Gourt Home::Gourt :: Lebanon, New Hampshire
| Lebanon, NH | |
|---|---|
| Classification | City |
| State | New Hampshire |
| Area | 40.3 mi² |
| Population | 12,792 |
| Rank | 22nd in New Hampshire |
| Density | 317.9/mi² |
- For other places with the same name, see Lebanon (disambiguation).
History
Lebanon was chartered as a town by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth on July 4, 1761, one of sixteen along the Connecticut River. It was named for Lebanon, Connecticut, from which many early settlers had come, including Reverend Eleazar Wheelock, founder of Dartmouth College. Lebanon was, in fact, the original home of the Indian Charity School, antecedent of Dartmouth.
Early settlement concentrated along the Connecticut River in what is now West Lebanon, and along the Mascoma Lake region near Enfield. In the mid-1800s, a mill district developed at falls on the Mascoma River. Industries included, at various times, furniture mills, a tannery, several machine shops, a woolen textile mill and a clothing factory. In the mid-1800s, this district attracted many French workers from Canada's Quebec province. This became the center of town, although West Lebanon grew into a railroad hub with a separate identity after lines entered from Boston. This rail center would become known as "Westboro" after two trains collided when West Lebanon was mistaken for Lebanon.
The mill district, like the railroad, declined into the 1950s and 1960s. The town suffered two major fires; the second, in 1964, destroyed a large portion of the old mill district. Reconstruction resulted in a controversial urban renewal project featuring a closed-off district, called "The Mall," built to replace the destroyed Hanover Street area. Partly in defiance of economic decline, and partly to counter a movement by West Lebanon to declare itself an independent town, Lebanon re-incorporated as a city in 1958.
The routing of Interstate highways I-91 and I-89 through Lebanon and nearby White River Junction, Vermont, in addition to the growth of Dartmouth College, led to the area's economic revival. The former mill town now has a mixed economy based on education, medical services, high-technology and retail. Just south of the village of West Lebanon, a major shopping district has sprung up at the intersection of Route 12A and 89. Lebanon has undertaken improvements to its recreational facilities, including miles of hiking trails, a municipal ski area, a swimming pool and several sports fields.
In 1991, the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, along with most departments of the Dartmouth Medical School, moved from Hanover to a new campus just north of the Lebanon-Hanover town line. A number of medical and high-tech firms have located facilities near the medical center campus. Tele Atlas, the world's leading developer of mapping databases, has its North American headquarters in Lebanon. Novell and Microsoft also have major facilities here.
Together with Hanover and White River Junction, Lebanon today is center of a Micropolitan Statistical Area, encompassing nearly 30 towns along the upper Connecticut River valley.
Notable Inhabitants:
- Aaron Baddeley, PGA golfer
- Amni B. Young, architect
Geography
The center of Lebanon (city hall) is located at (43.6431, -72.2518).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 107.1 km² (41.4 mi²). 104.5 km² (40.4 mi²) of it is land and 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²) of it (2.39%) is water. Lebanon is drained by the Mascoma River. The southern end of Moose Mountain is in the northeast. The highest point in Lebanon is the northern end of Shaker Mountain (1,657 feet / 505 meters above sea level), on the eastern border of the city.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,568 people, 5,500 households, and 3,178 families residing in the city. The population density was 120.2/km² (311.4/mi²). There were 5,707 housing units at an average density of 54.6/km² (141.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.38% White, 0.83% African American, 0.43% Native American, 2.67% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.64% of the population.
There were 5,500 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,185, and the median income for a family was $52,133. Males had a median income of $32,693 versus $27,086 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,133. About 6.3% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- Official web site
- Lebanon Historical Society
- Lebanon Opera House
- Lebanon Public Library
- New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Profile
"Lebanon, New Hampshire"