New Castle is a town located in the Southeastern corner of New Hampshire in the Seacoast region of the state. The town is situated in the far Eastern portion of Rockingham County and encompasses a total area of 2.4 square miles, 1.5 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, New Castle was home to 968 residents. It is home to a number of notable locations, including the Fort Constitution Historic Site, the New Castle Common, the Fort Stark Historic Site and a United States Coast Guard station.
New Castle is the smallest town in the state of New Hampshire and is located entirely on islands. Its main island sits at the mouth of the Pisqataqua River and was originally named Great Island. Its other, smaller islands are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The area was first settled in 1623 and was considered a parish of Portsmouth. In 1693, it was renamed New Castle and incorporated as a town. The highest point of New Castle lies at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel, where the elevation reaches 60 feet above sea level.
The town of New Castle is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. The area has a full-time and on-call police department, a full-time, part-time and volunteer fire department, and volunteer emergency medical services. Top employers in the town include the Wentworth Hotel, Wentworth Marina and UNH Marine Lab. Children in the area attend Maude H. Trefethen School for grades kindergarten through sixth, Rye Junior High School for grades seven and eight, and Portsmouth High School for grades nine through 12. Only Trefethen School is located actually within New Castle boundaries.
For recreation and entertainment, New Castle residents can take advantage of the city’s public library, municipal parks, tennis courts, boating, marinas, beach areas and the Great Island Common, a 32-acre park that?s open 365 days a year.