[3] Situated on Lake Winnipesaukee, Gilford is home to Governors Island, Ellacoya State Beach, Belknap Mountain State Forest, Gunstock Mountain Resort, and the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, a seasonal outdoor concert venue.

Settled in 1778 and originally a part of Gilmanton, the town was first called Gunstock Parish.

In 1812, Captain Lemuel B. Mason, who had fought in the 1781 Battle of Guilford Court House in North Carolina during the Revolutionary War and subsequently retired to Gunstock Parish, successfully proposed incorporation of a new town to be named Guilford after that battle.

The original parish name is used by Gunstock Mountain and the ski resort located on it.

New Hampshire Route 11B leaves NH 11 near Sanders Bay on Lake Winnipesaukee and proceeds northwest to Weirs Beach in Laconia.

In the New Hampshire Senate, Gilford is in the 7th district, represented by Republican Harold F. French.

On the New Hampshire Executive Council, Gilford is in the 1st district, represented by Republican Joseph Kenney.