Hudson dates to 1673, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #99 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Most of Hudson was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Its Register listings are the Hills House, the Hills Memorial Library and the G. O. Sanders House. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1801.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hudson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hudson is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #99 of 126 in New Hampshire. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hudson’s overall grade.
New Hampshire towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Hampshire town has 9.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hudson’s 1.2 sits below most of its state (19% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1673.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.7 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Hudson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Hudson began as part of the Dunstable Land Grant that encompassed the current city of Nashua, New Hampshire, and the towns of Dunstable and Pepperell, Massachusetts, as well as parts of other nearby towns on both sides of the border. In 1732, all of Dunstable east of the Merrimack River became the town of Nottingham, Massachusetts. Nine years later, the northern boundary of Massachusetts was finally officially established, and the New Hampshire portion of Nottingham became Nottingham West, to avoid confusion with Nottingham, New Hampshire, to the northeast.
That I, Kimball Webster, of Hudson, county of Hillsborough, and state of New Hampshire, In consideration of having long been a resident of the town of Hudson, and having in common with its other citizens enjoyed the numerous benefits derived from its wholesome government, and in view of the future needs of said town of Hudson, and of the welfare of its citizens, the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge, have given, granted, bargained, sold and conveyed, and do for myself and my heirs, by these presents, give, grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the said town
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
This company was incorporated by an act of the Legislature, approved March 7, 1889, with power to construct, maintain and operate a railway from a point at or near the Merrimack river bridge in the town of Hudson, over and upon such highways and lands as may be necessary in the towns of Hudson and Pelham in the county of Hillsborough, and Windham and Salem in the county of Rockingham, to some convenient point on the state line in or near
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Hudson, decade by decade
2 decades in the archive, from the 1840s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1673, according to Wikidata. Hudson’s post office opened in 1801, and the first U.S. census counted 1,064 people here in 1790.
How does Hudson rank for history?
Hudson is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #99 of 126 in New Hampshire. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Hudson?
Three places: the Hills House (listed 1983), the Hills Memorial Library (1984) and the G. O. Sanders House (1986).
How old are the homes in Hudson?
5% of Hudson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1983.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (10), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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