Derry, NH

Derry, New Hampshire
Broadway c. 1905
Seal
Nickname(s): "Spacetown"
Location in Rockingham County and the state of New Hampshire.
Coordinates: 42°52′50″N 71°19′38″W / 42.88056°N 71.32722°W / 42.88056; -71.32722Coordinates: 42°52′50″N 71°19′38″W / 42.88056°N 71.32722°W / 42.88056; -71.32722
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Rockingham
Incorporated	1827
Government
• Town Council	James Morgan Joshua Bourdon Phyllis Katsakiores Richard P. Tripp Charles Foote Neil Wetherbee Brian Chirichiello
• Town Administrator	David Caron
Area
• Total	36.5 sq mi (94.5 km2)
• Land	35.6 sq mi (92.2 km2)
• Water	0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2)  2.39%
Elevation	282 ft (86 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	33,109
• Density	910/sq mi (350/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	03038
Area code(s)	603
FIPS code	33-17940
GNIS feature ID	0873578
Website	www.derrynh.org

Derry is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 33,109 at the 2010 census. Although it is a town and not a city, Derry is the fourth most-populous community in the state. The town's nickname, "Spacetown", derives from the fact that Derry is the birthplace of Alan Shepard, the first astronaut from the United States in space. Derry was also for a time the home of the poet Robert Frost and his family.

The Derry census-designated place, with a population of 22,015, occupies the central part of the town, extending from the primary settlement of Derry in the west, centered on the intersection of New Hampshire Routes 28 and 102, to the town of Hampstead in the east. The town also includes the village of East Derry.

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 was Windham and portions of Manchester, Salem and Hudson. The town was named after the city of Derry in Ireland, the Irish word Doire meaning "oak woods". The first potato planted in the United States was planted here in 1719. 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.