The Lilac City is one of New Hampshire’s largest municipalities and Rochester along its neighbors, Dover and Somersworth, comprise the Tri-Cities of the Seacoast region. Known as Squanamagonic to the Abenaki, the land Rochester sits on today was organized by the Massachusetts colony in the early 1720s and formally settled later that decade. Rochester’s development was initially spurred by the lumber industry, owing to its key location on the Cocheco and Salmon Falls rivers, but took on other industries as the city grew and gained connectivity to a growing railroad network in the 19th century. Rochester and Strafford County’s populations grew throughout the 20th century as the Seacoast region became more accessible to Greater Boston. The city’s economic development initiatives have generated growth in high tech and manufacturing alongside ongoing downtown revitalization. SRPC’s offices are located within the Rochester’s Community Center with other entities such as the recreation department, senior center and Rochester Museum of Fine Arts.