Windham is a town located in Southeastern New Hampshire in the Merrimack Valley region of the state. It is situated in the Southwestern part of Rockingham County and encompasses a total area of 27.9 square miles, 1.1 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, Windham was home to 13,592 people.
The land that comprises Windham was originally home to tribes of the Pawtucket Indians. Scottish immigrants began to settle in the area in 1719 and, by 1721, some had petitioned to separate and incorporate as their own town. In 1742, their demand was met, and Governor Benning Wentworth officially incorporated the area as Windham, in honor of the second Earl of Egremont, Charles Wyndham.
Nearly 4 percent of Windham’s total area is made up water. Its highest point lies at Jenny’s Hill, where elevation reaches 505 feet above sea level, and neighboring towns include Pelham, Londonderry and Salem. Notable sites in the Windham area include Searles Schools, Searles castle and Armstrong Memorial Building. The town is just 20 miles from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
Windham is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. The town boasts a full-time police department, a municipal fire department and municipal emergency medical services. Top employers in the area include Shaw’s Supermarket, Cyr Lumber, Windham Terrace Communities, AJ Letizio Foods, AP Daily, Park Place Lanes, Warde Supported Residential Care, Castleton Banquet & Conference Center, George R. Cairns & Sons and Fences Unlimited Inc.
Children in the area attend schools in the Windham School District which includes two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. For recreation and entertainment, Windham residents can enjoy the town’s parks, golf courses, tennis courts, bowling facilities, museums, performing arts facilities, youth organizations, sports leagues, fishing and hunting areas, boating marinas, snowmobile and bicycle trails, cross country skiing and local beaches and waterfront areas. The town also boasts a recreation department which offers community events, athletic programs, babysitting courts, crafts, fitness classes and more.