to become a part of this wonderful community, your first step should be to call Jim Miller Bean Group at (603) 801-3987. At Bean Group, we’re here to help by answering your questions in a prompt, friendly manner and by showing you what homes are available in Exeter or any other of the incredible towns southern NH has to offer. Call today and start making your way to the perfect home in the Granite State.
Main Street School (p-2)
(603) 775-8946
Lincoln Street School (3-5)
(603) 775-8860
Cooperative Middle School (6-8)
(603) 775-8700
Exeter High School (9-12)
(603) 395-2400
