Nashua is a city located in Southern New Hampshire in the Merrimack Valley region of the state. It is situated in the Southern part of Hillsborough County and encompasses a total area of 31.8 square miles, .9 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, Nashua was home to 86,494 people.
The land that comprises Nashua was originally a part of the Dunstable land grant in Massachusetts, given to Edward Tyng. When New Hampshire and Massachusetts were officially separated in 1741, the grant was divided. It was incorporated as a town in 1746, keeping the name Dunstable. In wasn’t until 1836 when the town changed its name to Nashua, after the Nashua River. In 1853, it was incorporated as a city.
Nearly 3 percent of Nashua’s total area is made up of water. The city includes parts of the Merrimack River, Nashua River and Salmon Brook. Its highest point lies at Gilboa Hill, where elevation reaches 426 feet above sea level, and neighboring towns include Amherst, Merrimack, Litchfield, Hollis, Hudson and several Massachusetts towns. Over the years, Nashua has been home to a number of notable people, including: writer Jack Kerouac; entertainers Mike O’Malley, Mandy Moore and Ray LaMontagne; U.S. Senators Judd Gregg and Kelly Ayotte; and athletes Greg Landry, Rico Petrocelli, Kendall Reyes, John Roper and Birdie Tebbetts.
Nashua is governed by an elected mayor and board of aldermen. The city boasts a full-time police department, a municipal fire department and municipal emergency medical services. Top employers in the area include BAE Systems North America, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, Nashua School District, St. Joseph Hospital & Trauma Center, City of Nashua, Amphenol, U.S. Post Office, Oracle Corporation, Federal Aviation Administration and Benchmark Electronics.
Children in the area attend schools in the Nashua School District. For recreation and entertainment, Nashua residents can take advantage of the city’s parks, golf courses, swimming pools, tennis courts, ice skating rinks, bowling facilities, museums, movie theatres, performing arts facilities, youth organizations, sports leagues, fishing and hunting areas, boating marinas and bicycle trails.