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LOCATION:
Lebanon is located in the west central area of New Hampshire on the Connecticut River border with Vermont. It lies between Claremont to the south and Hanover to the north.
POPULATION:
By the 2000 U.S. census, Lebanon has 12,568 residents. Current population is estimated at 13,000.
GOVERNMENT:
The City of Lebanon operates under a City Council/City Manager form of government.
GEOGRAPHY:
Lebanon is characterized by ridgelines, surrounding the bottomlands of the Mascoma and Connecticut Rivers, that are accented by a number of prominences giving Lebanon’s terrain a strong, undulating form. The Mascoma River serves a dual role of linking the eastern and the western ends of the City and of partitioning the north from the south. The Connecticut River serves as a landmark that defines the City limits on the west and ties the northwest section of Lebanon with the southwest comer. The City is approximately 60 miles from Concord, the state capital, 120 miles from Boston, and 120 miles from Burlington, Vermont. Elevations range from 340 to 1336 feet above sea level.
LAND AREA:
Lebanon is 37 square miles (23,680 acres) in area.
TRANSPORTATION:
Interstate 89 bisects the City east to west, connecting Lebanon with Concord to the southeast and Montreal, Canada, to the northwest and all other points south and west. Interstate 89 intersects with Interstate 91 on the west bank of the Connecticut River, which connects the City with all points south and with Quebec to the north. Supplementing Interstate 89 are State Routes 12A and 10 along the Connecticut River and Route 120 extending on a diagonal from the southeast comer to the northwest comer of the City. The Lebanon City Airport is a fully FAA certified commercial service airport serving more than 100,000 passengers each year with scheduled flights to Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Lebanon Airport also offers full service general aviation facilities with some freight service available to and from the airport. The City also has a
rail link with the main line in Vermont on the west bank of the Connecticut River. However, this link sees very little use at this time.
CLIMATE:
Mild, sunny summers and cold, snowy winters. The average annual rainfall is 35 inches, and the annual average snowfall is 76 inches with a continuous coverage range of 92 days per season. Average temperatures for January: high - 30, low - 8; for July: high -81, low - 53.
HOUSING:
Nearly half (46%) of the owner-occupied housing units fall within the $75,000 to $124,000 value range, while 4 1% fall above this range and 13% are below it. The medium value of owner-occupied housing units is $115,000 and the mean value is $124,400. In 1990,47% of Lebanon’s housing units were owner-occupied and 35% were renter-occupied. For the rental market, the median cash contract rent is approximately $45 1 per month.
ECONOMY:
Professional services is the largest sector of the Lebanon economy followed by retail/wholesale then followed by manufacturing. The largest employer is the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center with approximately 3,300 employees; for manufacturing, the largest is Split Ballbearing with approximately 590 employees. The City is the retail shopping center for the region having 5 shopping plazas.
LABOR MARKET:
Lebanon is the center of the Upper Valley labor market. The unemployment rate remains low compared to national figures, 1.8% v. 5.5% for the Nation (Sept 2002). In Lebanon, approximately 30% of the labor force are professionals; 12% work in the retail trade.
TAXES:
The property tax rate for 1994 is $37.43 per thousand and 78% equalized ratio. Local property taxes are assessed as of April 1 and payable July 1 and December 1. New Hampshire has no income tax and no sales tax. City motor vehicle registration fees are determined by the list price of the year, make, and model and are paid at the City Clerk’s office.
EDUCATION:
The City’s school system consists of 5 elementary schools, one junior high school, and a high school. Lebanon also maintains an affiliation with the VoTech center in Hartford, Vermont. In addition, within approximately 20 miles there are a number of private schools: Kimball Union Academy, Cardigan Mountain School, Thetford Academy, Montessori School of the Upper Valley, Waldorf School - Upper Valley, 3 Christian schools, and a number of alternative schools. There are also numerous pre-school and day care facilities.
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES:
Within Lebanon: Granite State College, Lebanon College, and New Hampshire Technical College. Within approximately 20 miles: Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH), Vermont Law School (South Royalton, VT), and Community College of Vermont (Hartford, VT).
RECREATION/Cultural:
The City has tennis courts, a golf course, parks, ballfields, outdoor pool, opera house, and a fitness center. Included are natural areas, the most prominent being Famum Hill Reserve and Boston Lot. The City also has a ski area with night skiing and 2 jumps, 20 meter and 50 meter. Numerous other ski areas are located within easy driving times. The Connecticut and Mascoma Rivers and Mascoma Lake provide for water related activities. The City has a main library located in the center of the municipality and a branch library in West Lebanon.
UTILITIES & SERVICES:
Of the 5,145 parcels in Lebanon, 47% are served by sewer and water, 10% are served by water only, and 1% is served by sewer only. Granite State Electric provides electrical service. NYNEX provides telephone service. Twin State Cable provides television cable service. The area is also served by a number of companies dealing in propane gas and heating oil. The City has its own professional police force and fire department.
MEDICAL FACILITIES:
There are 2 hospitals within Lebanon: Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, a 32-bed facility with 50-bed nursing home, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, a newly constructed 429-bed medical center, with medical school. Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center is located approximately 20 miles away. The City contracts with a private ambulance service.
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