Hanover, it is said, is a quintessential New England college town. You can even find Baker Tower on the corporate logo for the town of Hanover. Yet, is Hanover really a college town, or just a town which happens to have a college? Increasingly, it seems, Hanover looks less like a college town. Hanover certainly lacks the buzz found in bigger college towns like Berkeley or Cambridge. There are few cafs and other hangout spots. Street buskers are nowhere to be found. What is shocking is that even basic student needs are no longer being met.
The '04s could probably still remember the Hanover that existed during their freshmen year. There was still a P&C supermarket right by Foodstop, offering fresh groceries and the glorious temptation of a walk-in wine and beer chiller. Patrick Henry's provided a cozy environment for a nice (and cheap) dinner off-campus. Dirt Cowboy Caf was open late and the Dartmouth Co-op actually sold items that did not have "Dartmouth" printed all over them.
Today, you can't get a decent cup of coffee in this town after 6 p.m. Students have to walk for 20 minutes to the Co-op to find a bunch of bananas. Mojo's is gone, and the space belonging to Patrick Henry's and Dartmouth Travel is the place for students to get their diamonds.
To be honest, Hanover has never been a very affordable town for students. A cooking pot in Hanover, even if it's made in China, is going to set you back a pretty sum. Film processing is outrageously expensive, and no one can figure out who shops at Talbot's anyway.
What has made an already bad situation worse is the steady reduction in the few number of shops in the town that cater to the needs of students.
This situation does not bode well for Dartmouth, or indeed for Hanover. Town and college are increasingly living separate lives. In time, students will have no need or wish to even venture south of Wheelock Street and the Hop. Everything that students need would either be shipped in, courtesy of Amazon.com, or dragged in by car from West Lebanon. Main Street Hanover will feed off nostalgic alumni and leaf-watching tourists. As the College continues to move more students into on-campus housing, would the Hanover community be finally divorced from the Dartmouth community?
The gentrification of downtown Hanover is probably due to market forces out of anyone's control. Rental space in one of those pretty buildings must be quite expensive. Only high-margin retail businesses are viable in this town. Students tend to go for cheap, the cheaper the better. That means Walmart in West Leb. The small market in Hanover also limits the number of players and therefore reduces price competition.
This situation may please some local residents. Most probably don't shop in Hanover anyway. Some Hanover residents, it seems, love the cultural opportunities afforded by Dartmouth, but would prefer that the life of college students not spill out of Webster Avenue. The preferences of a population of high-income families and retirees certainly do not overlap much with those of a budget-conscious student population.
Which begs the question: Whose town is this anyway? Hanover has a population of slightly over 10,000 people. That includes 4,000 Dartmouth students. In short, Dartmouth students make up nearly half the population of Hanover. Of course, one could make the argument that the individual Dartmouth student is in Hanover for only four years, but one cannot dismiss the fact that there is, and will always be, a permanent resident student population here. Hanover belongs to us as well.
Students are not freeloaders either. All residence halls are subject to local property tax. Any student who lives in Hanover, whether she stays in a dorm, a Greek house, or off campus, is indirectly paying property taxes to the town. What are we getting in return for our tax dollars? No one is planning a Sanborn Tea Party, but there is clearly a need for greater student voice in the affairs of this town.
Hanover is a college town and it should be made more hospitable for student life. For starters, the Town of Hanover could relax its zoning laws to allow a greater variety of retail and dining outlets. It seems almost ridiculous when, as happened recently, a restaurant owner needed to get zoning approval to have live music in his restaurant. No wonder Hanover is a ghost town at night.
The College too, needs to do more than harp about a "Student Life Initiative." Face it, there is no student life in Hanover outside of Webster Avenue. There are many things that the College can do to improve downtown. As a major landlord in Hanover, the College could lower the rents it charges and force the other landlords to do the same to compete. The College could also carve out commercial space in places like the Hop with low rentals to encourage businesses that welcome students. Anything to reduce that 20 minute walk to get bananas.
Hanover is a pretty town. Unfortunately, downtown Hanover no longer caters to those who live closest to it. There has to be a better balance between lifestyle shopping and necessity shopping options in this town. Students have a voice in Hanover, perhaps it is time to make ourselves heard.
