Growth In The Granite State

A Week-Long Special Series from The Exchange - June 6-10, 2005


The Exchange's "Growth in the Granite State" series looks at how we're growing, where we're growing, why we're growing and the economic, political, environmental and psychological ramifications that go along with it, culminating with a two-hour live show from the Windham Town Hall.



Programs

The Who, What, Where, When and Why of New Hampshire's Growth

An overview of who's already here, who's moving in, where they're going and the ramifications, both good and bad that happen as more people call our state home, from housing to transportation to the environment.

 
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Making Dollars and Cents of Growth: Who Benefits?

More people in the Granite State means more houses to build, more lawns to take care of, more coffee shops and restaurants on Main Street, more demand for services in health care and education, and more people to shop at big box stores like Walmart and Target. We look at the economics of growth and ask how we've benefitted from the growing number of people calling the Granite State home.

 
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Municipalities, Cities and Regions… How we Govern as we Grow

As New Hampshire grows many communities find they're outgrowing their ways of governing. Many town meetings are being replaced by SB2, other towns are reexamining whether they need to expand their governments, while some say that our mostly municipal forms of government need to be changed to a more regional approach. Others say that these changes lose local control and that personal "hands on" approach that Granite Staters have relished for years. We'll look at the way we govern and how growth might affect it.

 
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Smart Growth… and not so Smart Growth

It's a term we hear all the time, and a question cities and towns in New Hampshire are continually asking: As we grow, how do we grow smartly? But defining smart growth isn't easy, and actually doing it is just as hard.

 
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Growth and the New Hampshire Identity Crisis

We're not Cow Hampshire anymore, at least that's what some people say. New people are coming for the small town charm and wanting to close the door behind them, but in their wake are more houses, higher taxes and a change in the cultural landscape of the state.

 
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So We're Growing, Now What?

New Hampshire is growing and growing fast. We conclude our series by looking at how we as a state prepare to move forward and deal with the inevitability of growth and change in New Hampshire.

 
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