steve's White Mountain Blog

LEBANON

Located in Western, New Hampshire it is home to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Norris Cotton Cancer Center and Dartmouth Medical School-comprising the largest medical facility in NH. It was named for Lebanon, Connecticut, home of Reverend Eleazar Wheelock,  the founder of Dartmouth College.  A former mill town, much of the old district was destroyed by fire in 1964, and with the routing of Interstates 89 & 91 through Lebanon and the growth of Dartmouth College the town experienced an economic revival. This is event today with a mixed economy of medical services, education, high technology and retail. Novell, Microsoft, Merck and Tele Atlas all have major facilities here. The town has matched these with upgraded recreational facilities: hiking trails, municipal ski area, swimming pools, tennis courts, sports fields, indoor skating and golf courses.  Also a municipal airport.

Public Library

Population in 2009: 12,722     Land Area: 41 square miles   Tax Rate: $ 24.14/1000

Town Boards: Selectmen, planning, zoning

Schools Lebanon School District SAU 88 (grades K-12) and private & parochial schools (grades 1-8)

Special Events:  Every Thursday 4-7pm Farmers Market in Colburn Park

LITTLETON

Situated at the edge of the White Mountain and bounded on the northwest by the Connecticut River- Littleton is on the bank of the Ammonoosuc River where today a grist mill that opened in 1798 has been full restored. Kilburn Brothers opened a factory to produce stereoscopes that were popular in the Victorian age.  Littleton has long been the prosperous hub of the western White Mountain region and major development followed the 1960s opening of Interstate 93 providing better highway access from Boston and points south. Today it offers many economic opportunities- shopping, services, industry, good schools, social services, state of the art hospital and “big box” stores.

Population in 2007: 6,173; Land area: 54.1 square miles;  Tax Rate: $21.06/1000 

Town Boards: Selectmen, zoning, planning, conservation

Public Library- with bronze statue of Pollyanna, written by town resident, Eleanor Porter.

Schools:  Littleton School District SAU 84 (grades K-12)

Special Events: 9/15 6pm slide show Rick Bidgood of French Rivieria travel and 4 stages of the Tour de France race.

9/17 Littleton Regional Hospital 15^th annual Moose Golf Tournament at Maplewood

9/18 4:30-8pm 38^th annual Rotary Lobster Festival at Bretton Woods ski area

9/25 9/26 29^th annual Antique & Classic Auto Meet with pancake breakfast, flea market

9/25  41^st annual Littleton Art Show on Main Street

If you want to see any listings in Grafton County...use the MLS search botton at the bottom of this blog.

Towns of Grafton County NH:  Hebron and Hanover

HEBRON

Hebron sits at the North end of Newfound Lake, the fourth largest in New Hampshire. Early settlers came from other New England towns as farmers.  By the 1920’s tourism developed into the major occupation with summer cottages and winter skiing.

Population in 2009: 499   Land Area: 16.9 square miles   Tax Rate: $ 7.42/1000

Schools: Newfound Area District (grades K-12)

Town Boards: Selectmen, Planning, Zoning, Historical District, Conservation Commission

Special Events: 8/14 Concert & BBQ 5 PM; 8/28 Hebron Family Fun Day

9/4 Hebron Community Breakfast     10/2 Hebron Community Breakfast

HANOVER

Hanover is located on the western side of New Hampshire in the scenic Upper Connecticut River Valley; the river forms a border with New Hampshire and Vermont. Home to Dartmouth College it is picturesque with quaint shops, restaurants town square and the beautiful college campus. It was until recently the home of Dartmouth medical School founded in 1797, the 4^th oldest in the county and Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital founded in 1893. The Appalachian Trail passes through Dartmouth.

Population in 2008: 11,068    Tax Rate: $ 15.20/1000  Land Area: 49.1 square miles

Etna Public Library

Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth

Schools: Hanover (grade K-5)  Dresden Cooperative (grade 6-12)  SAU 70

Town Boards: Selectmen, Planning, Zoning, Conservation Commission

Special Events: 8/16 Annual Golf Tournament

All the towns of Grafton County will  be featured in my series over the next few weeks, to see them all please feel free to check out my white Mountain Blog.

Grafton county N.H. towns: Franconia and Grafton

FRANCONIA

Franconia is in the very heart of the western White Mountain region while the eastern two-thirds of the town is National Forest land including the peaks of Mt. Lafayette, Garfield and North & South Twin. The south-central is the world famous Franconia Notch State Park- Echo and Profile Lake, Cannon Mt and Eagle Cliff. The Old Man in the Mountain tumbled on May 3, 2003- a lasting memorial to the Old Man will be erected along the shore of Profile Lake. Franconia’s industry is tourism-its scenic beauty has brought many famous people throughout the years-Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Washing Irving and Robert Frost who lived here from 1915-1920. The 1930’s brought the development of skiing on Cannon Mountain- the roots of American ski racing can be traced to the steep slopes of Cannon.

Population: in 2009- 1,047    Land Area: 65.7 square miles  Tax Rate: $15.02/1000

Schools: Lafayette Elem. School (grades K-6); Profile Regional (grades 7-12) SAU 35

Town Boards: Selectmen, Planning, Zoning, Conservation Commission

Special Events: 8/7 Top of the Notch Triathlon; 8/21 5PM Pot Luck Dinner;   

9/25 Pumpkin Fest

GRAFTON

Grafton is located on the southern boundary of Grafton County and is home to Ruggles Mine, a small tourist

destination.  The tourism region for Grafton is Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee.  John Hancock was one of the original colonists- while presently Grafton is the focus of the Free Town Project- a movement that seeks to encourage Libertarians to move to town.

Population in 2009: 1,220    Land Area:  42.6 square miles   Tax Rate: $ 18.70/1000

Schools: Mascoma Valley Regional (grades K-12) SAU 62

Town Boards:  Selectmen, Planning