Nashua is the second largest city in New Hampshire and is the center of a diverse and dynamic region of more than 175,000 people. It is endowed with urban amenities as well as the charm of the traditional New England landscape. The combination of an excellent quality of life and proximity to Boston, the seacoast, and the White Mountains makes Nashua an attractive growth center for New England.

Incorporated: 1746

Origin: Originally part of a grant to Edward Tyng of Dunstable, England, the 200 square mile area, called Dunstable, included Nashua, Tyngsboro MA, and other border towns. In 1741 the town was cut in half when the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border was established. The northern half kept the name Dunstable. In 1836 the town took the Nashua River s name, a Nashaway Indian word for  beautiful river with a pebbly bottom. Nashua became a manufacturing center, powered by the Middlesex Canal which connected the Merrimack River to Boston. It was incorporated as a city in 1853.

Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 632 residents in 1790

Population Trends: Although Nashua ranked first in numeric population increase over fifty years, the rates of growth were at or below the statewide average. Decennial growth rates ranged from a nine percent increase between 1990-2000 to a 43 percent increase between 1960-1970. Nashua's population grew by 51,936 residents between the 1950 count of 34,669 and the 2000 count of 86,605. The 2003 Census estimate for Nashua was 87,285 residents, which ranked second among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns.

Population Density, 2003: 2,843.5 persons per square mile of land area, the second highest density. Nashua contains 30.8 square miles of land area and 1.0 square miles of inland water area.

Villages and Place Names: Broad Acres, Lincoln Park, Dunstable, Crown Hill