Welcome to Rochester ...
The city of Rochester is located in Strafford County<1>.
Rochester was established in 1749.
When the people of Rochester refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Rochesterian<2>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Rochester has a population of 31,602 people<3> (see below for details).
The community of Rochester is 180 feet [55 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Rochester lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
The telephone area code for Rochester: (603)
The ZIP code for Rochester: 03867<5>
Websites for Rochester ...
Official Website: www.rochesternh.net/
Chamber of Commerce: www.rochesternh.org/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Rochester had an population of 31,602 people. This is an increase of 6.22% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 11.04% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Rochester had a population of 29,752 people (which is 24.16% of the total population of Strafford County). This makes Rochester the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Rochester represents 2.26% of the total population of New Hampshire (which has 1,316,470 people), making it the state's 6th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 29,752 people, the population of Rochester increased 4.54% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 28,461 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Rochester.
Communities Also Named Rochester ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 32 communities that are also named Rochester - they are located in Alberta, California, Illinois (2), Indiana, Iowa, Kansas (6), Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana (2), Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio (4), Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Rochester.
Communities near Rochester ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Rochester.
- Dover
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Dover is located in Strafford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 32,443 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dover <6>
- Portsmouth
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portsmouth
- Portsmouth is located in Rockingham County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,557 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Portsmouth <6>
- Sanford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanford
- Sanford is located in York County (ME)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,253 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sanford <6>
- Durham
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Durham have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
- Durham is located in Strafford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,441 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Durham <6>
- York
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for York have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- York is located in York County (ME)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,329 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for York <6>
- Somersworth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somersworth
- Somersworth is located in Strafford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,286 people
- Former names for Somersworth:
- Great Falls
- Summersworth
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Somersworth <6>
- Wells
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wells have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
- Wells is located in York County (ME)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,819 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wells <6>
- Kittery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kittery
- Kittery is located in York County (ME)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,876 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kittery <6>
- Barrington
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington
- Barrington is located in Strafford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,231 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barrington <6>
- Newmarket
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmarket
- Newmarket is located in Rockingham County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,207 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newmarket <6>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Rochester. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Rochester.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Rochester. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rochester.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Rochester. Our list includes 10 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Rochester.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Rochester ...
Looking for more information about Rochester? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Rochester, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Rochester.
Adding Rochester to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Rochester in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Rochester was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Rochester post office opened in 1812.
We also found Rochester in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (Oct. 1846).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Rochester.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Rochester: www.rochesternh.net/
The official website for Strafford County: www.co.strafford.nh.us/
The official website for State of New Hampshire: https://www.nh.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of New Hampshire's counties, including Strafford, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Rochester refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a city's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Rochester may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Rochester. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Rochester - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Rochester). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Rochester or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |