About our New Hampshire news
Latest news on New Hampshire, covering NH politics, the Granite State economy, housing, education, Kelly Ayotte, Concord, Manchester, Nashua and Portsmouth.
New Hampshire, known as the Granite State, is a New England state of around 1.4 million people, bordered by Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, and the Canadian province of Quebec. Its capital is Concord, and Manchester is its largest city, with Nashua, Portsmouth, Dover and Derry among other significant towns. Republican Governor Kelly Ayotte leads state government, and New Hampshire holds an outsized national political role as the traditional home of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
Housing affordability is the defining challenge facing New Hampshire, with median home prices remaining above $500,000 and nearly half of renters spending more than 30% of their income on housing. The 2026 legislative session in Concord has seen fierce debate over zoning reform, childcare provision, education funding, mental health insurance, and immigration enforcement, including a ban on sanctuary cities that came into force at the start of 2026. A high-profile open Senate seat, left vacant by the retirement of long-serving Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, is driving competitive races ahead of the state primary on 8 September 2026 and the general election on 3 November 2026.
New Hampshire's political culture is among the most participatory in the United States, with a 400-member state House of Representatives that ranks among the largest legislative chambers in the world. The state motto "Live Free or Die" reflects a deep tradition of individual liberty and scepticism of broad taxation. There is no general state income tax or sales tax, which has long attracted businesses and residents from neighbouring states, fuelling population growth while intensifying pressure on housing and public services.
Settled by Europeans in the 1620s, New Hampshire was one of the original thirteen colonies and the first state to establish its own independent government, in January 1776, predating the Declaration of Independence by months. Its industrial heritage, centred on the textile mills of Manchester and Nashua along the Merrimack River, gave way over the 20th century to an economy built on technology, healthcare, and financial services. Proximity to Boston, combined with a relatively low tax burden, has sustained population growth even as rising costs put pressure on many Granite State families.
From Statehouse politics and Senate races to housing debates, crime, healthcare access, and environmental issues affecting the White Mountains and Great Bay, New Hampshire generates a constant stream of consequential news. The ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ New Hampshire feed draws together the latest headlines from across the Granite State, giving residents, businesses, and anyone following NH current affairs a single, constantly updated source for all the news that matters.