The Town of Amherst is located in the southern tier of the State of New Hampshire within Hillsborough County. As far as regions of the state, Amherst is located on the western edge of the Merrimack Valley and the eastern edge of the Monadnock region. It is equidistant to the two largest cities in New Hampshire, Manchester and Nashua, being less than 15 miles to the downtowns of both cities

There are two major east/west state highways (Route 101 and 101-A) that pass through Amherst and provide easy access to the main north/south routes in the state (US Route 3 and Interstate 93). In addition, Amherst is less than 15 miles from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport which provides direct and connecting service to most major airports.

With a population of approximately 12,000 residents and a land area of nearly 35 square miles, Amherst is a growing suburban community that has successfully maintained many desirable rural characteristics. The town has seen growth in commercial development over the last several years, and has a vibrant business district adjacent to the Route 101-A corridor that is home to several national retailers. There is a significant amount of undeveloped industrial land in the same area of town, that is also home to several existing businesses ranging from start-ups to a large regional warehousing operation.

Amherst has a long and rich colonial history. It was first chartered in 1728 as Narragansett Number 3 and later called Souhegan Number 3. In January, 1760 it was chartered as Amherst and named for General Jeffrey Amherst, the commander-in-chief of the British forces in America at the time. Amherst became the first seat of Hillsborough County when the county was formed in 1769. The central village contained the courthouse, complete with jail, pillory and whipping post. [Read More...]