THE OTHER FIVE ARE TOO FAR SOUTH AND WEST:

Best Places to Live: Money's list of America's best small towns (CNN/Money)

6. Hanover, NH

Top 100 rank: 6
Population: 8,600
Unemployment: 4.4%*

Dartmouth College, located in this hamlet near the White Mountains, gives Hanover an economic, social, and cultural advantage rare in towns so far from major urban centers. Unemployment in town is less than 3%, about half the statewide average (Dartmouth and its top-rated medical center provide over 12,000 jobs). Graduate programs spin out entrepreneurial start-ups in almost every industry. Housing--which ranges from century-old Victorians to new construction--isn't cheap, however. And students account for some fraternity-style rowdiness. --P.N.

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