Portsmouth, NH’s population of young professionals has been growing for a number of reasons. Portsmouth is an energetic, fast-growing city of more than 20,000 people, boasting a median age of 31, with almost 40% of the population falling between the ages of 18 and 34. With so many young, fun people around, it’s very easy to meet others and get involved in the community.

Portsmouth is a much nicer place to live than most. The Seacoast region is especially attractive because it is free of traffic jams, air pollution, and the stress of living in a large city, but still has an abundance of resources. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, near the mouth of the Piscataqua River, Portsmouth is a vibrant New England coastal town.

Since the mid-1990’s, there has been substantial economic growth in the region, spawned mostly by computer and communications start-ups. There are as many as 400 high-tech firms in the immediate Portsmouth area and hundreds more throughout the region. There are so many of these firms, in fact, that a 1999 survey by the American Electronics Association found that New Hampshire has the highest density of technology employees of any State. For this reason, the seacoast region has earned the nickname “The e-coast,” with Portsmouth as its epicenter. Portsmouth’s economy is one of the healthiest in the country, with an unemployment rate of 1.8% and job growth through 2010 projected at 18%.

As it is close to both Massachusetts and Maine, Portsmouth is an easy point from which to travel: Boston’s Logan Airport, the Manchester Airport, and the Portland Airport are all within a one-hour drive. Pease International Tradeport, airport of PanAm Airlines, is located in Portsmouth. Also, Portsmouth is just minutes off Route 95, providing easy access to metropolitan areas to the north and south.

In 2000, as it did in 1997, Money Magazine rated the Portsmouth area as one of the best places to live in America. Citing a strong economy, a low crime rate, inexpensive cost of living, and high quality of life, Money listed Portsmouth among the top 10 cities. Also in 1997, the Utne Reader called Portsmouth one of the nation's "most enlightened" cities, citing strong civic involvement and "a dazzling record of historic preservation.” Additionally, Cosmopolitan magazine picked Portsmouth as one of the top ten cities in America for young professionals.