RED AMERICA/RIVER/BLUE AMERICA:

Census Suggests N.H. Has An Edge (John P. Gregg, 3/27/11, Valley News)

Along the Connecticut River Valley, a clear pattern seems to be emerging from 2010 Census numbers -- population was stagnant or grew only slightly in most of the larger towns on the Vermont side of the river while nearby New Hampshire hubs enjoyed more robust gains.

Lebanon's population grew by 4.6 percent, while Hartford's dropped by 4.2 percent. Hanover was up 3.8 percent, Norwich, its partner in the interstate Dresden school district, down 3.7 percent.

The town of Windsor lost 5.4 percent of its population, and other old river towns in Vermont fared little better -- both Brattleboro and St. Johnsbury grew by less than 1 percent.

If you think growth is good, could there really be something to the so-called “New Hampshire advantage” when it comes to taxes and economic vitality?

That could be the case in the Upper Valley, where New Hampshire towns grew by 6.4 percent, while their Vermont counterparts increased a paltry 0.1 percent, according to a Valley News analysis of the new Census data.

The lack of a state income tax in New Hampshire clearly played a role, as did more housing options in the Granite State, according to new residents who bought homes in fast-growing New Hampshire towns over the past decade.

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