Stratham is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town had a population of 7,255 at the 2010 census, and an estimated population of 7,280 in 2013. It is bounded on the west by the Squamscott River. The town is the home of the only U.S. Lindt & Sprüngli factory and the headquarters of the Timberland Corporation.

History

Stratham was settled in 1631 and incorporated in 1716. The area, called Winnicutt by the Pennacook people, was known as Squamscott Patent or Point of Rocks because of its location between Great Bay and the Squamscott River. The sixth town in the colony to be incorporated, the town was named for Wriothesley Russell, Baron Howland of Streatham, a friend of New Hampshire Royal Governor Samuel Shute.

The town is unusual among New England settlements of its size in having been comprehensively mapped in 1793 by Phinehas Merrill. It is therefore possible to identify how many of the extant buildings of the town predate the map.

Each summer the town hosts the Stratham Fair, held at Stratham Hill Park. Although the 2020 fair was canceled due to COVID, it has otherwise been held every July since 1967.

Education

Stratham is home to the Cooperative Middle School, 100 Academic Way (grades 6-8) and Stratham Memorial School (grades pre-k – 5), 39 Gifford Farm Road. High school students from Stratham attend Exeter High School (grades 9-12). The public elementary and middle school only serve students from Stratham, while the high school serves students from all six towns of SAU 16—in which Stratham is the second-largest town, after Exeter and ahead of Brentwood, Kensington, East Kingston, and Newfields.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,255 people, 2,746 households, and 2,045 families residing in the town. The population density was 480.5 people per square mile (185.5/km²). There were 2,864 housing units at an average density of 189.7 per square mile (73.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.4% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.1% some other race, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 2,746 households, out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were headed by married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64, and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 34.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

For the period 2011–15, the estimated median annual income for a household in the town was $108,306, and the median income for a family was $138,239. Male full-time workers had a median income of $102,315 versus $56,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $58,137. 0% of families and 0.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.