Best Places to Live 2007: No. 2 town

I am a Dartmouth graduate student living in Hanover and have to disagree with the diversity statistics. Despite the draw of the college, Hanover is very homogeneous and severly lacking in culture. Additionally, the cost of living is high (my monthly rent is the cheapest of my friends, but still $200 more than what I was paying in Michigan) and increases as the temperatures drop. People are comparably pretentious concerning academics, but down to Earth concerning everything else. Although I’m only 22, I would not raise kids in Hanover. The kids I babysit and the local high school-aged students who frequent the down town area have an air of condescention and privilige that is not entirely earned (see the cheating scandal at Hanover High last year).
Overall, it’s a great vacation town, but no place in which I would choose to raise a family or live long-term.

i am a well travelled 42 yo single female. i was on business at the upper valley & stayed at a long stay hotel (residence inn hanover/lebanon). i enjoyed the area & the city that gives it life-hanover. the people are friendly, younger & love having to be talked to. there arent many residents in hanover. its a very safe town. people are down-to-earth (pretentious sp? is outdated in entire state of nh), educated & travelled. many who go to hanover are tourist so businesses are opened year round.

many who go to hanover go for many reasons: dine (molly’s?, stop at ben n jerry), see a movie at one of the oldest movie theather (the nugget), museum, walk around the college and the best town there to plan a dinner party.

best thing about people of hanover?
a big winter storm never ruins a plan to go out to town for the evening.

I am a reasonably attractive, educated, 50-year-old woman who has worked in Hanover for the past two years. I find it very difficult to figure out who is single in town and have yet to go out on a date. So if folks are single out there, are they actually dating, or passing like ships in the lovely New Hampshire night?

Hanover is a beautiful town and located in one of the most pleasant parts of north america. In terms of the quality of life in Hanover, it is comparable to other towns along the Connecticut. I have a feeling Hanover placed high due to Dartmouth driving up the statistics. That is accurate, but a bit unfair to other towns nearby that offer the same quality without the college. It has always been my dream to live in the local area, as it offers everything I place a high priority on. Hopefully I can move to VT or NH someday soon, I’ve been making trips there every season for the past 8 years! In the meantime, living in a small coastal northern californian town with New England achitecture will have to suffice….but it has no seasons:(

Hanover is a great town and one of my favorite places but it is VERY expensive!
Many people who have moved to Hanover from northeastern cities find it reasonably priced (which in part drives up the costs, right), and therefore, they find Hanover a perfect place to live.
However, it is hard to earn the kind of money it would take to purchase a home in Hanover on “local” salaries.
The property taxes are very high in Hanover, heating costs are high, electricity is high and the amount of money you can make in these towns doesn’t cover these costs very well. Certainly one could live in surrounding areas but then you’d have to commute. For many people who find small towns appealing that would defeat the purpose of small town life. In addition, anyone who has lived in a small town knows that the actual town you live in IS your community and NOT the town next door. The attraction of being part of a small town like Hanover is to be able to walk or have a 5 minute drive to be an immediate part of the community, and not just commute and “visit” the town. Ones community becomes the place your children attend school not where you go to shop!
Although, I agree Hanover is an incredible place to live and raise a family (the schools are outstanding), I think it would be hard without a very good income (by New Hampshire standards) or a good trust fund to back you up.
Next time maybe you could pick towns and places that people earning the actual wages can afford to live in and NOT just the neighboring village.
That’s my $.02 for the day. Thanks.

Husband is native of area (Claremont, NH)

We moved from the area, ran like rabbits, actually. Crippling property taxes, high cost of living, for example: 6 to 7 months of oil heat ($$$), LP gas even more $$$$$, high electric rates, way too many $$$$$.

I can believe those who can afford to buy and live in Hanover have short commutes. However, most who work in Hanover have 30 min. plus commutes because they can’t afford to live there & come from outlying towns, Lebanon, Claremont, Springfield, VT, etc.

Lovely place to visit, though.

S. Gendron, Mosheim, TN

I’m retired from federal service now and have lived in metro DC( Northern Virginia) way too long. Hanover hit me as a wonderful place to live and raise our 9 year old daughter. Since education is important it fits the bill 100%. Dartmouth College, highly ranked Hanover public schools, Kimball Academy etc. all make the decision a no brainer for this born-in-metro-Bostonian.

What do you think of the No. 2 town on this year’s Best Places to Live list?

What makes it a great American town?

If you don’t live there now, would you consider moving there? Tell us what you think.