Nashua, New Hampshire

Nashua is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA. As of the 2000 census, Nashua had a total population of 86,605^[1], making it the second largest city in the state (and in the three northern New England states) after Manchester (pop. 107,219). The estimated population of Nashua in 2007 was 87,150.^[2]

Built around the now-departed textile industry, in recent decades it has been swept up in southern New Hampshire's economic expansion as part of the Boston region. Nashua was twice named "Best Place to Live in America" in annual surveys by Money magazine.^[3] It is the only city to get the No. 1 ranking two times—in 1987 and 1997. Nashua is currently ranked #87, as of summer 2006.^[4] In 2007, the Morgan Quitno Press ranked Nashua as the 27th safest city in the country.

1 History
2 Notable residents
3 Geography
- 3.1 Neighboring cities and towns
4 Demographics
5 Government
6 Economy
7 Transportation
8 Media
9 Education
10 Sports
11 See also
12 References
13 External links

[edit] History

City Hall in 2006

The area was part of a 200-square-mile tract of land in Massachusetts called Dunstable, which had been awarded to Edward Tyng of Dunstable, England. Nashua lies approximately in the center of the original 1673 grant. When New Hampshire separated from Massachusetts in 1741, the state line between them was redrawn. As a consequence, the township of Dunstable was divided in two. Tyngsboro and some of Dunstable remained in Massachusetts, while Dunstable, New Hampshire was incorporated in 1746 from the northern section of the town.

Located at the confluence of the Nashua with the Merrimack River, Dunstable was first settled about 1655 as a fur trading town. But like many 19th century riverfront New England communities, it would be developed during the Industrial Revolution with textile mills operated from water power. By 1836, the Nashua Manufacturing Company had built three cotton mills which produced 9.3 million yards of cloth annually on 710 looms. On December 31st, 1836, Dunstable was renamed Nashua after the Nashua River by a declaration of the New Hampshire legislature. The Nashua River was named by the Nashuway Indians, and in the Penacook language it means "beautiful stream with a pebbly bottom."^[5] The town split in two for eleven years following a tax dispute in 1842 between the area north of the Nashua River, where most of the wealthy lived, and the area south of the river. During that time the northern area called itself Nashville, while the southern part kept the name Nashua. They would eventually reconcile and join together to charter the city of Nashua in 1853. Six railroad lines crossed the mill town, with 56 trains entering and departing daily before the American Civil War.

Like the rival Amoskeag Manufacturing Company upriver in Manchester, the Nashua Manufacturing Company prospered until about World War I, after which it began a slow decline. Water power was replaced with newer forms of energy to run factories. Cotton could be manufactured into fabric where it grew, saving transportation costs. The textile business started moving to the South during the Great Depression, with the last mill closing in 1949. Many citizens were left unemployed. But then Sanders Associates, a newly created defense firm that is now part of BAE Systems, moved into one of the closed mills and launched the city's rebirth. The arrival of Digital Equipment Corp. (now part of Hewlett-Packard) in the 1970s made the city part of the Boston-area high-tech corridor.

Tremont House c. 1908

Canal St. Bridge, c. 1908

The Willows, c. 1910; the road is now Route 101A near Somerset Plaza

Hunt Memorial Library in 2006

[edit] Notable residents

James Collins, MacArthur fellow and professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University
Judd Gregg, senior U.S. Senator of New Hampshire
Randy Harrison, actor
Jack Kerouac, writer - summered at grandparent's Vine Street home
Ray LaMontagne, folk singer
Greg Landry, football player
Jennifer Lavoie, Playboy Playmate
Paul Levesque (Triple H), professional wrestler
John Lovewell, Jr., soldier and early explorer
Alvin Lucier, composer
Mandy Moore, singer
Mike O'Malley, actor
Rico Petrocelli, baseball player

[edit] Geography

Nashua River Dam in 2006

Nashua is located at 42°45′4″N, 71°28′51″W (42.751038, -71.480817).^[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.8 square miles (82.4 km²), of which 30.9 sq mi (80.0 km²) is land and 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²) is water, comprising 2.98% of the town. The eastern boundary of Nashua is formed by the Merrimack River, and the city is drained by the Nashua River and Salmon Brook, tributaries of the Merrimack. The Nashua River roughly bisects the city. The highest point in Nashua is Long Hill in the southern part of the city, at 418 feet (127 m) above sea level.

[edit] Neighboring cities and towns

The city is bordered on the east by the Merrimack River, across which lies the town of Hudson, New Hampshire. To the north is Merrimack, New Hampshire, west is Hollis, New Hampshire, and south is Tyngsboro, Massachusetts.

Merrimack

v • d • e

Hollis

Hudson

Nashua

Dunstable, Massachusetts

Tyngsboro, Massachusetts

[edit] Demographics

Police Station c. 1908

As of the census^[7] of 2000, there were 86,605 people, 34,614 households, and 22,083 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,803.5 people per square mile (1,082.5/km²). There were 35,387 housing units at an average density of 1,145.5/sq mi (442.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.25% White, 2.01% African American, 0.32% Native American, 3.88% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.05% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.22% of the population.

There were 34,614 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.05.

Greeley Park c. 1920

In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,969, and the median income for a family was $61,102. Males had a median income of $43,893 versus $29,171 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,209. About 5.0% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

The city's government is headed by a mayor and fifteen aldermen: six at-large aldermen elected three at a time every four years, and nine ward aldermen, one for each ward in the city, elected every two years.

In the New Hampshire General Court, Nashua is represented in the House by Hillsborough County's 20th (Ward 1), 21st (Ward 2), 22nd (Ward 3), 23rd (Ward 4), 24th (Ward 6), 25th (Ward 7) and 26th (Wards 5, 8 and 9) districts and in the Senate by District 12 (Wards 1, 2, 5 and 9, shared with Hollis, Mason, and Brookline) and District 13 (Wards 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8).

[edit] Economy

Main Street c. 1905

Nashua's downtown is a regional commercial, entertainment, and dining destination. Recent plans have incorporated the Nashua River into the design of a pedestrian-friendly walkway. The Nashua Riverwalk is a large, public/private venture funded through the use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF).

The large commercial districts located on Amherst Street (Route 101A) and Daniel Webster Highway are shopping havens, with the one at Daniel Webster Highway, including the Pheasant Lane Mall, attracting many people from Massachusetts taking advantage of the nonexistence of sales tax in New Hampshire.

The city is home to a number of technical firms, including Nashua Corporation, which took its name from the city and river. Nashua Corp. was a leading producer of floppy disks through the early 1990s, making the Nashua name well-known in the world of personal computers.

Defense contractor BAE Systems (formerly Sanders Associates) and computer firm Hewlett-Packard are the largest representatives of the high-tech industry prominent in the region. The Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center is located in Nashua.

[edit] Transportation

Entrance of Boire Field, Nashua's airport

U.S. Route 3 and the Everett Turnpike are the major highways running through the city. Nashua Municipal Airport (Boire Field), a general aviation facility, is in the city's northwest corner. Public transportation is provided by the Nashua Transit System, which runs a bus line. Efforts are being made to extend the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's commuter rail Lowell Line from Lowell to Nashua.

Maps of the Nashua area often show a stretch of freeway forming a circumferential highway through Nashua and the neighboring town of Hudson. Only a small section of the south end of this highway (Exit 2 off U.S. Route 3) has been built, and it is unclear whether the highway will ever be completed. If finished, the Nashua-Hudson Circumferential Highway would be part of the Everett Turnpike, and would rejoin the mainline highway at a hypothetical Exit 9 in northern Nashua.

Boston Express, a subsidiary of Concord Trailways operates a Nashua-Boston bus line that runs out of the Nashua Welcome Center off of Exit 6 on the Everett Turnpike. This bus line transports passengers to South Station and Logan International Airport in Boston. [1]

[edit] Media

The city has a daily newspaper, the Nashua Telegraph, which is printed in neighboring Hudson, New Hampshire. Nashua also has two weekly newspapers, The Broadcaster and The Hippo. Nashua radio stations include WGHM 900 AM (FOX Sports Radio), talk WSMN 1590 AM, back on the air after going dark in January 2005, and 106.3 WFNQ, a classic hits station owned by Nassau Broadcasting Partners. WEVS 88.3 and 90.3 serve as the stations for New Hampshire Public Radio. One television station is licensed to Nashua: WYCN-LP, a low power, community-based television station branded as tv13 Nashua, with studios located at Rivier College.

[edit] Education

According to the 2000 U.S Census, 22,700 residents over age three currently are enrolled in a Nashua educational institution, approximately a fourth of the city.^[8]

[edit] Colleges

Entrance of Daniel Webster College

Nashua is not considered a college town compared to locales such as Durham, New Hampshire, but as of 2006 the city has 5,000 students enrolled at six colleges: Hesser College - Nashua, Southern New Hampshire University Nashua campus, Franklin Pierce College Nashua campus, Daniel Webster College, the New Hampshire Community Technical Colleges (Nashua campus), and Rivier College.

[edit] Secondary schools

In 2005, Nashua's public high school was split into Nashua High School South (home of the Panthers, opened in 1976 and rebuilt/reopened in 2004) and the new Nashua High School North (home of the Titans, opened in 2002) off Broad Street.

The city has two private religious high schools: Bishop Guertin High School, a coeducational Catholic high school, and Nashua Christian Academy, a coeducational K-12 Christian school.

Mount Saint Mary Seminary, a high school for girls, merged with Bishop Guertin High School (formerly all-boys) in the fall of 1992, forming a single, expanded co-ed school.

[edit] Middle schools

Pennichuck Middle School

[edit] Elementary schools

Bicentennial Elementary School

[edit] Sports

Nashua's only professional sports team is a Can-Am minor league baseball team: The Nashua Pride, which has played at Holman Stadium since 1998. Before the Pride, Holman was the home stadium for the independent Nashua Hawks; the AA Nashua Pirates; the AA Nashua Angels; and the A Nashua Dodgers, the first racially integrated professional baseball team in the 20th century.^[9]

In collegiate sports, Nashua is home to the Daniel Webster College Eagles and Rivier College Raiders, who compete in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference or GNAC.

The Spartans Drum and Bugle Corps (1997, 1998, 2004, and 2007 Drum Corps International Division II World Champions) is based in Nashua.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ "Nashua city, New Hampshire - Population Finder - American FactFinder", December 2006
^ "2007 Population Estimates of New Hampshire Cities and Towns". NH Office of Energy and Planning (June 2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-03.
^ "Not the best, but not too shabby", Nashua Telegraph, July 18, 2006.
^ "Best places to live: 2006, ranks 76-90"
^ NashuaHistory.com
^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ "Profile of Selected Social Characteristics. 2000", U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) - Sample Data.
^ Gray, Kevin (2005-10-06). Don Newcombe diversity dinner speaker Jan. 16. New Hampshire Cultural Diversity Awareness Council. Retrieved on 2007-10-20. “As members of the Nashua Dodgers, Campanella and Newcombe were the first professional, African-American baseball players to compete on a racially integrated U.S. team in the 20th century.”

[edit] External links

Nashua, New Hampshire is at coordinates 42°45′28″N 71°27′50″W / 42.7578, -71.4640 (Nashua, New Hampshire)Coordinates: 42°45′28″N 71°27′50″W / 42.7578, -71.4640 (Nashua, New Hampshire)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire

County seat: Manchester & Nashua

Cities	Manchester \| Nashua

Towns	Amherst \| Antrim \| Bedford \| Bennington \| Brookline \| Deering \| Francestown \| Goffstown \| Greenfield \| Greenville \| Hancock \| Hillsborough \| Hollis \| Hudson \| Litchfield \| Lyndeborough \| Mason \| Merrimack \| Milford \| Mont Vernon \| New Boston \| New Ipswich \| Pelham \| Peterborough \| Sharon \| Temple \| Weare \| Wilton \| Windsor

Villages	East Merrimack \| Pinardville