Hanover residents can puff up their chests and walk proudly around town, as it was recently ranked No. 5 on a list of the top 10 places to raise a family in New Hampshire in 2019 by HomeSnacks.

“According to the United States Census, the number of American families who move is trending downwards,” HomeSnacks’ website says. “Why is that? Perhaps it has to do with the safety net’ factor: We get comfortable where we live, and we’re afraid to try a new move. What if the schools are bad? What if it’s dangerous? Well, we can pretty much guarantee that if you choose the cities we’re mentioning below, you won’t lose any sleep whatsoever.”

HomeSnacks, a company based in Durham, N.C., delivers bite-sized pieces of infotainment about communities by using data, analytics, “and a sense of humor” to determine quality of life for places across the nation.

Ahead of Hanover were Durham (1), Milford (2), Berlin (3), and Exeter (4). Following Hanover were Derry (6), Portsmouth (7), Newmarket (8), Nashua (9), and Hudson (10).

“Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States,” the website describes. “The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007. ‘This just might be the best college town,’ read the headline of a story in the January-February 2017 issue of Yankee.”

By using U.S. Census data, HomeSnacks determined the “family friendly” numbers and overall “snackability” of each community by analyzing violent and property crime, quality of schools, distance to a major city, percentage of households with children, and family friendly amenities nearby, such as museums, libraries, and colleges.

Hanover’s population fell shorter than most on the list, being the third least populated of the group; however, its amenities score was fared better at 57, the third most in the top 10 list. Additionally, Hanover’s unemployment rate is 2.5 percent. Its poverty rate is 16.7 percent. Median home value in Hanover is $499,300, while median household income is $97,422. The average rent in town is $1,410 per month.

Hanover also made HomeSnacks’ top 21 list of places to retire in New Hampshire, ranked at No. 20 out of 21.

Locally, honorable mention went to: Concord (11), Lebanon (16), and Claremont (17). New Hampshire, as a state, ranked No. 1 on HomeSnacks’ top 10 list of best states to raise a family in America in 2019. Vermont was No. 2.

Information provided by Homesnacks.net - https://www.homesnacks.net/best-cities-for-families-in-new-hampshire-1211116/