Pelham is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,222 at the 2020 census, up from 12,897 at the 2010 census.

History

Pelham was split from Old Dunstable in 1741, when the border between Massachusetts and New Hampshire was settled. It was incorporated in 1746. The town is named after Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle.

Geography

Pelham is in southern New Hampshire, in the southeastern corner of Hillsborough County. It is New Hampshire's southernmost town, and the easternmost in the county. It is 7 mi north of Lowell, Massachusetts, 9 mi west of Lawrence, Massachusetts, and 9 miles east of Nashua, New Hampshire. Pelham contains the southernmost point in the state of New Hampshire, at 42.69694°N, -71.29444°W, a location known as the "Old Boundary Pine", named for a pine tree that marked the difference in definition of the northern boundary of Massachusetts. This point is 3 mi due north of Pawtucket Falls in Lowell, and marks the point where the straight-line border to the west meets the 3-mile buffer defined by the Merrimack River. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Pelham has a total area of 69.6 km2, of which 68.2 km2 are land and 1.4 km2, or 2.01%, are water. Nearly all of the town is drained by Beaver Brook, which flows south to the Merrimack River in Lowell, Massachusetts. Small sections of town along its eastern border are drained by other minor tributaries of the Merrimack. The highest point in Pelham is Jeremy Hill, at 577 ft above sea level near the town's western border.

Adjacent municipalities

Demographics

The earliest census data shows the town of Pelham having a population of 543 residents in 1767. As of the census of 2000, there were 10,914 people, 3,606 households, and 2,982 families residing in the town. The population density was 412.9 PD/sqmi. There were 3,740 housing units at an average density of 141.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was: Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population. (U.S. average: 12.5%) In 2000, there were 3,606 households, with an average household size of 3.03 and an average family size of 3.33. In 2000, the town's population had a median age of 36 years (U.S. average: 35.3). For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $68,608. (U.S. average: $41,994). The median income for a family was $73,365. (U.S. average: $50,046). Males had a median income of $47,685 versus $33,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,158. About 1.6% of families (U.S. average: 9.2%) and 3.0% of the population (U.S. average: 12.4%) were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools are managed by the Pelham School District, School Administrative Unit #28, whose boundaries are coterminous with the boundaries of the town. The superintendent is Dr. Chip McGee. The schools in the district are: St. Patrick School was at one time a parochial school in the town.

Pelham government

Pelham is governed by a board of selectmen:

Transportation

Pelham is crossed by three New Hampshire state routes: The closest Interstate highway is Interstate 93, which is accessed 6 mi northeast of the center of Pelham in neighboring Salem. Pelham appears on that highway's signs for Exit 2. The U.S. Route 3 freeway that runs through Nashua is 8 mi west of the center of Pelham, and Interstate 495 in Massachusetts is 9 mi south of Pelham, on the south side of Lowell. Pelham has no air or rail transport within the town limits. The nearest commercial airport is Manchester–Boston Regional Airport along the border of Londonderry and Manchester. The nearest rail service is the Lowell Line of the MBTA Commuter Rail which can be accessed at the Charles A. Gallagher Transit Terminal in Lowell. The nearest Amtrak station is Haverhill Station in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Parks

Muldoon Park

The park is located northwest of the center of Pelham at 305 Mammoth Road (NH 128), just north of Nashua Road. The park's land area is surrounded by NH 128, two roads that branch off it, and a minor road which intersects NH 111A. Muldoon Park offers many short walking trails, four variously sized baseball fields (ranging from t-ball to official), a soccer field, and a play area. Most of the trails lead to the park's two ponds, local roads and houses or to Beaver Brook, a small river. The town of Pelham completed an 18-hole disc golf course here, stretching over a quarter-mile, in September 2007. The Pelham Parks and Recreation department has recently added two non-official sized baseball fields to the southwest corner of the park. There is now an 18-hole disc golf course at this park, that includes a spot to hold gatherings. Many players from surrounding towns enjoy a round of disc golf set in the woods adjacent to the sport fields.

Notable people