Derry, New Hampshire

Although it was first settled by Scots-Irish families in 1719, Derry was not incorporated until 1827. It was originally a part of Londonderry, as were Windham and portions of Manchester, Salem and Hudson. The town was named after the city of Derry in Ireland,[4] the Irish word Doire meaning "oak grove.” The first potato planted in the United States was sown in Derry in the town’s common field in 1719.[5] The town is the location of two of America's oldest private schools, Pinkerton Academy, founded in 1814 and still in operation, and the closed Adams Female Seminary.

Derry was once a linen[6] and leather-making center until New England textile industries moved south in the 20th century. As recently as World War II, Derry was also a sleepy farming community. From 1900 to 1911, poet Robert Frost lived with his family on a farm in Derry purchased for him by his grandfather. The Robert Frost Farm is now a National Historic Landmark and state park and is open to the public for tours, poetry readings and other cultural events from spring through fall.[7]

The post-war suburban boom, the town's proximity to Boston in the south and Manchester to the northwest, and the construction of Interstate 93 through town led to a huge population boom. Although this growth has slowed somewhat, the population of Derry still increased by 15 percent during the 1990s.

The Manchester and Lawrence branch of the B&M ran through Derry, but is now abandoned. The New Hampshire Department of Transportation stated in its I-93 corridor transit study[8] and its 2012 statewide rail plan[9] that it could be feasible to reopen the line.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.5 square miles (94.5 km²), of which 35.6 square miles (92.2 km²) are land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) are water, comprising 2.39% of the town.[10] Derry is drained by Beaver Brook. The highest point in the town is Warner Hill, at 605 feet (184 m) above sea level, where from the top one can see the Boston skyline on a clear day. Derry lies almost fully within the Merrimack River watershed, with a small section along the northern border of town lying in the Piscataqua River watershed.[11]

Derry is crossed by Interstate 93 and New Hampshire routes 28, 28 Bypass, and 102.

The urban center of the town is located near the town's western border at the intersection of Routes 102 and 28, and the village of East Derry is located approximately 2 miles (3 km) to the east and close to the geographic center of the town. Both settlements are part of the Derry census-designated place.

As of the census of 2010,[14] there were 33,109 people, 12,537 households, and 8,767 families residing in the town. The population density was 924.8 people per square mile (357.2/km²). There were 13,277 housing units at an average density of 143.2/km² (370.9/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 94.5% White, 1.0% African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.9% some other race, and 1.7% from two or more races. 3.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,537 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% had a married couple living together, 12.2% had a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 30.1% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62, and the average family size was 3.10.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.

At the 2000 census the median income for a household in the town was $54,634, and the median income for a family was $61,625. Males had a median income of $41,271 versus $30,108 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,315. 4.6% of the population and 3.3% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 5.0% were under the age of 18 and 7.1% were 65 or older.

Derry is home to three media sources, the weekly Derry News, which is owned by The Eagle-Tribune, the weekly Nutfield News, which is locally owned by Nutfield Publishing, and television station WWJE-DT, owned by Univision Communications. Derry is located within the Boston television market and the Manchester radio market. Derry Community Television is the town's public-access television station on local cable TV.

Tsienneto Boat Club c. 1910

• Samantha Brown, host of Travel Channel[16]
• Caleb Chapman, musician[17]
• Charles Cogswell Doe, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Hampshire, born in Derry[18]
• Tricia Dunn-Luoma, hockey player; Olympic gold medalist[19]
• Charles Miller Floyd, 51st governor of New Hampshire[20]
• Robert Frost, poet[21]
• Brendan James, singer-songwriter and pianist
• Priscilla Lane, actress
• David Nelson, world-record-holding video game competitor
• William Patterson, U.S. congressman[22]
• Joe Seiders, musician
• Alan B. Shepard Jr., astronaut, first American in space, and as a member of Apollo 14 one of 12 people to have walked on the Moon
• Pamela Smart, convicted conspirator to murder
• John Stark, Continental Army major general in the Revolutionary War
• Aaron Fletcher Stevens, brigadier general and U.S. congressman
• Matt Taven, professional wrestler
• Paul Thompson, hockey player
• Matthew Thornton, signer of the Declaration of Independence
• Nikki Tilroe, performer and puppeteer
• Ryan Tuerck, Formula Drift driver

• Adams Memorial Building[23]
• Derry Historical Society and Museum [24]
• Robert Frost Farm, National Historic Landmark
• Taylor Mill State Historic Site [25]
• Rockingham Recreational Trail,[26] rail trail to Fremont

• Town of Derry by Town Historian Richard Holmes
• Rev. Edward L. Parker, History of Londonderry, Comprising the Towns of Londonderry and Derry; Perkins & Whipple; Boston 1851
• A. J. Coolidge & J. B. Mansfield, A History & Description of New England; Boston, Massachusetts 1859

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Derry, New Hampshire.

• Town of Derry official website
• Derry Public Library
• Derry News, covering Derry and Londonderry
• Nutfield News
• Derry Community Television
• New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile