Hanover, New Hampshire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hanover, New Hampshire
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Hanover Main Street
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Location in Grafton County, New Hampshire
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 Hanover, New Hampshire
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| County | Grafton |
| Incorporated | 1761 |
| Villages | |
| Area | |
| • Total | 50.2 sq mi (129.9 km2) |
| • Land | 49.0 sq mi (127.0 km2) |
| • Water | 1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2) 2.21% |
| Elevation | 528 ft (161 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 11,870 |
| • Density | 242/sq mi (93.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP codes | |
| Area code(s) | 603 |
| FIPS code | 33-33860 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0873619 |
Hanover is a town in New Hampshire, United States. It is located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County. In 2020, about 11,870 people lived there.
Hanover is home to Dartmouth College, a famous university. It also has the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. Hanover High School is also in the town. The famous Appalachian Trail hiking path goes through Hanover.
Most people live in the main village, also called Hanover. This area is where New Hampshire Routes 10, 10A, and 120 meet. In 2020, about 9,078 people lived in this main village. Hanover is part of the Lebanon–Claremont area. It also includes smaller villages like Etna and Hanover Center.
Contents
History of Hanover
Hanover was officially started by Governor Benning Wentworth on July 4, 1761. The first European settlers arrived in 1765–1766. Most of them came from Connecticut. Even though the land was hilly, Hanover became a farming community.
Dartmouth College was built in 1769. It was placed next to the town common in a village called "the Plain." This area was a flat piece of land about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) from the Connecticut River. It was also about 46 meters (150 feet) above the river.
Hanover's Unique Past
For a short time in the 1780s, the southwest part of Hanover was known as "Dresden." This area, along with other towns, briefly joined the independent Vermont Republic. This happened because they were unhappy with New Hampshire. However, George Washington insisted that the towns return to New Hampshire.
A special reminder of this time is the Dresden School District. This school district serves both Hanover and Norwich, Vermont. It was the first, and one of the few, school districts in the nation that crosses state lines. The movie Winter Carnival (1939) was filmed in Hanover.
What's in a Name?
The name "Hanover" (originally spelled "Hannover") comes from a local church area in Sprague, Connecticut. It might also be named after the German House of Hanover. This was a royal family that ruled Britain. The original city of Hannover in Germany means "high shore." This describes the high bank of the Leine river where the first settlement was.
The name "Dresden" likely comes from the city of Dresden in Germany. Some also think it might come from an old Sorbian word meaning "forest."
Geography and Nature
Hanover covers about 129.9 square kilometers (50.2 square miles). Most of this is land (127.0 sq km or 49.0 sq mi). About 2.9 sq km (1.1 sq mi) is water. The main village of Hanover is in the southwest part of the town. It covers about 12.9 sq km (5.0 sq mi).
Hanover shares borders with Lyme, Canaan, and Enfield, New Hampshire. It also borders Norwich, Vermont and the city of Lebanon, New Hampshire. Inside Hanover, you'll find the small villages of Etna and Hanover Center.
The highest point in Hanover is the north peak of Moose Mountain. It is about 705 meters (2,313 feet) above sea level. All of Hanover is part of the Connecticut River watershed. This means all the water flows towards the Connecticut River.
Hanover has many trails and nature areas. Most of these trails are great for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in winter. The Velvet Rocks Trail is part of the Appalachian Trail. It has places for rock climbing and bouldering.
Hanover's Climate
Hanover has a hot-summer humid continental climate. This means it has warm summers and cold, snowy winters. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Hanover was 39 degrees Celsius (103 degrees Fahrenheit) on August 2, 1975. The coldest was -40 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit) on February 16, 1943.
| Climate data for Hanover, New Hampshire, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 64 (18) |
66 (19) |
86 (30) |
93 (34) |
96 (36) |
98 (37) |
101 (38) |
103 (39) |
97 (36) |
87 (31) |
79 (26) |
76 (24) |
103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 49.4 (9.7) |
52.4 (11.3) |
62.5 (16.9) |
79.5 (26.4) |
87.6 (30.9) |
91.4 (33.0) |
92.3 (33.5) |
90.4 (32.4) |
87.0 (30.6) |
76.5 (24.7) |
65.6 (18.7) |
52.4 (11.3) |
94.2 (34.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 30.3 (−0.9) |
34.3 (1.3) |
43.7 (6.5) |
58.1 (14.5) |
70.9 (21.6) |
78.8 (26.0) |
83.4 (28.6) |
81.6 (27.6) |
73.8 (23.2) |
60.2 (15.7) |
47.2 (8.4) |
35.6 (2.0) |
58.2 (14.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 21.6 (−5.8) |
24.3 (−4.3) |
33.6 (0.9) |
46.5 (8.1) |
58.5 (14.7) |
67.1 (19.5) |
72.1 (22.3) |
70.5 (21.4) |
62.9 (17.2) |
50.2 (10.1) |
38.9 (3.8) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
47.8 (8.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 13.0 (−10.6) |
14.4 (−9.8) |
23.6 (−4.7) |
34.8 (1.6) |
46.2 (7.9) |
55.4 (13.0) |
60.9 (16.1) |
59.3 (15.2) |
52.1 (11.2) |
40.2 (4.6) |
30.7 (−0.7) |
20.4 (−6.4) |
37.6 (3.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −11.8 (−24.3) |
−9.0 (−22.8) |
0.1 (−17.7) |
21.0 (−6.1) |
30.8 (−0.7) |
41.7 (5.4) |
49.4 (9.7) |
47.5 (8.6) |
36.2 (2.3) |
25.3 (−3.7) |
13.9 (−10.1) |
−1.6 (−18.7) |
−15.3 (−26.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −34 (−37) |
−40 (−40) |
−22 (−30) |
0 (−18) |
20 (−7) |
29 (−2) |
38 (3) |
33 (1) |
22 (−6) |
11 (−12) |
−12 (−24) |
−37 (−38) |
−40 (−40) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.73 (69) |
2.38 (60) |
2.96 (75) |
3.24 (82) |
3.34 (85) |
3.70 (94) |
4.48 (114) |
3.55 (90) |
3.33 (85) |
4.00 (102) |
3.00 (76) |
3.44 (87) |
40.15 (1,019) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 16.4 (42) |
13.1 (33) |
13.5 (34) |
1.9 (4.8) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
2.2 (5.6) |
13.4 (34) |
60.6 (153.65) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 12.0 (30) |
15.3 (39) |
13.2 (34) |
3.3 (8.4) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
1.6 (4.1) |
8.3 (21) |
17.8 (45) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.8 | 8.9 | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.7 | 12.1 | 12.6 | 10.7 | 11.3 | 12.2 | 10.2 | 10.7 | 131.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 8.3 | 6.5 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 6.1 | 27.7 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
People of Hanover
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 1,380 | — | |
| 1800 | 1,912 | 38.6% | |
| 1810 | 2,135 | 11.7% | |
| 1820 | 2,222 | 4.1% | |
| 1830 | 2,361 | 6.3% | |
| 1840 | 2,613 | 10.7% | |
| 1850 | 2,350 | −10.1% | |
| 1860 | 2,308 | −1.8% | |
| 1870 | 2,085 | −9.7% | |
| 1880 | 2,147 | 3.0% | |
| 1890 | 1,817 | −15.4% | |
| 1900 | 1,884 | 3.7% | |
| 1910 | 2,075 | 10.1% | |
| 1920 | 2,264 | 9.1% | |
| 1930 | 3,043 | 34.4% | |
| 1940 | 3,425 | 12.6% | |
| 1950 | 6,259 | 82.7% | |
| 1960 | 7,329 | 17.1% | |
| 1970 | 8,494 | 15.9% | |
| 1980 | 9,119 | 7.4% | |
| 1990 | 9,212 | 1.0% | |
| 2000 | 10,850 | 17.8% | |
| 2010 | 11,260 | 3.8% | |
| 2020 | 11,870 | 5.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, Hanover had 11,260 people. There were 3,119 households and 1,797 families. The town had about 81% White people, 3.4% Black people, and 10.8% Asian people. About 3.9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 27.4% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.37 people. The average family had 2.95 people. Many young people live in Hanover because of Dartmouth College. About 27.8% of the population was 19 or younger. The average age in Hanover was 23 years old.
Education in Hanover
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Hanover has several schools for different age groups.
Public Schools
- Hanover High School
- Frances C. Richmond Middle School
- Bernice A. Ray Elementary School
Universities
- Dartmouth College is a well-known university in Hanover.
Private Schools
- The Clark School used to be in Hanover. It later joined with Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan in 1953.
Economy and Jobs
Several companies have their main offices in Hanover. These include:
- Hypertherm
- White Mountains Insurance Group
- Daat Research Corp.
Town Services
Water Supply
The Hanover Water Company provides water to downtown Hanover. The water comes from local reservoirs. Dartmouth College owns most of the company (52.8%), and the Town of Hanover owns the rest (47.2%). The town manages the company. Hanover has spent a lot of money to improve its water system. This includes upgrading water lines and building a new water treatment plant. Outside the downtown area, people use private wells for water.
Other Services
FairPoint Communications provides telephone services. The town also handles sewage treatment for its residents.
Awards and Recognition
Hanover has received many awards for being a great place to live.
- In 2011, CNN and Money magazine said Hanover was the sixth best place to live in America.
- In 2007, it was ranked the second best place to live.
- A story in Yankee magazine in 2017 called Hanover "the best college town."
Notable People from Hanover
