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 15th annual Moose Golf Tournament at Maplewood
9/18 4:30-8pm 38th annual Rotary Lobster Festival at Bretton Woods ski area
9/25 9/26 29th annual Antique & Classic Auto Meet with pancake breakfast, flea market
9/25 41st annual Littleton Art Show on Main Street
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Your-White Mountain New Hampshire real Estate Expert
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Lincoln NH & Local interest site: www.localism.com/nh/lincoln
Steve - Nice localism post... Loved Littleton last time I went through there. Had lunch in town... Nice town with a nice view of the River. Very scenic.
Bob, Littleton ranks among the top 10 best places to live in the country for a small town, It really is a nice place in the Mountains.
The Ammonoosuc River runs through town and makes life there a picture post card.
I'm thinking that when you do the population you are not writing it (in thousands) and that is the actual population. Probably not too much freeway traffic, huh?
Melissa, the towns featured in this post with 6,000 to 12,000 population are really city's compared with the town I live in...which has a full time residential number like: 900 - to-1,000 but the ski resort and tourist trades bring in thousands more any given weekend.