Governor Thomas Dudley were granted land along the Concord River in the area, and roughly a dozen families from Cambridge and Charlestown Village had begun to occupy Shawshin by 1652.

[4] The settlers chose the name Billerica because some of the families originally came from the town of Billericay in Essex, England.

The town was incorporated as Billerica in 1655, on the same day as neighboring Chelmsford and nearby Groton.

[5] Other notable Revolutionary War–era residents included Asa Pollard, the first soldier killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and Thomas Ditson, who was tarred and feathered in 1775 while on a visit to Boston after attempting to illegally purchase a musket from a soldier of the 47th Regiment of Foot.

The song "Yankee Doodle" supposedly became a term of national pride instead of an insult because of this event.

[7] Billerica borders the following towns: Chelmsford, Lowell, Tewksbury, Wilmington, Burlington, Bedford, and Carlisle.

Nuttings Lake offers a public beach and other recreational water activities including canoeing and sailing.

Billerica was a contender for CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in 2009 but did not make the top 100 list for the nation.

The southern portions of the town are also geographically close to the Wilmington (MBTA station) and the Anderson Regional Transportation Center in Woburn.

Trains stopped taking passengers at East Billerica in 1965 and the station was remodeled and is now a private home.

[40][41] The executive branch is headed by a Town Manager, appointed by a five-person Select Board.

[40] Since the 2020 United States Census and the redistricting process following it, the town of Billerica has been split between the 3rd and 6th Massachusetts Congressional Districts.