<p>Hanover epitomizes the blend of small town atmosphere, outdoor recreation and urban cultural opportunities. It scores high in entertainment, restaurants, book stores, information-oriented companies and support of its public library system.
As the late writer Michael Dorris (an adjunct professor at Dartmouth) wrote in 1996, "Hanover and its environs will probably make you dissatisfied and grumpy with wherever you live, because it's one of those rare spots about which tourists say 'A nice place to visit and I would want to live there.' " </p>
<p>Lol! I love Dartmouth like no other but I think Hanover is the WORST college town ever. I think this write-p was written for old people. Note - not mention of the college bar scene. I agree then, Hanover is the best college town for 60 yr olds.</p>
<p>As for college students, the bar scene is the worst (canoe club - seriously try better)! There is a lack of quick, cheap, and good food (only the wrap and maybe ramuntos), it closes early (Dirt cowboy closes at like 5pm!), and its full of old people who constantly file noise complaints and cut down rope swings (that really was upsetting). Dartmouth College is awesome and luckily the campus life is so amazing you don't need Hanover to be a good college town. </p>
<p>Best college towns I have visited are: </p>
<p>Chapel Hill, NC: The place parties on Sunday. Six active bars open till 3am, awesome cheap food, artsy coffee shops, and a weekend scene like Dartmouth's frat row makes CH pretty amazing. </p>
<p>East Providence, RI: Brown students have access to a slightly artsy, hip thayer street full of amazing cheap food (Antonio's is the best), good bars, and an active scene. Dominated by young people. Open till 2am.</p>
<p>Ann Arbor, MI: Just like Chapel Hill but much colder.</p>
<p>Note that Hanover was ranked #1 in the "town" category, which means a population below 20,000. So to be fair, you would have to compare Hanover with other <em>small</em> college towns, not Ann Arbor or Chapel Hill. </p>
<p>Hanover is ranked relative to places like Princeton NJ (#2 in the "town" category), or Middlebury VT (#4 in the "town" category), or Williamstown MA (unrated). A weekend in these other towns might raise your opinion of Hanover.</p>
<p>Incidentally, Ann Arbor was rated #5 in the "medium cities" category. Chapel Hill was rated #10 in the "small cities" category.</p>
<p>Is someone letting you eat too much sugar and you are just hyper or are you afraid of anything that may detract from Harvards glow.</p>
<p>FS posted a link regarding Hanover being the # 1 College town *** when compared to other college towns ***. She also posted it on the Dartmouth board, not the Harvard or any other school's board.</p>
<p>You reference to big time winners is all relevant. If a person was looking for a big city (which Dartmouth does not happen to be in) then it would be a different story. For someone looking for a college town, then Dartmouth is a big time winner. </p>
<p>Very good imagry. You have flair for creative writing - and an overactive imagination!</p>
<p>Hanover is a nice little town, and I like visiting and staying in the Hanover Inn. But - truth to tell - I think I'd go stir crazy there after a couple of weeks and develop a craving for civilization!</p>
<p>Those rankings might be helpful if you are considering buying a house in one of those places but as far as selecting a college, they are not very relevant. I mean, the #1 ranked city in medium sized cities is Columbia SC. Have you ever been there??????? #2 is Tallahassee - come on.These rankings are BS.</p>
<p>Having spent two sparkling summers living in A2 (Ann Arbor)--working diligently in the U of Ms Department for Students with Disabilities and having being charmed by her art fair, taverns, used book and music stores, the diag, the arboretum, the parties, the Huron , I assume I am qualified to at least venture a quixotic and discordant opinion on college towns--their pleasures, their comforts, and times well spent. </p>
<p>My unqualified and humble opinion:
Hanover New Hampshire is a perfect delight. </p>
<p>Sadly, I confess, there are those of a more urbane, libertine and jaundiced disposition than I--renaissance men, I have heard them called--who will, by nature and temperament, lift their pinkies and point their chins to dis her; and yet, I will defend her, for she is, sirs, a small college town. And yet there are those who love her! </p>
<p> Ive heard it said and--amended--I humbly and joyfully concur.</p>
<p>Seems a bit misleading to suggest that Daniel Webster left small-town Hanover for the "Boston area". Actually Webster's home and law office were in Marshfield, near Plymouth. The Town of Marshfield (current population: 24,324) is not exactly a hub of urban excitement today, and it was probably a lot less so in the early 19th Century. Webster owned an 1,800-acre farm there, and organized cattle shows on the village green.</p>
<p>I am very familiar with Marshfield, as it is one suburban Boston town away from me(!) but the fact remains, Daniel Webster made his national reputation after he became a "Boston lawyer."</p>
<p>"Webster was elected (1812) to the U.S. House of Representatives (from Portsmouth, NH) because of his opposition to the War of 1812, which had crippled New England's shipping trade. After two more terms in the House, Webster left Congress in 1816 and moved to Boston. Over the next six years, he won major constitutional cases before the Supreme Court (most notably, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE V. WOODWARD, GIBBONS V. OGDEN, and MCCULLOCH V. MARYLAND), establishing himself as the nation's leading lawyer and an outstanding orator. In 1823, Webster was returned to Congress from Boston, and in 1827 he was elected senator from Massachusetts."</p>
<p>And in 1832, after Daniel Webster had made his national reputation, and had achieved wealth, power, and lasting fame, what did he do? </p>
<p>He moved his family and law office to the little town of Marshfield, where he bought a big farm, raised cattle, and lived happily for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>If you're trying to make a case that quality of life is higher in the Big City than in the Countryside, then Daniel Webster is probably not the best historical example.</p>