Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Portsmouth Homes For Sale
NH
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Avg. Home Value (Zillow, mid-2026)
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Median List Price (Realtor.com, Jul. 2026)
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Population (2020 Census)
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Incorporated
Location
Where Portsmouth Sits
Live Listings
Homes For Sale in Portsmouth, NH
Listing information is provided by the MLS. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Listings displayed may be subject to prior sale or withdrawal.
A Local's Perspective
One of America's Oldest Cities, Reinvented as the Seacoast's Premier Address
English colonists settled the mouth of the Piscataqua River in 1630, naming their fishing and trading outpost "Strawbery Banke" for the wild strawberries growing along its banks (Strawbery Banke Museum's own history dates first settlement to 1623, and both figures are widely cited). The settlement incorporated as the town of Portsmouth in 1653 — renamed for the English naval port its founder, John Mason, once served — and grew into one of colonial New England's great shipbuilding and maritime trading centers before becoming a city in 1849. That deep history is still visible everywhere downtown: the Portsmouth Downtown Historic District around Market Square is a National Register district anchored by Colonial, Georgian, and Federal architecture, and the nearly 10-acre Strawbery Banke Museum preserves the original Puddle Dock neighborhood as a living-history site in the South End.
Today Portsmouth is Rockingham County's small-but-mighty city — just under 17 square miles bordered by New Castle, Rye, Greenland, and Newington in New Hampshire and Kittery, Maine across the Piscataqua River — and has transformed from a working port and naval town into the cultural and dining hub of the entire Seacoast, anchored by the restored Music Hall theater, Prescott Park's waterfront gardens and summer arts festival, and a downtown restaurant scene with an outsized reputation for its size. That desirability shows up squarely in home prices: Zillow puts the city's typical home value at roughly $678K (up 4.0% year-over-year as of mid-2026), while realtor.com reports a $849K median list price and Redfin has recorded median sale prices approaching $955K in recent months — a wide spread that reflects a wave of new luxury downtown condo construction pushing recent transaction prices well above the city's broader housing stock.
At a Glance
- Population
- 21,956 (2020 Census); ~22,300+ (2023 ACS est.)
- Land Area
- 15.66 sq mi (16.82 sq mi incl. water)
- County
- Rockingham, NH
- FY2026 Tax Rate
- $11.51 / $1,000
- Median Household Income
- $105,756 (2023 ACS)
- Walk Score
- 47 citywide; 85–95+ ('Walker's Paradise') in the downtown core
Source-verified as of 2026-07-29.
Highlights
Why People Choose Portsmouth
Strawbery Banke Museum
A nearly 10-acre outdoor living-history museum in the South End's historic Puddle Dock neighborhood, preserving houses on their original sites spanning the 1690s through the 1950s.
Market Square & the Downtown Historic District
First paved in 1762 and recognized by the American Planning Association as a 'Great Place in America,' Market Square and its Colonial, Georgian, and Federal-era storefronts remain downtown Portsmouth's civic and commercial heart.
Prescott Park
A waterfront city park along the Piscataqua River known for its formal flower gardens and the summertime Prescott Park Arts Festival of concerts and outdoor theater; the site of one of the first Sons of Liberty 'Liberty Poles' in 1766.
The Music Hall
An 1878 theater — the oldest operating theatre in New Hampshire and 14th-oldest in the country — restored in the 2000s and now a year-round venue for concerts, film, and touring performances in the heart of downtown.
USS Albacore / Albacore Park
A decommissioned Navy research submarine, built at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and returned to the city in 1985, now a museum ship and public park just north of downtown.
Piscataqua River waterfront
The tidal river separating Portsmouth from Kittery, Maine, lined with tugboats, working piers, and the Memorial and Sarah Mildred Long bridges connecting the two states.
Neighborhoods
Portsmouth's Neighborhoods & Villages
South End / Strawbery Banke
Portsmouth's most historic residential neighborhood, between Court Street and New Castle Avenue, mixing centuries-old houses (Wentworth-Gardner House, Tobias Lear House) with the Strawbery Banke Museum campus and some of the best waterfront views on the Seacoast.
Downtown / Market Square
The compact commercial and civic core — restaurants, shops, and historic public buildings radiating out from Market Square along Market, Pleasant, and Congress Streets — consistently rated among the most walkable pockets in New Hampshire.
North End
A former industrial waterfront along North Mill Pond now in the middle of the city's biggest construction boom, with new luxury condo buildings (The Maris, Sage Lane, 238 Deer Street) reshaping streets that were warehouses and rail yards a generation ago.
Islington Creek / West End
A walkable, community-oriented area between Islington Street and North Mill Pond mixing historic homes with newer condo construction, undergoing significant redevelopment of its own along the Islington Street corridor.
Lifestyle
Life in Portsmouth
Portsmouth's day-to-day life runs on its walkable downtown, its working waterfront, and a restaurant and arts scene that punches well above the city's small size.
Parks & Recreation
Parks in Portsmouth
Prescott Park
105 Marcy St, Portsmouth, NH
- Formal waterfront flower gardens
- Prescott Park Arts Festival (summer concerts & outdoor theater)
- Piscataqua River overlook
- Historic Liberty Pole site
Peirce Island
95 Marcy St, Portsmouth, NH
- City-owned outdoor pool (built 1937)
- Walking trails & salt marsh views
- Boat launch
- Playground and picnic areas
- Site of the Revolutionary War-era Fort Washington
Schools
Schools Serving Portsmouth
Public Schools
New Franklin School
K–5
Little Harbour School
K–5
Dondero School
K–5
Portsmouth Middle School
Grades 6–8
Portsmouth High School
Grades 9–12 (also serves Rye, Greenland, New Castle & Newington)
Private Schools
Portsmouth Christian Academy
PreK–12, non-denominational Christian (Dover, NH)
St. Thomas Aquinas High School
Grades 9–12, Catholic (Dover, NH)
School assignments are subject to change — always verify directly with the school district before making a decision. Source (verified 2026-07-29)
HOA & Condo Communities
Portsmouth Associations
Most "HOA-style" living in Portsmouth is downtown condominium association ownership rather than suburban single-family subdivisions, concentrated in a handful of established waterfront and in-town buildings.
One Harbour Place
Downtown Portsmouth's original premier waterfront condominium building, with river views over the Piscataqua.
Harbour Hill Condominiums
A 21-unit luxury residential condominium building with ground-floor retail at 77 Hanover Street, in the heart of downtown.
New Construction
Building in Portsmouth
Downtown Portsmouth, especially the North End along North Mill Pond, is in the middle of its biggest luxury condo construction wave in decades.
The Maris (53 Green Street)
A 45-unit mixed-use luxury condominium project on North Mill Pond with boat slips and ground-floor commercial space; an on-site sales gallery was slated to open in early 2026.
Sage Lane
A 56-unit luxury condominium development marketed as one of downtown's most ambitious residential projects, reportedly with a median price near $1.46 million (single-source figure, lower confidence).
238 Deer Street
A 21-unit North End condominium project offering studio and one-bedroom units with contemporary finishes.
Nearby Communities
How Portsmouth Compares
Rye
Adjacent oceanfront town immediately south of Portsmouth; part of the Portsmouth High School district.
Newington
Small bordering town just west of Portsmouth across the Piscataqua's Little Bay, also feeding Portsmouth High School.
Greenland
Bordering town to the southwest, more rural in character; also part of the Portsmouth High School district.
FAQ
Portsmouth Real Estate — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the property tax rate in Portsmouth, NH?
Portsmouth's FY2026 property tax rate was set at $11.51 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, up from $11.18 per $1,000 in FY2025, per the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration and the City of Portsmouth's Assessor's office.
How far is Portsmouth from Boston and Newburyport?
Boston is about 57 miles / roughly 1 hour 10 minutes by car, traffic-dependent. Bentley's home base of Newburyport, MA is much closer — about 22 miles / 25–30 minutes down Route 1 or I-95.
Is Portsmouth a walkable city?
Portsmouth's citywide Walk Score is 47 (car-dependent overall), but the downtown core around Market Square scores in the high 80s to mid-90s — a genuine 'Walker's Paradise' — reflecting how concentrated the restaurant, shopping, and residential density is right around the historic center.
What's the current home price range in Portsmouth?
Figures vary noticeably by source right now: Zillow puts the typical home value near $678K (up 4.0% year-over-year, mid-2026); realtor.com reports a $849K median list price (July 2026); and Redfin has recorded median sale prices approaching $955K in recent months. The spread largely reflects a current wave of new luxury downtown condo sales pulling recent transaction prices upward.
What schools would my kids attend in Portsmouth?
Portsmouth has its own single-city school district: New Franklin, Little Harbour, and Dondero elementary schools (K–5) feed into Portsmouth Middle School (6–8) and Portsmouth High School (9–12) — which also serves students from Rye, Greenland, New Castle, and Newington.
Is there a lot of new construction in Portsmouth?
Yes — downtown's North End along North Mill Pond is in the middle of a significant luxury condo boom, with projects including The Maris (45 units), Sage Lane (56 units), and 238 Deer Street (21 units) all delivering or under construction as of 2026.
What towns border Portsmouth, NH?
Portsmouth borders New Castle, Rye, Greenland, and Newington in New Hampshire, plus Kittery, Maine across the Piscataqua River — with Dover and the rest of the NH Seacoast a short drive further north and west.
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