Merrimack is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 25,119 (including the East Merrimack Census-Designated Place ), making it the eighth largest municipality in New Hampshire.
There are four now anachronistic "villages" of Merrimack that make up the current town: Merrimack Village (formerly known as Souhegan Village), Thornton's Ferry, Reed's Ferry, and South Merrimack.
History
Humans began to settle the area currently known as Merrimack sometime after the recession of the glaciers that had spread over much of New England during the last ice age. European settlers first came to the area in the late 17th Century when the area was still in dispute between the Province of New Hampshire and Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Merrimack was officially incorporated in 1746, a year largely regarded as Merrimack's birthday, although only the southern portion (primarily what is known as Thornton's Ferry) of the current boundaries of town was included in the original town, with the northern portion of what is now Merrimack (primarily what is known as Reed's Ferry) being added a few years later.
The Boston and Maine Railroad laid tracks through the town in the 19th Century, with several stations operating until the mid 20th Century when the advent of the automobile transformed Merrimack from a largely agricultural community to a bedroom community of Boston and nearby cities in New Hampshire, becoming one of the northernmost points of the northeastern urban belt sometimes known as Megalopolis.
Notable Inhabitants
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 86.6 km² (33.4 mi²). 84.4 km² (32.6 mi²) of it is land and 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (2.48%) is water. The highest point in Merrimack is an unnamed hill in the northwestern part of town that reaches 512 feet (156 meters) above sea level.
Areas of Merrimack
Shadows of the former villages that now make Merrimack still exist, however the boundaries and exact definitions are unclear due to the vast expansion of the town during the latter half of the 20th Century, far after the villages were annexed to the town as a whole.
Thornton's Ferry
The area of town near Lake Naticook and Continental Boulevard, the name of this area comes from Matthew Thornton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence who lived in Merrimack and is now buried near the intersection of Daniel Webster Highway and Greeley Street. Thornton's Ferry has its own elementary school on Camp Sargent Road, Thornton's Ferry Elementary School.
Reed's Ferry
The northern portion of the town, Reed's Ferry is centered around the current intersection of Bedford Road and Daniel Webster Highway. The boundaries of the area are unclear, as the northwestern part of town near Baboosic Lake is not traditionally...
