Windham is a suburban town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. Windham is situated in Rockingham County in southeastern New Hampshire, approximately 3 miles (5 km) north of the Massachusetts border. It is accessible from Exit 3 of Interstate 93. Windham is considered a bedroom community because of its growing population (over 10,000), only about 160 commercial land parcels, and lack of public transportation. The nearest airport to Windham is Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, about 20 miles (32 km) to the north. Boston, Massachusetts, is 37 miles (60 km) to the south along Interstate 93. The landscape of Windham consists of suburban subdivisions, rural open spaces and large areas of undeveloped land.
The Windham School District currently serves over 2,800 students at the four public schools. Kindergarten through second grade students and some third grade students attend Golden Brook School. Other third grade students and fourth through fifth grade students attend Windham Center School. Windham Middle School, home of the Wildcats, is occupied by sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. Windham High School, home to the Jaguars, consists of grades nine through twelve, and opened in the fall of 2009. The class of 2012 was the first graduating class at Windham High School. Prior to opening its own high school, students from Windham went to the high school in neighboring Salem, beginning in 1995. The class of 2011 was the last Windham/Salem graduating class from Salem High School. Earlier, in the 1990s and late 1980s, students attended Pinkerton Academy in Derry.
Windham is part of the School Administrative Unit 28, consisting of the school districts of Windham and the neighboring town, Pelham. Beginning July 1, 2013, Windham and Pelham will split, with each town having its own school administrative unit. The Windham School District will become New Hampshire SAU #95. Windham High School’s biology teacher, Bethany Bernasconi, was voted New Hampshire’s teacher of the year for 2012.
Windham includes a variety of local attractions such as municipal parks, golf courses, tennis courts, bowling facilities, youth recreation programs, fishing, hunting, boating, snowmobile transits, bike trails, and waterfront access. The Windham Country Club golf course is an 18-hole premier course voted four stars by Golf Digest. Men’s leagues, women’s leagues, and youth leagues are offered at the course. Griffin Park, built in 2005, offers three baseball fields, a soccer field, tennis and basketball courts, and a playground. Windham’s town beach is located on Cobbetts Pond. Lifeguards are on duty from mid-June to Labor Day. Swimming lessons are available every summer. An open boat launch is available to Windham residents next to the town beach. The Windham Rail Trail, which extends from Windham into Derry, is 4.1 miles (6.6 km) of level, paved trail for walking/biking. Windham’s Recreation Athletic youth programs include football and cheerleading, baseball, tennis, lacrosse, basketball, and soccer.
The Nesmith Library is Windham’s public library. Each June Friends of the Library of Windham (FLOW) host Windham’s annual Strawberry Festival. The festival hosts local food businesses around Windham such as The Gourmet Grill, Glenn’s Kreme and Cone, and The Village Bean. Residents of Windham take part in the annual three to five-mile walk known as the Turkey Trot. It takes place every year on Thanksgiving morning through the neighborhoods of Windham and raises money for the local Shepherd’s Food Pantry. The Strawberry Festival was moved to Windham High School in 2009 due to the overcrowding at the library in previous years.
The Windham Fire Department is a full-time, 24-hour department. In addition to providing emergency services, the department also works closely with community organizations on fire prevention units in the school district, and CPR and first aid classes. The Windham Police Department is a full-time department staffed by seventeen personnel, including the chief, captain, four sergeants, two detectives, and eight patrol officers. Internal assignments include a Traffic and Community Resource Officer. Resource officers are placed at the Middle School and High School. The department also has on staff a full-time prosecutor, a part-time records clerk and full-time department secretary. Both the fire and police department are located in the center of Windham across from the Windham Town Hall. The nearest hospital is Parkland Medical Center, 5 miles (8.0 km) away in Derry.
Content courtesy of Wikipedia.org