Portsmouth
A colonial port on the swift Piscataqua River.
- Population
- 21,956 (2020 census)
- Settled
- 1630, as Strawbery Banke
- Treaty of Portsmouth
- 1905
- Tides
- Two highs, two lows a day
Then
- 1630
Colonists settle the west bank of the Piscataqua and name it Strawbery Banke, for the wild strawberries there.
- 1653
The town is renamed Portsmouth in honor of the colony's founder, John Mason.
- 1774
Paul Revere rides to Portsmouth to warn that the Royal Navy is coming to seize the port.
- 1800
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the first federal navy yard, is established on Seavey's Island in Kittery, Maine.
- 1905
The Treaty of Portsmouth, ending the Russo-Japanese War, is signed at the shipyard. Theodore Roosevelt wins the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for brokering it.
- 1977
The first Market Square Day celebrates a revived downtown.
Now
Strawbery Banke Museum preserves several dozen restored houses on the site of the first settlement.
The Piscataqua is a tidal river with a swift current and forms the border with Maine. Downtown's Market Square is the center of the city's restaurants and shops.
On the water
From NOAA's predictions for Portsmouth, NH over the next 365 days. Heights are in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).
- Pattern
- Two highs and two lows a day, close in size
- Typical daily range
- 8.4 ft
- Biggest swing
- 11.5 ft on Dec 25
- Smallest swing
- 5.3 ft on Oct 18
- Highest high
- 10.0 ft, Dec 25 at 11:46 AM
- Lowest low
- −1.6 ft, Jan 23 at 5:55 PM
16 tide stations around Portsmouth
- Portsmouth0.7 mi
- Seavey Island1.2 mi
- Atlantic Heights1.3 mi
- Fort Point2.6 mi
- Jaffrey Point2.7 mi
- Kittery Point3.1 mi
- Gerrish Island3.3 mi
- Dover Point5.0 mi
- Seapoint, Cutts Island5.2 mi
- York Harbor7.4 mi
Show all 16 stations
- Fort Point, York Harbor7.4 mi
- Squamscott River RR. Bridge7.7 mi
- Salmon Falls River8.9 mi
- Gosport Harbor, Isles of Shoals9.9 mi
- Dover, Cocheco River10.2 mi
- Cape Neddick10.8 mi