Stratham NH

Stratham NH

Perhaps the greatest challenge of living or doing business in Stratham is in the amount of time spent educating visitorson the correct pronunciation of the town's very English name; the "h" is silent, with an actual pronunciation of "Strat-um."

For centuries, this town of 15 square miles has been crisscrossed by local traffic passing between nearby commercial hubs, mainly from Exeter to Durham and Dover to the north via Route 108, and Portsmouth to the northeast via Route 33. Modern-day Stratham seems to lack a commercial town center much as it has through history; instead, it has always served as a corridor and suburb, even in the earliest days when farming was the mainstay of the community.

The Stratham economy is fueled by the occupants of the Stratham Industrial Park and by dozens of large and small businesses lining the town's two main roadways. Most are located in supermarket-anchored shopping centers, attractive brick business centers or high-end, wood-framed mini-malls. A day spa and salon now occupies a converted estate on Route 33, convenient to newly constructed office/ business space.

Education plays an important role in Stratham, home to several private preschools, a Montessori school and its own community-supported Memorial School (K-6). It's also the site of the seacoast branch of the seven-college New Hampshire Community Technical College System, which offers an array of programs in business, health care and technology, awarding associate degrees, certificates and diplomas in day and evening classes.

Popular youth recreation programs in baseball, softball, basketball and soccer are run by a volunteer recreation director. Town teams have the use of various fields behind the college, thanks to a joint management/use agreement between the two entities. Recreation fields at Stratham Hill Park, Memorial School and the municipal center are in constant demand.

Each July, thousands of visitors turn Stratham upside down for one weekend during the Stratham Fair, which fills Stratham Hill Park with prize farm animals, 4-H shows, craft displays, special entertainment and midway. The park is named for Stratham Hill, the highest land point in the seacoast with a fire tower that affords views as far as Mount Washington on a clear day. In winter, a snowy weekend brings out dozens of families for great sledding down the side of the hill.

The volunteer Stratham Fire Department actively supports a local scout troop, and the town has benefited from Eagle Scout projects like cross-country skiing and hiking trails at Stratham Hill Park and a public boat launch on the Squamscott River.

Stratham's gently rolling countryside, much of it just off the beaten path, belies the fact that this is a community of steady, vibrant growth whose population recently doubled. There's still a sense of the quiet, rural lifestyle around every turn of Stratham's back roads, even in the new millennium!

Stratham, NH Incorporated: 1716 Community Contact: Town of Stratham Paul R. Deschaine 10 Bunker Hill Avenue Stratham, NH 03885 Telephone: (603)772-7391 Fax: (603) 775-0517 E-mail: strathamta@comcast.net Web Site: www.strathamnh.org City/Town Office Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 4 pm County: Rockingham Labor Market Area: Portsmouth-Rochester Planning Commission: Rockingham Tourism Region: Seacoast

MUNICIPAL SERVICES City/Town Office Hours: M-F 8:30-4 pm Type of Government Selectmen Annual Budget (2001) $3,283,239 Planning Board Appointed Industrial Plans Reviewed By Planning Board Zoning Ordinance 1957/03 Master Plan 1998 Capitol Improvement Plan Yes Public Library Wiggin Memorial EMERGENCY SERVICES Police Department Full-time Fire Department Volunteer Town Fire Insurance Rating 8/9 Emergency Medical Service Volunteer Nearest Hospital(s): Exeter Hospital; Portsmouth Regional Distance: 3 miles Staffed Beds: 78; 185 PROPERTY TAXES 2002 Total Tax Rate $27.95 2002 Equalization Ratio 53.6 2002 Full Value Tax Rate $15.25 2002 Property Valuation: Residential 81.5%   Commercial 15.5%   Other 3.0% UTILITIES Electric Supplier Exeter & Hampton; PSNH Natural Gas Supplier Northern Utilities Water Supplier Private wells Sanitation Private septic Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant No Curbside Trash Pickup Yes Mandatory Recycling Program No Telephone Company Verizon Cellular Telephone Access Yes Cable Television Access Yes High Speed Cable Internet Service   Business Cable Internet Service Limited Residential Cable Internet Service Yes HOUSING 2001 Total Housing Units 2,462     2001 Single-Family Units 2,056 Building Permits Issued 32 2001 Multi-Family Units 391 Building Permits Issued 7 2001 Manufactured Housing Units 15     2000 Census Housing Costs   Median Value, Owner-Occupied Housing $207,200 Median Gross Rent (monthly) $865

DEMOGRAPHICS Total Population Community County 2001 6,531 283,808 2000 6,355 283,808 1990 4,955 245,845 1980 2,507 245,845 1970 1,512 138,951 2000 Census Demographics Population by Gender Male 3,094 Female 3,261 Population by Age Group Under age 5 432 Age 5 to 19 1,538 Age 20 to 34 833 Age 35 to 54 2,494 Age 55 to 64 494 Age 65 and over 564 Median Age 37.9 Total Households 2,306 Ave. Size 2.8 persons Total Families 1,744 Ave. Size 3.2 persons Educational Attainment, population 25 years and over High school graduate or higher 96.1% Bachelor's degree or higher 49.6% ANNUAL INCOME, 1999 Per capita income $33,270 Median 4-person family income $81,391 Median household income $76,726 Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers Male $53,271 Female $36,759 Families below the poverty level 0.5% TRANSPORTATION Road Access Federal Routes   State Routes 33, 101, 108 Nearest Interstate, Exit I-95, Exit 4, 3, 3B          Distance 4 miles Railroad Amtrack, Boston & Maine Public Transportation Yes Nearest Airport Pease Runway         11,321 feet Lighted? Yes Navigational Aids? Yes Nearest Commercial Airport Pease Distance 4 miles DISTANCE TO Manchester, NH 32 miles Portland, ME 68 miles Boston, MA 54 miles New York City, NY 261 miles Montreal, Quebec 288 miles

LABOR FORCE Annual Average 1992 2002 Civilian Labor Force 2,909 3,483 Employed 2,793 3,357 Unemployed 116 126 Unemployment Rate 4.0% 3.6% COMMUTING TO WORK (US Census) Workers 16 years and over   Drove alone, car/truck/van 87.2% Carpooled, car/truck/van 4.0% Public transportation 0.0% Walked 0.2% Other Means 1.7% Worked at home 6.9%     Mean Travel Time to Work 27.2 minutes EMPLOYMENT & WAGES 2001 2002 Goods Producing   Average Employment 397 410 Average Weekly Wage $760 $792     Service Providing   Average Employment 2,410 2,546 Average Weekly Wage $1,076 $976     Total Private Industry   Average Employment 2,807 2,957 Average Weekly Wage $1,031 $950     Government   Average Employment 286 442 Average Weekly Wage $548 $632     Total, Private plus Government   Average Employment 3,093 3,399 Average Weekly Wage $987 $909 n = indicates that the data does not meet disclosure standards

RECREATIONAL FACILITIES X Municipal Parks YMCA/YWCA Boys Club/Girls Club X Golf Courses Swimming: Indoor Facility Swimming: Outdoor Facility Tennis Courts: Indoor Faclity Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility Ice Skating Rink: Indoor Facility Bowling Facilities Museums Cinemas X Performing Arts Facilities X Tourists Attractions X Youth Organizations (i.e., Scouts, 4-H) X Youth Sports: Baseball X Youth Sports: Soccer Youth Sports: Football X Youth Sports: Basketball Youth Sports: Hockey Campgrounds X Fishing/Hunting X Boating/Marinas X Snowmobile Trails X Bicycle Trails X Cross Country Skiing     Nearest Ski Area(s): Gunstock; Sunday River (ME)     Other: Stratham Fair; Lacross; Outdoor skating rink