Exeter, New Hampshire

Exeter is a town on the Squamscott River in Rockingham County, New Hampshire. As of the 2000 census, its population was 9,759 and the town occupies 4.4 square miles.

Exeter is one of the oldest towns in the state, and was founded by John Wheelwright in 1638. According to some historians, the United States Republican Party was born here on October 12, 1853. Historical sites include the Old Town Post Office and a traditional "salt box" where George Washington stayed one night.

The town is perhaps best known as the home of the Phillips Exeter Academy and the Academy Library designed by Louis Kahn. The students of PEA can enjoy strolls into town, down Swasey Parkway by the boathouse, around the bandstand, or into the Ioka, the one-screen movie theater that has been up for almost a century.

The name Exeter derives from the ancient city of Exeter in Devon, England. Numerous other places have also been given the name Exeter.