There is still a sense of the quiet, rural lifestyle around every turn of Stratham’s back roads.
Settled in 1631, this area, called Winnicutt by the Indians, was known as Squamscott Patent or Point of Rocks because of its location between the Great Bay and the Squamscott River. The sixth town to be incorporated in New Hampshire, the town was named for a friend of Governor Samuel Shute of Massachusetts, Wriothesley Russell, Baron Howland of Streatham.
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! Perhaps the greatest challenge of living or doing business in Stratham is in the amount of time spent educating visitors on 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.
The Sandy Point Discovery Center is located in Stratham. A trail and boardwalk provides access to a variety of habitats including wetlands, salt marsh and mudflats.
Stratham Schools
Stratham Memorial School
Cooperative Middle School
Exeter High School
Stratham Town Events
Stratham Fair
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Property Tax Rate- (2006) $19.02 |
Manchester > 32 miles |
