| Incorporated: 1746 |
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| Origin: Originally part of a 1673 grant to Edward Tyng of Dunstable, England, the 200 square mile area, called Dunstable, included Nashua, Tyngsboro MA, and all or part of ten other towns. In 1741, Dunstable 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” and ""land between two rivers."" In 1842, the town was divided again, with the section north of the Nashua River incorporated as Nashville. The two sections rejoined when Nashua was incorporated as a city in 1853. Nashua became a manufacturing center, powered by the Middlesex Canal, which connected the Merrimack River to Boston. |
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| Villages and Place Names: Nashville Historic District, French Hill, Crown Hill, North End. |
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| Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 632 residents in 1790 |
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| Population Trends: Population change for Nashua, including resident students, totaled 35,585 over 50 years, from55,820 in 1970 to 91,405 in 2020, the largest 50-year numeric change among the cities and towns. The largest decennial percent change was a 22 percent increase from 1970 to 1980. The city's population increased six percent from 2010 to 2020. The 2023 Census estimate for Nashua was 91,003 residents, which ranked second among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns. |
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| Population Density and Land Area: 2023 (US Census Bureau): 2,954.6 persons per square mile of land area. Nashua contains 30.8 square miles of land area and 1 square miles of inland water area. |
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