Lebanon is a city located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 12,568. Lebanon is located in western New Hampshire, south of Hanover, near the Connecticut River. It is the home to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Medical School, together comprising the largest medical facility between Boston, Massachusetts and Burlington, Vermont.
Lebanon is located at 43°38'38" North, 72°15'19" West (43.643897, -72.255242).
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 is water. The total area is 2.39% water. Lebanon is drained by the Mascoma River. Part of the Moose Mountains is in the northeast.
As of the census of 2000, there are 12,568 people, 5,500 households, and 3,178 families residing in the city. The population density is 120.2/km2 (311.4/mi2). There are 5,707 housing units at an average density of 54.6/km2 (141.4/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 1.64% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 5,500 households out of which 28.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% are married couples living together, 9.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% are non-families. 33.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.23 and the average family size is 2.87.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $42,185, and the median income for a family is $52,133. Males have a median income of $32,693 versus $27,086 for females. The per capita income for the city is $25,133. 8.8% of the population and 6.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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 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. Most recent development is concentrated in West Lebanon, where a major shopping district has grown at the intersection of Route 12A with the interchange of Interstates 89 and 91. Also developing is the border with Hanover, which features a technical center and medical services complex connected to Dartmouth and its teaching hospital. Lebanon has undertaken improvements to its recreational facilities, including miles of hiking trails, a municipal ski area, a swimming pool and several sports fields.
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:
Source:
LebanonNewHampshire.com
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