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Major
Businesses & Industries
Newington
is known mainly for its high profile malls that are situated at
the epicenter of the Seacoast region's retail market. Newington's
one million square feet  of
mall space is surpassed in New Hampshire only by the mallage of
Nashua and Manchester. Salem NH Town Planner Ross
Moldoff, no stranger to retail development, claims
that Newington has some of the most aesthetically pleasing mallage
in the state.
Less visible
are Newington's industries. For the most part, they pre-date the
malls and pay better wages. These industries include Tyco's
450,000 square foot fiber optic cable manufacturing plant, Westinghouse's
66,000 square foot nuclear  reactor
manufacturing plant, Georgia
Pacific's 300,000 square foot wallboard plant, several
bulk storage tank farms owned by Sprague
Energy and Sea-3, Inc. that boast a combined storage capacity in excess of three million
barrels, and Thermo
Electron's (formerly called Neslab) 130,000 square foot instrumentation plant.
Neslab alumni may be contacted via a web
site dedicated to present and former employees of the company.
Newington is
one of New Hampshire's largest exporters of electricity. The 406
megawatt PSNH
Newington Station burns gas and oil. A second electrical generating
plant was recently  constructed:
Newington
Energy's 525 megawatt gas-fired plant. The Town's
industrial district has ample room for more such plants, along with
an abundant supply of natural gas, cooling water, and proximity
to the electrical transmission grid. The response of Town officials
to power plant proposals has been notably positive. One benefit
of the latest generation of gas-fired power plants is that these facilities
produce electricity less expensively, more efficiently, and with
significantly lower emissions than do older coal and oil burning
plants. The older plants will be hard-pressed to compete, and some
will shut down. The net result will be cleaner air and lower electric
bills.
Lately, Newington
has also been attracting several high-tech businesses, a result
of  the
region's e-coast
phenomenon. High-tech companies such as Wilcox Industries moved into Newington's Industrial
District, while the pioneering bioinformatic firm Informagen
blends nicely into Newington's rural landscape. The Town has recently
made more land available for high-tech development.
Newington's
success in attracting industrial development owes to several factors:
- unparalleled
access to water frontage along New Hampshire's only deep-water
port
- a complete
array of public utilities including gas, sewer, water, telecommunication
lines, and an ample supply of electricity
- convenient
access (i.e. two miles or less) to Interstate 95, the Spaulding
Turnpike, the Boston & Maine Railroad, and an 11,000' long
public airstrip at Pease
- a strictly
enforced zoning ordinance has prevented incompatible land uses
from interfering with industrial operations.
- an abundant
supply of attractive homesites that are only a one hour drive
to the urban amenities of Boston, a two hour drive to the ski
slopes of New Hampshire's White Mountains, and a fifteen minute
drive to several ocean beaches.
For more information
on industrial development opportunities, contact Town Planner Tom
Morgan at 603-436-1252, or via email.
Gourmet
Restaurants
A
constellation of fine restaurants grace Newington's mall district.
In fact, a patron of international cuisine can travel the world
without ever leaving sight of the Fox
Run Mall. From the Ixtapa Cantina Mexican Family Restaurant ("The best of old Mexico's recipes") to the more traditional  faux-Canadian
fare of Bug-A-Boo
Creek (originally headquartered in Rhode Island,
and subsequently purchased by an Atlanta-based conglomerate), Newington's
culinary treats span the globe. Even the local pancake emporium
is aptly named International
House of Pancakes.
Newington's
other notable chain restaurants include the Italian themed Olive
Garden (from Florida), TGIFriday's
(replacing the much lamented departure of Red
Lobster, also Florida-based), the ubiquitous McDonald's,
and Silicon Valley based Chuck-E-Cheese.
The Fox Run Mall's food court features a constantly evolving array
of nationally known, fast-food emporiums ranging from Taco
Bell and Burger
King to the usual purveyors of cookies and frozen
yogurt. For the region's finest in Chinese and Polynesian cuisine,
and Newington's best karaoke, don't miss the Asia
at 99 River Road.
Don't forget to check out the Tampa-based Outback
Steakhouse which recently opened in Newington Park,
mid-way between the malls. Although this Australian-themed restaurant has yet to actually make landfall in Australia, we did notice one in the southern Brazilian city of Niteroi.
But wait... that's not all. In 2003, Newington attracted three new franchise eateries: Pizzeria Uno (Italian themed restaurant #2) and Smokey Bones (Southern-syle cuisine), both of which established themselves at the corner of Woodbury Avenue and Piscataqua Drive. Smokey went head-to-head with the locally owned Muddy River Smokehouse in downtown Portsmouth. While some may argue that Muddy has better food at lower prices, Smokey's soon captured the larger and more discerning mall crowd. Too bad Muddy.
Acutally, it was too bad Smokey. The chain went under in 2007 despite the success of the Newington franchise. Pizzeria Uno went down the same year, with the Newington operation leading the way.
While we're on the subject, it should be noted that Outback moved on as well.
Going head-to-head with Bugaboo is steakhouse #3: Longhorn's at the site of Midas Muffler. Well, so much for your lifetime muffler warranty.
In late 2003, Fresh City opened its doors adjacent to Old Navy at the Crossings. Fresh City offers a fresh, wholesome alternative to fast food. They currently have several restaurants in Massachusetts and this one in Newington. Their menu, which they call "Genuine American Cuisine", is inspired by the cultural diversity of America.
Quite by chance,
Newington was home for several years to one non-franchisee that somehow slipped
into town beneath the zoning radar screen. Currants Cafe was nestled within the Great
Bay Marine complex off of Beane's  Lane.
Although Currants boasted no far-off corporate parent, and Currants'
menu lacked the international cachet of other Newington dining spots,
the food was prepared daily from fresh ingredients. Despite Currants'
inconvenient location for patrons of Walmart
and the malls, the cafe was nevertheless quite popular,
and boasted a loyal clientele. Alas, steadily rising rents drove the cafe north to Somersworth where the new establishment goes by the name 45 Market Street Bakery & Cafe.
Meanwhile, steakhouse #4 appeared on the horizon in mid-2007. The folks at the Tennessee-based Texas Roadhouse opened to huge crowds at the  corner of Woordbury Avenue and Fox Run Road. Yee-Haw!
Early in 2008, two more franchise eateries arrived at the Crossings, complete with sidewalk seating to provide a little Parisian ambiance. By all accounts, Chipotle (a nationwide purveyor of "gourmet burritos and tacos") and Cold Stone Creamery ("the ultimate ice cream experience") are thriving in the heart of Newington's mall district. The Newington Chipotle is that company's only New Hampshire location, and is the chain's most northeasterly outpost.
You may be wondering, how did Newington draw such a stellar array of gourmet eateries? As much as we would like to take credit for this feat, it must be conceded that a state agency, the Pease Development Authority, played a key role. When the Air Force departed Pease, the State of New Hampshire undertook the largest real estate development project in it's history. The result: a 6,000 employee office park with few places to eat lunch on-site. At noontime, five days a week, hundreds of Pease-ites hop into their motor vehicles and head down Gosling Road seeking sustenance. Moral of the story: It's hard to put a lid on sprawl, traffic, and air pollution when State government keeps pushing the other way.
News,
Opinion & Entertainment
The Newington Neighbor, published four times
annually, has served up local news longer than anyone can remember.
The Neighbor welcomes all news submittals
and of course, your subscription.
Fosters' Daily Democrat is not the only daily newspaper in
the region, but its website is still light years ahead of that of
its chief competitor.
New
Hampshire Gazette,
the nation's oldest newspaper, and one of New
Hampshire's more opinionated ones, is now online. The Gazette features
a comprehensive tide chart, regular updates on flag violations,
and news and opinions on all the latest issues of interest and importance.
Portsmouthnh.com
describes itself as the City Guide to Portsmouth & the Seacoast.
This site is one of Portsmouth's earliest and most comprehensive
sites, however the dining section inexplicably snubs Newington's
extensive array of franchise eateries.
Seacoastnh.com
is similar to portsmouthnh.com, but it covers the local arts scene
and the region's history in greater depth. Alas, despite its links
to over 200 local restaurants, this site also ignores Newington's
fine dining establishments.
The
Region
The City
of Dover
had one of the first municipal web sites in New Hampshire. It is
still one of the best. The City
of Portsmouth's site
came along two years later. The site is a good source for information
on Portsmouth area resources.
The Pease
Development Authority recently
updated their web site. The agency used to issue press
releases touting their numerous achievements.
Has aircraft noise
been bugging you lately? Call the official Pease Development
Authority (PDA) noise hotline at 436-6333 to lodge your complaint
with a machine. Alternately, call the Airport Manager during PDA office hours at 433-6536.
Wildlife
Refuge
When the
Air Force announced in 1988 that they would be closing Pease AFB
within three years, NH State officials strong-armed their way onto
the scene and attempted to seize the entire 4,253 acre facility,
two thirds of which had been part of Newington since the early seventeenth
century. In fact, to make way for the Air Force in 1952, nearly
half of Newington's population lost their homes.
Pease's six
mile shoreline along Great Bay and Little Bay was of particular
concern, for its fate would determine the future character of much of the
estuary. Would the shoreline be preserved in its natural
state? Or would it be lined with pricey McMansions? Newington officials
soon engaged State government in an epic
struggle for control of Pease's shoreline.
The State's
power was formidable. In their corner was the Bechtel Corporation, professional lobbyists, various political lackeys, entrenched bureaucrats,
well-heeled real estate developers, US Senator Warren Rudman, and
Congressman William Zeliff.
On the other
hand, Newington's proposal for a refuge had widespread support among
Seacoast residents, active backing from environmental organizations
throughout New Hampshire, and support from US Senator Gordon Humphrey
and NH House Speaker Douglas Scamman. The cause was assisted by
a massive letter
writing campaign from school children throughout
the seacoast. The letters were directed to President George H. W.
Bush.
In the end,
Newington succeeded in persuading the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service to step in and protect
this land from our State government . Our special
emissary to the Pentagon then succeeded in convincing the Air Force
to agree to the land transfer. The Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge,
the first such refuge in New Hampshire, was formally dedicated on
October 9, 1992.
The 1,100 acre
refuge boasts several hiking trails. The trail heads can be reached
by motor vehicle via Arboretum Drive, or by bicycle
along Arboretum or through Newington's Old Town Center Historic District.
The refuge is well worth a visit.
State
Government
Most
of our state government is
located in Concord. The latest re-districting has left Newington
with seven state legislators. Their names, telephone
numbers, and voting
records are available on-line. |
