Newington is a town located in the Southeastern corner of New Hampshire in the Seacoast region of the state. The town is situated in the Northeastern part of Rockingham County and encompasses a total area of 12.5 square miles, 4.2 of which is water. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Newington was home to just 753 people.
From early on, the Newington area was considered a part of Dover. It wasn’t until 1712, when a meetinghouse was built, that the town was set off as a separate parish and named Newington, after a village in England. Newington was officially incorporated as a town in 1764 by Governor Benning Wentworth.
Newington is home to a number of notable sites, including the New Hampshire National Guard, the Old Town Center Historic District and Portsmouth International Airport. The airport formerly served as the Pease Air Force Base operation from 1956 to 1991. In addition to these well-known locations, the Newington area boasts portions of a number of bodies of water, including Great Bay, Little Bay and Piscataqua River.
The town of Newington is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. It boasts a full-time police department, fire department and emergency medical services, and the nearest hospital is just five miles away in nearby Portsmouth. The area’s biggest employers include Fox Run Mall, Sig Sauer, Tyco, Westinghouse, Crossing at Fox Run, Georgia Pacific, Sprague & Sons, Rockingham Electric and Custom Pools.
Children in Newington attend Newington Public School for grades kindergarten through six. For grades seven through 12, children attend school in nearby Portsmouth. In terms of recreational activities and facilities, Newington offers residents a plethora of options, including municipal parks, tennis courts, movie theatres, youth sports and organizations, fishing, hunting, boating, bicycle trails, cross country skiing, beach areas and local museums. The Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge is also located in Newington.