Rochester

Rochester, city, Strafford county, southeastern New Hampshire, U.S., on the Cocheco and Salmon Falls rivers, just northwest of Dover. Named for Lawrence Hyde, 1st earl of Rochester, it was incorporated as a town (township) in 1722, but no settlement was made until 1728. Chartered as a city in 1891, it now embraces Gonic and East Rochester. Early settlers were lumbermen, traders, and hunters. After fires destroyed local timberlands (1761–62), the people turned to farming. The...