South Hampton is a town located in the Southeastern corner of New Hampshire in the Seacoast region of the state. It is situated in the Southern part of Rockingham County and encompasses as total area of 8 square miles, only .1 of which is water. As of the 2010 United State Census, South Hampton was home to just 814 residents.
The town of South Hampton was one of the first to receive a land grant from Governor Benning Wentworth after the 1741 separation of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. It was chartered from portions of the former Massachusetts towns of Amesbury and Salisbury. Over the years, South Hampton lost part of its land to the nearby towns of Seabrook, Newton and Hampton Falls, though it gained some back in 1824 from the neighboring town of East Kingston.
Only .1 square miles of South Hampton’s total area is water, accounting for just over 1 percent of the town. South Hampton includes part of the Powwow River and the Merrimack River, and its highest point is located at Sawyers Hill, where elevation reaches 320 feet above sea level. Notable sites in the area include the Heron Pond Farm and the Jewell Towne Vineyards.
The town of South Hampton is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. It boasts a full- and part-time police department, a volunteer fire department and volunteer emergency medical services. Children in the area attend Barnard School, located within the town, for grades kindergarten through eight. For ninth through 12th grade, students move on to Amesbury High School, located in Amesbury, Massachusetts. For recreation and entertainment, South Hampton residents can take advantage of the town’s municipal parks, tennis court, baseball field, youth organizations and sports leagues, public library, campgrounds, fishing and hunting areas and ice skating rink (in the wintertime only.)