Then, manufacturing shifted to shoes. The DDPC provides existing and relocating businesses with technical assistance in areas such as permits and site selection, and help in putting together packages seeking financial resources. Major employers successfully using the organizations' resources were Hadco and the Nutfield Brewing Company. There are many reasons so many people and businesses call Derry home. After leaving the central business district, about 90 percent of Derry is still rural in nature, providing homeowners with privacy and security.
Businesses have close proximity to marketplaces in Massachusetts and the Boston area.
Boston Harbor, Logan Airport, Portsmouth Harbor, Pease Development Authority, and Manchester Airport are all only a short distance away, providing entry to international travel and shipping. There are also a number of interesting and fun things to do in Derry. Last operated in 1865, the water-powered mill is demonstrated periodically during the summer and can always be viewed from the outside. Further down the road is the site of Robert Frost's farm, where he lived from 1900 to 1911. The farm is now a museum of the poet's life and works, and a half-mile poetry nature trail is on the grounds.