Brookline is a town located in Southern New Hampshire in the Merrimack Valley region of the state. It is situated in the Southern portion of Hillsborough County and encompasses a total area of 20.1 square miles, just .4 of which is water. As of the 2010 United States Census, Brookline was home to 4,991 people.
The land that comprises Brookline was originally a part of Dunstable, Massachusetts. When settlement began, it was called West Hollis, then, in 1769, when the area was officially granted and incorporated, it was named Raby, after Governor John Wentworth’s cousin, the Baron of Raby Castle. In 1798, the town was renamed Brookline, after Brookline, Massachusetts, where one of the town’s citizens previously hailed from.
Less than 2 percent of Brookline’s total area is made up of water. The town includes Nissitissit River, Spaulding Brook and Merrimack River. Its highest point lies at Birch Hill, where elevation reaches 810 feet above sea level. Brookline is also home to Potanipo Hill, the Andreas Institute of Art, the Brookline Covered Bridge and Camp Tevya summer camp.
Brookline is governed by an elected Board of Selectmen. The town boasts a full-time police department, an on-call fire department and volunteer medical services. Top employers in the area include Bingham Lumber Inc., Donovan Engineering and Superior Steel Fabricators. Children in the area attend schools in the Brookline School District for grades kindergarten through sixth. For grades ninth through 12th, they attend schools in the Hollis Brookline Cooperative School District, along with students from the nearby town of Hollis.
For recreation and entertainment, Brookline residents can take advantage of the town’s youth organizations, sports leagues, campgrounds, fishing and hunting areas, boating marinas, snowmobile and bicycle trails and local beaches and waterfront areas.