Dover, New Hampshire

Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the largest city in the New Hampshire Seacoast region and the fifth most populous city in the state.

As the county seat of Strafford County, Dover is an important center for the area. The city has many interesting places to visit, such as Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, the Woodman Institute Museum, and the Children's Museum of New Hampshire. It is a lively place for families and visitors.

Etymology

The city of Dover is named after a place called Dover, Kent in England. The name comes from an old word that means "waters." This idea of "waters" appears in other languages too, like in French and Welsh.

History

Settlement

The first known European to explore the area was Martin Pring from Bristol, England, in 1603.

In 1623, brothers William and Edward Hilton settled at Pomeroy Cove on Dover Point, near where the Bellamy and Piscataqua rivers meet. This made Dover the oldest permanent settlement in New Hampshire and the seventh in the United States.

Settlement of Dover in 1623

The Hiltons were fishmongers sent from London to establish a colony and fishery. In 1631, the colony had only three houses. William Hilton built a salt works and served as Deputy to the General Court. The settlement was later renamed several times before settling on Dover.

King Philips War

Main article: King Philip's War

During King Philip's War, Dover's leaders invited the Pennacook Indians to sign a peace agreement. In July 1676, Chief Wannalancet and Major Richard Waldron signed the Treaty of Cocheco.

Mill era

Cochecho River with repurposed mill buildings, from Henry Law Park

Cocheco Falls brought the Industrial Revolution to Dover in the 1800s. The Dover Cotton Factory began in 1812 and later moved to Cocheco Falls. In 1828, women workers at the mill walked out over lower wages and longer hours, in the first women's strike in the United States. More mills were built, and by 1855, Dover was a leading producer of textiles.

The mills changed owners over time. During the Great Depression, many mills closed or moved south. Dover's mill shut down in 1937 but was later bought by the city for new businesses.

Modern era

After the mills closed, Dover worked to bring new life to the downtown area. The Children's Museum of New Hampshire moved into a former mill building. New parks, playgrounds, and small businesses have appeared. Old buildings have been updated or rebuilt for new housing. A new high school was built to accommodate growing numbers of residents. Plans are underway to develop the waterfront on the other side of the river.

Geography and transportation

The city of Dover covers an area of 29 square miles (75 km²), with 27 square miles of land and 2 square miles of water. Two rivers, the Cochecho and Bellamy, flow through Dover and empty into the Piscataqua River, which forms the city's eastern border with Maine. The highest point in Dover is Long Hill, which is more than 300 feet above sea level. The city is linked by several state and U.S. routes, including New Hampshire Route 4, New Hampshire Route 9, New Hampshire Route 16, New Hampshire Route 108, New Hampshire Route 155, and U.S. Route 4.

Public transportation in Dover is provided by the Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (COAST) bus network. C&J Bus Lines offers private bus services connecting Dover to Boston and New York City. Wildcat Transit, run by the University of New Hampshire, offers free bus rides for students and affordable rides for the public to Durham. Amtrak’s Downeaster train stops at the Dover Transportation Center, providing service to Portland, Boston, and other stops along the route.

Demographics

2020 census

According to the 2020 census, Dover had a population of 32,741 people. This was an increase from 2010 to 2020, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in New Hampshire, after Manchester and Nashua. The city had 1,224.88 people living in each square mile.

The median age in Dover was 38.0 years. About 18.1% of the residents were younger than 18, and 16.8% were 65 years or older. Most people lived in urban areas.

There were 14,431 homes, and about 24.2% of them had children under 18 living in them. Many homes were led by married couples, while others had one person living alone.

There were 15,166 places to live, but some were empty. The rate of empty homes for people who owned them was very low.

2010 census

In 2010, there were 12,827 homes in Dover. About 27.8% of these homes had children under 18 living in them. Many homes were led by married couples, but some had only one person living there.

The city's population was spread out in age, with many people in their 20s to 40s. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, there were about 96 males.

Income and poverty

From 2009 to 2011, the average amount of money a home in Dover made each year was $55,040. The average for families was $69,980. Men who worked full-time usually made more than women. The average amount of money each person made was $30,590.

About 6.8% of families and 8.9% of all people in Dover lived below the poverty line. This included some children under 18 and some people aged 65 or older.

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	1,998	—
1800	2,062	3.2%
1810	2,228	8.1%
1820	2,871	28.9%
1830	5,449	89.8%
1840	6,458	18.5%
1850	8,196	26.9%
1860	8,502	3.7%
1870	9,294	9.3%
1880	11,687	25.7%
1890	12,790	9.4%
1900	13,207	3.3%
1910	13,247	0.3%
1920	13,029	−1.6%
1930	13,573	4.2%
1940	13,990	3.1%
1950	15,874	13.5%
1960	19,131	20.5%
1970	20,850	9.0%
1980	22,377	7.3%
1990	25,042	11.9%
2000	26,884	7.4%
2010	29,987	11.5%
2020	32,741	9.2%
2025 (est.)	34,623	5.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

Racial composition as of the 2020 census
Race	Number	Percent
White	28,073	85.7%
Black or African American	551	1.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native	65	0.2%
Asian	1,803	5.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	5	0.0%
Some other race	401	1.2%
Two or more races	1,843	5.6%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	1,047	3.2%

Education

The Dover School District helps about 4,000 students go to school. They go to Horne Street Elementary School, Garrison Elementary School, Woodman Park Elementary School, Dover Middle School, and Dover High School. Dover High School's sports teams are called "The Green Wave," and the middle school's teams are "The Little Green."

Saint Mary Academy, a Catholic school, has been in downtown Dover since 1912. It serves around 200 students from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade. Many of these students later go to St. Thomas Aquinas High School, a Catholic high school on Dover Point.

Portsmouth Christian Academy is west of the Bellamy River in Dover and serves students from preschool to 12th grade.

The Cocheco Arts and Technology Academy (CATA) is a public charter high school with about 100 students. It used to be in Barrington, New Hampshire.

The Seacoast Charter School is a public school that includes arts in its lessons for students in grades K–8. It started in Kingston, New Hampshire in 2004 and moved to Dover in 2015. In January 2016, it had 215 students.

Government

In the New Hampshire Senate, Dover is in the 4th District and is represented by David H. Watters. On the New Hampshire Executive Council, Dover is in District 2 and is represented by Cinde Warmington. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Dover is part of New Hampshire's 1st congressional district and is represented by Chris Pappas.

Dover often votes for Democratic candidates in big elections. The last time a Republican candidate won in Dover was in 1988.

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Dover, New Hampshire

Dover, New Hampshire, has been home to many interesting people. Some have done important work in different areas. You can read more about them using the link above.

Historic sites

Dover, New Hampshire, has many interesting places to visit that tell stories about the past. Some of these places include the First Parish Church, historical markers about important events and people, and buildings like the Religious Society of Friends Meetinghouse, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, and the Woodman Institute.