Incorporated in 1727, Newmarket is one of six towns granted by Massachusetts in the last year of the reign of King George I. It started as a parish of Exeter, and was granted full town privileges by the legislature in 1737. It was probably named for Newmarket in Suffolk, England. The Lamprey River, running through the town, was named for John Lamprey, an early settler. For a while, the town was called "Lampreyville". Newmarket was a center of the New England shipping trade with the West Indies, including importation of sugar and African slaves. The Newmarket Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1822, and constructed its first cottontextile mill during 1823 and 1824. The company dominated the mill town's waterfront and economy with seven textile mills harnessing water power at the falls. The company had cotton shipped up from the Deep South, so its production was adversely affected by the Civil War. It built numerous support structures, including multi-family housing for workers. The company built dams far upriver to create Pawtuckaway Pond in Nottingham and Mendums Pond in Barrington—during drought, the company could release a regulated flow of water from the dams into the Lamprey to run the works. The company closed in 1929. Adapted for modern commercial and residential uses, the mill buildings are located within the Newmarket Industrial and Commercial Historic District, which in 1980 was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In the 1970s, the mill served as the headquarters of the Timberland Company, during the years when it grew from a small work-boot manufacturer to a leading "urban" fashion brand. Timberland's headquarters are now located in nearby Stratham. Once a part of Newmarket, Newfields incorporated as a separate town in 1849.
Antique postcards
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and is water, comprising 11.43% of the town. Situated beside Great Bay, Newmarket is drained by the Lamprey River. The town's highest point is the summit of Bald Hill, at above sea level, near the town's southwest corner. Great Hill, with an elevation of, rises just south of the town center. The town is crossed by New Hampshire Route 108 and is the eastern terminus of New Hampshire Route 152.
As of the census of 2010, there were 8,936 people, 3,857 households, and 2,219 families residing in the town. There were 4,139 housing units, of which 282, or 6.8%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the town was 92.2% white, 1.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 4.0% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.6% some other race, and 1.9% from two or more races. 2.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 3,857 households, 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were headed by married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32, and the average family size was 2.86. In the town, 19.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 13.1% were from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males. For the period 2011-2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $62,688, and the median income for a family was $90,703. Male full-time workers had a median income of $48,989 versus $40,428 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,633. 10.9% of the population and 5.0% of families were below the poverty line. 9.2% of the population under the age of 18 and 5.9% of those 65 or older were living in poverty. The town of Newmarket has a small, but growing and significant, Laotian and Laotian American population, refugees and their families. Buddhist practitioners among the Laotians attend the Wat Lao Mixarayam Temple in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Emergency services
Newmarket Fire and Rescue is a combination full-time/volunteer department providing fire and emergency medical services within the town. Newmarket Fire and Rescue also provides the neighboring town of Newfields with an ambulance transport service. The department consists of 45 volunteers and two full-time staff. In 2017, staff were awarded a Unit Citation by the New Hampshire Division of Fire Standards and Training and Emergency Medical Services for heroic actions undertaken at a car accident in 2017.
