Because we are close to everything …
The Upper Valley is approximately two hours from Boston, four-and-a-half hours from New York City and three hours from Montreal. New Hampshire’s state capital, Concord, is an hour away as is Montpelier, the capital of Vermont. Burlington, Vermont’s largest city, is a 1.5 hour drive; it takes the same time to get to Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city.
Nearby Lebanon hosts a commercial airport that has daily flights to Boston and New York, while both the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and Burlington International Airport can get you take anywhere in the world. Amtrak’s passenger service makes daily stops in Whiter River Junction. Locally, Advance Transit, a regional bus transportation system, serves the towns surrounding Hanover on a daily schedule. Vermont Transit (Greyhound) and Dartmouth Coach provide service to major metro areas including Boston, New York City and Montreal.
Because our economy is thriving …
The economy in the Upper Valley is robust. Major employers include Dartmouth College, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Cold Regions Research & Engineering Lab, Hypertherm and several research and manufacturing companies that provide a stable foundation for employment and commerce. Biomedical, engineering and computer software research and development firms continue to emerge. The unemployment rate in the region has been consistently low in both states.
Medical services in the Upper Valley are comprehensive. Just minutes from downtown Hanover and Lebanon is the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, one of the foremost teaching and research hospitals in the country. This medical center includes the 429-bed Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic, the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Medical School and a 224 bed Veterans Administrative Hospital, located in White River Junction. The Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon is a 32-bed acute care community hospital with a 50-bed nursing home. There are also individual and group family practices as well as the Good Neighbor Health Clinic in White River Junction.
Because the Upper Valley has a high quality of life …
The Upper Valley is blessed with a wide array of shopping and dining options. Retail businesses include mom-and-pop stores to chain retail centers, as well as specialty shops and dining establishments. In Norwich there is the renowned general store, Dan & Whits, where it is said, “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.”
The area’s schools are very highly regarded as some of the best in New Hampshire. Norwich and Hanover make up the Dresden School District, the first inter-state school district in the nation. In addition to Dartmouth’s undergraduate and graduate level programs and its Institute for Lifelong Education at Dartmouth, there is the College for Lifelong Learning, (of the University System of New Hampshire), Lebanon College, a community college and a variety of technical schools and colleges.
Dartmouth College’s 17 graduate programs in the arts and sciences, professional schools including the Tuck School of Business Administration, Thayer School of Engineering and the Dartmouth Medical School compliment Dartmouth’s undergraduate college. The institution is recognized as a research university and employs over 3,00 faculty, administrators and staff.
As a college town, Hanover enjoys a great many cultural and academic activities. Year-round, there are conferences and lecture series, theater productions at the Hopkins Center and an art walk throughout Dartmouth’s campus. Several communities have local theater groups and art galleries include the AVA Gallery in Lebanon and the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen in Hanover. The Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich offers indoor and outdoor exhibits and programs for all ages.
There is an abundance of recreational and sporting opportunities for all ages. Youth activities, organizations and sports include ice hockey, figure skating, downhill and cross-country skiing (the Ford Sayre Ski Program has produced a substantial number of US Ski team Olympians), baseball, basketball, field hockey, track and field, soccer, football, tennis, lacrosse, golf and kayaking. Many area communities have recreational programs and community centers. The Connecticut River is just one of the hundreds of rivers, streams, ponds and lakes offering a variety of canoeing, motor boating, rowing, sailing and swimming. There are family camp grounds, picnic areas, nature walking and hiking trails and networks. The multi-use Northern Rail Trail offers hiking, bicycling, skiing, horseback riding and snowmobiling opportunities. There are numerous golf courses and ski area within a short drive, and of course, hunting and fishing. Spectators can attend Dartmouth College’s 34 men’s and women’s varsity sports including hockey, baseball, soccer, football, basketball, rowing, golf and lacrosse. Some visitors hike here via the Appalachian Trail, which runs from Maine to Georgia and meanders through Hanover, up and down Main Street (business district) and crosses the Connecticut River into Norwich.
The Upper Valley is a great place to live and work, but there are some special reasons why natives, “near natives” and newer residents call the Upper Valley home. There are lifestyle choices from rural living to in-town convenience, from larger communities to small villages, from farm and horse country to resort and recreational communities. Low levels of crime, noise and pollution contribute to a sense of being safe. The beauty of the landscape in mountain views, pastures and woodlands, rivers and lakes, stonewalls and village character combine to make this place special.
The charm of this valley can be found in its history, cultural sophistication, socioeconomic mix, spectacular beauty and educational and recreational opportunities. The Upper Valley … a very special place to enjoy … for a day, a leisurely weekend or a lifetime. u