The town guide
All 43 towns, in one honest guide
Every town and city in Belknap, Carroll, and Strafford counties, described the way a neighbor would: what the water is like, which way the hills run, and the character that makes people stay. This is the guide I wish existed when buyers asked me where to start.
Read by county, then by town
Each county has a personality. Start there, then zoom into the towns that fit your budget and lifestyle.
Season matters up here
A lakefront camp in July and a lakefront camp in January are two different homes. Ask about winter before you fall too hard.
Keep the drive in mind
Work in Dover or Durham? Remotely? Visiting family in Manchester? Where the roads go shapes every pick here.
The lake country
Belknap County
Belknap is where Lake Winnipesaukee, Lake Winnisquam, and the Belknap Range come together. Boats outnumber cars on a July Saturday, and every town here measures its year in lake seasons: ice-out, swim weather, foliage, and first frost.
11
towns & cities
Laconia
the county seat
Start with: Laconia · Meredith · Gilford · Alton
Laconia
Belknap’s county seat and only city, with Weirs Beach and the Winnipesaukee boardwalk on its door.
Alton
Quiet coves on Alton Bay and the trailhead to Mount Major’s panoramic summit.
Barnstead
Rural farmland and ponds in the county’s southwest corner.
Belmont
Small town on the shore of Lake Winnisquam, between Laconia and Tilton.
Center Harbor
Classic lakeside village where Winnipesaukee’s northern shore meets the road to Squam Lake.
Gilford
Gunstock Mountain Resort rises above the lake; golf and views come standard.
Gilmanton
Hill town with an old academy campus, farms, and quiet back roads.
Meredith
The lake’s commercial heart, with Mill Falls Marketplace beside a 40-foot waterfall.
New Hampton
Rural town with ponds and farms at the edge of the Belknap hills.
Sanbornton
Farm-and-hill town with long views of the Belknap Range.
Tilton
Compact mill town where rivers and rail first put the region on the map.
Town notes reflect geography, shoreline, and well-known local character. Curious about a specific town’s market? That’s what I’m here for.
Lakes & mountains
Carroll County
Carroll is the biggest of the three counties and the most varied: Winnipesaukee’s eastern shore, Squam Lake’s quiet coves, the Saco River’s mountain towns, and the resort energy of Conway and Jackson all share one county line.
19
towns
Ossipee
the county seat
Start with: Wolfeboro · Conway · Moultonborough · Sandwich
Wolfeboro
“America’s Oldest Summer Resort,” still going strong on Lake Winnipesaukee’s eastern shore.
Albany
Deep-woods town tucked beneath Mount Chocorua’s bare summit.
Bartlett
Mountain valley on the Saco River, home of Attitash Mountain Resort.
Brookfield
Tiny town of lakes and woods tucked between Wolfeboro and Ossipee.
Chatham
Nearly wild forest town, much of it inside the White Mountain National Forest.
Conway
The mountain region’s hub, where North Conway’s shops and outlets line the valley.
Eaton
Farming and lake town centered on Crystal Lake’s summer shoreline.
Effingham
Quiet corner of Ossipee Lake, with loons and launch ramps closer than crowds.
Freedom
Lakeside village wrapped in Ossipee Lake’s coves and pines.
Hale’s Location
One of New Hampshire’s tiniest places, home to mountain camps near North Conway.
Hart's Location
Famously the first community in the nation to cast its votes on Election Day.
Jackson
Postcard mountain village with its white covered bridge and ski slopes overhead.
Madison
Village of lakes and woods between the mountains and Winnipesaukee.
Moultonborough
Castle in the Clouds overlooks the lake from this quiet shore town.
Ossipee
The county seat, set on Ossipee Lake’s big-water recreation.
Sandwich
Preserved hill-town center with long views of the Sandwich Range.
Tamworth
Mountain village on the Swift River, home of the Barnstormers summer theater.
Tuftonboro
Winnipesaukee and Lake Wentworth shores, plus the short climb to Abenaki Tower.
Wakefield
Lakes-and-forest country running to the Maine border.
Town notes reflect geography, shoreline, and well-known local character. Curious about a specific town’s market? That’s what I’m here for.
Rivers to the sea
Strafford County
Strafford is seacoast country without the full beach crowd: river-mill cities, UNH’s college town, Great Bay’s bird-filled estuaries, and quick drives to Portsmouth and the Atlantic shore.
13
towns & cities
Dover
the county seat
Start with: Dover · Durham · Rochester · Somersworth
Dover
The county seat on the Cocheco River, with the Woodman Museum and a lively downtown.
Rochester
The county’s largest city, where the Cocheco and Salmon Falls rivers meet.
Somersworth
Compact mill city on the Salmon Falls River, right on the Maine border.
Barrington
Country town at the head of the Oyster River, with farms and swim ponds.
Durham
Home of the University of New Hampshire, Oyster River Landing, and Great Bay.
Farmington
Mill-town history on the Cocheco’s upper reaches, ringed by farm and hill country.
Lee
Quiet town on the Lamprey River between Durham and Epping.
Madbury
Tiny town where the Bellamy and Oyster rivers meet, minutes from UNH.
Middleton
Rural town of ponds and wooded hills south of the Moose Mountains.
Milton
Salmon Falls village with mill history and swimming at Milton Three Ponds.
New Durham
Hill town between the lakes and the seacoast, with Ridge Pond for summer swims.
Rollinsford
Historic riverfront village around the famous Salmon Falls mills district.
Strafford
Hillside town with a preserved village common and Bow Lake on its shore.
Town notes reflect geography, shoreline, and well-known local character. Curious about a specific town’s market? That’s what I’m here for.
Not sure which town fits? Let’s narrow it together.
Tell me what matters to you and I’ll send back a shortlist, honestly explained.