Incorporated in 1673 upon the petition of twenty-six proprietors of land along the Merrimack River, Dunstable once comprised 200 square miles extending from Londonderry, New Hampshire to Chelmsford, Massachusetts. From this tract, fifteen separate towns were eventually formed, leaving Dunstable less than seventeen acres of land and a population of 380 in 1790.

The town was named in honor of Mrs. Edward Tyng, who emigrated from Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England and was among the early European settlers of the land purchased from the Wamisit and Naticook Indians in 1661.

In the face of urban sprawl, Dunstable has maintained a largely rural character with much of the town zoned for single-family housing. The community’s agricultural roots are celebrated in the town motto, “The Profit of the Field is for All.”