Pelham sits on the Massachusetts border in southern Hillsborough County, a quiet residential town without a traditional downtown commercial center. Its proximity to the Merrimack Valley and Greater Boston makes it a popular choice for commuters.

The town is largely residential, with subdivisions built since the 1980s alongside older farmhouses and stone walls that hint at its agricultural past. Pelham has no rail or major highway running directly through it, keeping through-traffic low despite its border location.

Families are drawn to Pelham's regarded public schools and low crime rate, while the lack of a commercial core means most shopping and dining trips head to Nashua, Salem, or across the state line into Massachusetts. Housing here trends toward single-family homes on larger lots.