Dover

Dover is located in Strafford County 10 miles north of Portsmouth between Madbury and the Maine state line along Highway 4 near the Spaulding Turnpike. Dover is part of the Portsmouth-Rochester metro area.

Considered the oldest permanent settlement in the state, Dover was founded in 1623 by fishermen and traders who plied the tidewaters of the Great Bay area and landed at Pomeroy Cove, now called Dover Point. For a few years Dover was an independent colony named Northam. In 1692 Northam became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The original township of Dover included the present towns of Dover, Durham, Lee, Madbury, Somersworth, Rollinsford, and parts of Newmarket, Newington, and Greenland.

Renovations in the downtown area and along the Cochecho River riverfront feature a wide variety of architectural styles, especially Colonial and Victorian.

The city is a short drive to the Port of New Hampshire in Portsmouth, the state's only deep water port. It is also home of the largest independent academy in the United States, Pinkerton Academy. Other places to visit include locally famous Garrison Hill, the Woodman Institute, the Piscataqua River, many local shops, and the Great Bay.