island at the mouth of the River Rocks Village Historic District, an early ferry crossing point between East Haverhill and West Newbury United States Customhouse (Newburyport, Massachusetts), a former custom house-turned-museum Institutions of higher education include: Massachusetts School of Law, Andover Merrimack College, North Andover Northern Essex Community College, Haverhill University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell New Hampshire While the textile industry that served as the underpinning of the Merrimack Valley has disappeared, the region has since transferred to other economic activities. Sanders Associates, a major defense contractor based in Nashua has, through several mergers and acquisitions, become a division of BAE Systems Inc. and is one of the regions largest employers. Technology companies also have a large presence in the region, including mobile phone company Verizon, which is the largest private employer in Manchester. The financial industry is also a major employer, with Lincoln Financial in Concord and Fidelity Investments in Merrimack among the largest private employers. The area between Manchester, Nashua, and Salem was once described as the "Golden Triangle" of New Hampshire. The name was due to job growth that fueled a housing boom and led to the creation of several major new retail centers, including the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester, the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem, and the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua. This area contains roughly 30% of the population of New Hampshire. Attractions include: Bear Brook State Park Canobie Lake Park, an amusement park McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, a planetarium/air and space museum New Hampshire Historical Society Museum New Hampshire State House Pawtuckaway State Park Robert Frost Farm, a state historic park Silver Lake State Park Institutions of higher education include: New England College, Henniker New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester Rivier University, Nashua Saint Anselm College, Goffstown Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester/Hooksett University of New Hampshire at Manchester University of New Hampshire School of Law, Concord See also Merrimack Valley Conference, a high school athletic conference in Massachusetts References External links Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council (Massachusetts) Merrimack Valley Magazine Merrimack Valley Dining of Massachusetts New England Regions of New Hampshire Tourism regions of New Hampshire Regions of Massachusetts Merrimack River Geography of New England