This area was a portion of the Northfield, Massachusetts grant which included Fort Dummer, an important Connecticut River trading post. The town was chartered in 1753 as Hindsdale, later spelled Hinsdale, named for Colonel Ebenezer Hindsdale, who was from a prominent family in Deerfield, and chaplain of Fort Dummer. He later enlisted as an officer, and established the trading post at Fort Hindsdale, reportedly at his own expense. The original charter included territory west of the Connecticut River which became part of Vermont when that state was established.

 Population change for Hinsdale totaled 1,677 over 56 years, from 2,187 in 1960 to 3,864 in 2016. The largest decennial percent change was between 1960 and 1970, when the population increased by 50 percent. The 2016 Census estimate for Hinsdale was 3,864 residents, which ranked 99th among New Hampshire's incorporated cities and towns. This town has 186.6 persons per square mile of land area. (info from NHES website)