Raymond, New Hampshire
Raymond, New Hampshire is located in Rockingham County in the southeastern part of the Granite State. A large town with a lot of character, Raymond is home to about 10,000 people and continues to enjoy a steady growth rate. Mostly residential with just a bit of industry and retail, Raymond is a prime southern NH town in which to start a family or retire in peace.
Raymond’s origins date back to a land grant in the 1690’s that gave soldiers of the Canadian War some land to call their own. These soldiers came from Beverly, Massachusetts and the land was named Beverly-Canada. The land was truly settled in 1717 by Colonel Stephan Dudley and the town was called “Freetown” because, at the time, it was not under obligation to reserve it’s tall, straight pine trees for mast construction in the Royal English Navy. Less than ten years later, Freetown was “absorbed” by neighboring Chester, NH when that town was incorporated in 1726. Freetown separated from Chester in 1764 and was renamed Raymond in honor of Captain William Raymond, a soldier who, over seventy years prior had rallied troops and created a company of soldiers to fight in the attempted siege of Quebec in 1690.
Raymond was one of the southern NH towns fortunate enough to have the railroad stop as it passed through town in the mid 1800’s. With limited waterpower available there were only a handful of mills, so the community was primarily farm-based. With the prominence of automobiles in the mid-twentieth century, the railroad failed, as did many of the farms supplying it. After WWII, Raymond started taking shape as more of a bedroom community than an industrial or retail powerhouse and remains as such today.
Raymond is a diverse town with a host of outdoor activities to participate in. The abandoned railroad bed still cuts through the town’s center and with the tracks long since removed, it is used recreationally by bicyclists, hikers, joggers, horses and off-road vehicles. Raymond is also home to the Pawtuckaway State Park, another great source of hiking and biking trails. Pawtuckaway offers camping, boating, swimming (with lifeguard) and has its own general store eliminating the need to leave the park at all. Raymond has easy access to any point in New Hampshire thanks to Routes 101, 107, 102 and 152. Manchester lies only twenty minutes west of Raymond while the sun-filled New Hampshire seacoast is less than thirty minutes east. Perfectly located in the center of Rockingham County, Raymond is a short drive to anywhere in NH.
Raymond, NH operates its own school system, the School Administrative Unit #33. Raymond students in kindergarten through fourth grade attend the Lamprey River Elementary School, grades five through eight attend the Iber Holmes Gove Middle School and grades nine through twelve are educated at the Raymond High School.
Raymond is New Hampshire at its finest. With plenty to offer the growing family or the retired couple, the lifestyle of Raymond, NH is New England through and through. There are homes for sale in Raymond and all the other surrounding southern NH communities. If New Hampshire sounds like the paradise you only read about and you’d like to be a part of it, call Jim Miller Bean Group at (603) 801-3987. At Jim Miller, we know the state of New Hampshire like no others and we want to help you become a part of our beautiful state. Call today for more information and let’s start the ball rolling.
Lamprey River Elementary School (k-4)
(603) 895-3117
Iber Holmes Gove Middle School (5-8)
603-895-3394
Raymond High School (9-12)
(603) 895-6616