Exeter, New Hampshire

Founded in 1638 by the Reverend John Wheelwright and originally the capital of New Hampshire, Exeter is a classic small New England town on a river that flows to the sea. Nicely located one hour from Boston, twenty minutes to the ocean, and two hours from the White Mountains. Beautiful in all four seasons but perhaps most of all in the fall, it is the home of Phillips Exeter Academy, one of the world’s best high schools, which educates about a thousand students, both boarders from across the United States and around the world, and day students from Exeter and the rest of the Seacoast area.

New Hampshire is known mostly for its beautiful scenery, low taxes, and “Live Free or Die” motto but every four years it becomes the center of American politics as presidential candidates campaign for its first in the nation primary. Exeter, because of its proximity to Boston, iconic Town Hall, and politically active population, receives as many candidate visits per capita as any town in New Hampshire (and therefore as any town in the entire country).