Nashua: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

Among the Nashua School District's special offerings are nursery school and kindergarten, special education, English as a Second Language, an enrichment program, classes for the learning disabled and handicapped, and adult education. The district's "Credit Recovery" program offers learning additional opportunities to high school students at risk of dropping out. A number of Nashua schools have been "adopted" by local companies that provide tutoring, career guidance, field trips, minicourses, and faculty training. In the 2002–2003 school year the district opened two new schools: Nashua High School North and the Academy of Learning & Technology.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Nashua School District #42 as of the 2003–2004 school year.

Total enrollment: 13,325

Number of facilities elementary schools: 12

junior high/middle schools: 4 senior high schools: 2

Student/teacher ratio: 15:1

Teacher salaries average: $43,969

Funding per pupil: $7,433

Private and parochial schools in Nashua include Small World Country Day School, Bishop Guertin School, Nashua Catholic Regional Junior High School, and St. Christopher School.

Public Schools Information: Nashua School District #42, 141 Ledge St., Nashua, NH 03061-0687; telephone (603)594-4300

Colleges and Universities

Daniel Webster College, founded as a junior college in 1965, now offers bachelor's and associate's degrees in aeronautics, computer science, business, and engineering. The college abuts the Nashua Airport, where aeronautics students intern. The college's MBA program is designed specifically for working adults. New Hampshire Community Technical College, which is supported by the state, offers associate's and applied science degrees, as well as technical and business certificates. The college is one of seven in the state vocational-technical college system. Rivier College, a private Catholic institution, awards associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees in 20 areas of study, including business, education, liberal arts, sciences, nursing, and paralegal support. Its nursing program is affiliated with St. Joseph Hospital. Satellite campuses of many larger area colleges are located in Nashua.

Libraries and Research Centers

The Nashua Public Library maintains the state's second largest collection and circulates more items than any other library in New Hampshire. Its collection comprises more than 200,000 volumes. Extensive reference, business, and periodical sections are supplemented by computerized research services, a large media collection, and an active program for children. The library also has materials in more than 24 foreign languages. Public computer terminals provide access to the Internet, research databases, and software applications. The Chandler Branch Library and a bookmobile complete the public library system.

The Anne Bridge Baddour Library at Daniel Webster College maintains a collection of print, media, and electronic resources. Specialized resources are available to supplement all of the college's academic fields. Rivier College's Regina Library includes three floors of books, meeting rooms, a reference room, and an "electronic classroom" for hands-on instruction sessions. Other special libraries include those of Nashua Corporation and Sanders—A Lockheed Martin Company.

Public Library Information: Nashua Public Library, 2 Court Street, Nashua, NH 03060-3465; telephone (603)589-4600

Nashua: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Population (PMSA)

1990: 168,233

2000: 190,949

Percent change, 1990–2000: 13.5%

U.S. rank in 1990: 5th (CMSA)

U.S. rank in 2000: 7th (CMSA)

City Residents

1980: 67,865

1990: 79,662

2000: 86,605

2003 estimate: 87,285

Percent change, 1990–2000: 8.7%

U.S. rank in 1980: 289th

U.S. rank in 1990: 270th (State rank: 2nd)

U.S. rank in 2000: 324th (State rank: 2nd)

Density: 2,843.5 people per square mile (2000)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 77,291

Black or African American: 1,740

American Indian and Alaska Native: 275

Asian: 3,363

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 29

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 5,388

Other: 2,642

Percent of residents born in state: 36.5% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 5,644

Population 5 to 9 years old: 6,307

Population 10 to 14 years old: 6,147

Population 15 to 19 years old: 5,281

Population 20 to 24 years old: 5,001

Population 25 to 34 years old: 13,733

Population 35 to 44 years old: 15,242

Population 45 to 54 years old: 11,813

Population 55 to 59 years old: 4,185

Population 60 to 64 years old: 3,210

Population 65 to 74 years old: 5,296

Population 75 to 84 years old: 3,511

Population 85 years and over: 1,235

Median age: 35.8 years

Births (2003) Total number: 1,103

Deaths (2001) Total number: 650

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $25,209 (1999)

Median household income: $51,969

Total households: 34,360

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 1,982

$10,000 to $14,999: 1,692

$15,000 to $24,999: 3,698

$25,000 to $34,999: 3,586

$35,000 to $49,999: 5,389

$50,000 to $74,999: 7,889

$75,000 to $99,999: 4,887

$100,000 to $149,999: 3,802

$150,000 to $199,999: 1,060

$200,000 or more: 635

Percent of families below poverty level: 5.0% (41% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: Not reported

Nashua

The City in Brief

Founded: 1656 (incorporated 1853)

Head Official: Mayor Bernard A. Streeter (since 2000)

City Population

1980: 67,865

1990: 79,662

2000: 86,605

2003 estimate: 87,285

Percent change, 1990–2000: 8.7%

U.S. rank in 1980: 289th

U.S. rank in 1990: 270th (State rank: 2nd)

U.S. rank in 2000: 324th (State rank: 2nd)

Metropolitan Area Population (PMSA)

1990: 168,233

2000: 190,949

Percent change, 1990–2000: 13.5%

U.S. rank in 1990: 5th (CMSA)

U.S. rank in 2000: 7th (CMSA)

Area: 30.8 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 169 feet above sea level

Average Annual Temperature: 47.6° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 41.46 inches of rain; 55 inches of snow

Major Economic Sectors: Manufacturing, retail, finance, service

Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (state average, March 2005)

Per Capita Income: $25,209 (1999)

2004 ACCRA Average House Price: Not reported

2004 ACCRA Cost of Living Index: Not reported

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: Not reported

Major Colleges and Universities: Daniel Webster College; Rivier College; New Hampshire Technical College

Daily Newspaper: The Nashua Telegraph

Nashua: Geography and Climate

Located in southernmost New Hampshire, just four miles north of the Massachusetts border, Nashua perches on the east bank of the Merrimack River. Manchester lies 15 miles to the north. The Nashua River runs east-west through the city. The thin, rocky soil in the Merrimack Valley plain is better suited for sustaining forests than for producing agricultural crops. Nashua is part of a designation known as the "Golden Triangle," which includes Manchester and Salem, New Hampshire as well. The area surrounding Nashua is called the Gateways Region and takes in 14 communities.

Fall in Nashua is lovely and summers are warm and mostly free of humidity. Autumn brings crisp, clear days, and winters can be very cold with lots of snow. Dramatic and sudden weather changes can produce fog, hail, rain and snow storms and, on occasion, flooding.

Area: 30.8 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 169 feet above sea level

Average Temperatures: January, 22.8° F; July, 72.0° F; annual average, 47.6° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 41.46 inches of rain; 55 inches of snow

Nashua: Health Care

St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, with 208 beds, includes a Level 2 Trauma Center—the federally designated regional trauma center for the Greater Nashua area. St. Joseph is a full-service hospital whose facilities and services include the New England Rehabilitation Center, oncology and cardiac centers, a physician-referral service, and programs in breast health, maternity care, occupational health, and chemical dependency. Southern New Hampshire Regional Medical Center, with 188 beds, specializes in kidney dialysis, women and child care, same-day and laser surgery, and speech and hearing problems. In April 2004 the hospital opened a state-of-the-art pediatrics unit. The recently opened Nashua Center for Healthy Aging centralizes the hospital's senior services.

Health Care Information: St. Joseph Hospital, 172 Kinsley Street, Nashua, NH 03060; telephone (603)882-3000. Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, 8 Prospect Street, Nashua, NH 03061; telephone (603)577-2200

Nashua: Convention Facilities

More than 2,000 guest rooms and suites are available in the Gateways Region, whose principal convention site is Nashua. The largest facility in Nashua is the Sheraton Nashua Hotel, with 336 guest rooms and more than 25,000 square feet of meeting rooms. The Crowne Plaza Nashua Hotel features 206 handicap-accessible guest rooms and 20 meeting rooms. Other meeting and banquet facilities are available at the Holiday Inn and the Comfort Inn.

Convention Information: Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce, 151 Main Street, Nashua, NH 03060; telephone (603)881-8333. Crowne Plaza Nashua Hotel, 2 Somerset Parkway, Nashua, NH 03063-1969; telephone (603)886-1200. Sheraton Nashua Hotel, 11 Tara Boulevard, Nashua, NH 03062; telephone (603)888-9970

Nashua: Municipal Government

Nashua operates with a mayor-aldermanic form of government. While the mayor is the city's chief executive officer, the city's 15 aldermen serve as the its legislative body. The mayor and six at-large alders are elected to four-year terms (with three of the at-large members elected every two years). Nine ward alders are elected to two-year terms.

Head Official: Mayor Bernard A. Streeter (since 2000; current term expires 2007)

Total Number of City Employees: 843 (2005)

City Information: Mayor's Office, City of Nashua, 229 Main Street, Nashua, NH 03060; telephone (603)589-3260

Nashua: Introduction

Nashua, consistently ranked near the top among the nation's best places to live by Money magazine, is New Hampshire's second largest city. Having become prominent as a cotton mill town during the Industrial Revolution, Nashua has since diversified its economic base to include service, retail, and financial firms. High-technology products and research are relative newcomers to Nashua, whose location in the "Gateways Region" between New Hampshire and Massachusetts makes it a prime business and transportation site.

Nashua, New Hampshire/USA Settled c.1656 along the banks of the Nashua River and named Dunstable in 1673. On the other side of the river a settlement called Indian Head was renamed Nashua in 1803 and the two settlements amalgamated in 1837 under the name Nashua. Various theories have been put forward as to its meaning: a Native American word for ‘the land between’ or ‘beautiful river with a stony bottom’.