Rye, New Hampshire

Population: 5,182
Located in Rockingham County

Nestled between North Hampton and Portsmouth, Rye has the distinction among Seacoast towns of having a town center hidden from the bustle of Route 1. It is a thriving, lively community that is home to the descendants of the fishermen and farmers who settled the area, and to later arrivals who have fallen in love with Rye's isolated charm and stunning eight miles of shoreline.

The motto in the latest town report, "Preserving the Past As We Plan for the Future" seems to say it all. Rye is a mixture of the old and the new, and is trying hard to retain its rural, Colonial character while allowing room for growth and new homes.

The last census showed a year-round population of 4,612, a population that doubles during the summer. That number is expected to increase significantly when the latest census figures are released. Growth has been seen in the enrollments in the town's schools. The Rye Elementary School and the Rye Junior High School have both undergone additions and renovations in the past five years.

Rye boasts much for recreation activities. It has four major state parks along its coast: the sandy beaches of Jenness Beach and Wallis Sands State Park, the rocky shoreline and picnic area of the Rye Harbor State Park, and the nature trails and shore-front educational center of Odiorne Point State Park. When the waves are high, surfers head to town beaches, especially the area just south of Jenness Beach known as Surfers' Beach. Deep-sea fishing and whale-watching excursions are available out of Rye Harbor.

In town is Parsons Field, a grassy open space used during the summer for events such as the Rye Lions' Antique Car Show, the Lions' Horse Show and the annual frog jumping contest on the Fourth of July. In winter, cross-country skiers use the field to access trails in the adjacent 190-acre Town Forest. Residents voted in 1999 to permanently protect 176 of those acres, while designating 14 acres as a Town Recreation Area.

The Rye Recreation Department offers youth basketball, soccer, golf, field hockey, lacrosse, tennis, skating, skiing, snowboarding, drama, football, baseball, skateboarding lessons, plus adult sports such as basketball, golf, tennis, skating and there is a bridge club. For golfers, there is the Abenaqui Country Club, a private-membership golf course.

And there's always the scenic trip up Route 1A, also known as Ocean Boulevard, the winding sea road lined with summer homes and some restaurants, motels and cottages. The coast, like the rest of the town, is largely residential. Most of the Victorian summer hotels that once reigned along Rye's shore in the mid-to late 1800s have been lost to fire. The Atlantic House, the Farragut, the Ocean House, the Surf House, the Sea View House and the Ocean Wave House catered to city-dwellers seeking summer-time relief and cool ocean breezes.

Rye's earliest settlement is marked at Odiorne Point State Park, a 137-acre nature area located at the mouth of Piscataqua River. Both Samuel De Champlain and Captain John Smith explored this area in the early 1600s, and settlers soon followed. By the early 1900s, Odiorne was dotted with large summer cottages. They were taken by the military during World War II, when Fort Dearborn was created to protect the entrance to Portsmouth Harbor. The bunkers still stand, as does a former summer cottage that now houses the Seacoast Science Center. Thousands of children and families visit the hands-on learning center each year and tour the surrounding grounds.

About 80 percent of residents commute out of town to work, to Boston 50 miles away, Portsmouth, eight miles north, or elsewhere. Rye's largest employers are the town itself and the Webster-At-Rye Retirement Center.

More than a bedroom community, Rye is a diverse blend of residents willing to take part in building the social, educational and political fabric of the community. Come and see how Rye can enrich your life!

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