Protection of scenic attributes may be considered an extension of the municipal power to promote the general health, prosperity and welfare of the community.
The Scenic Locales Committee developed a two-track approach to its assignment. Committee members analyzed many examples of scenic studies from communities around the country, on the basis of which they worked out a matrix system for listing and ranking scenic sites in Hanover. Meanwhile, the committee also solicited community input through a survey mailed to 1,200 randomly-selected households.
Many factors contribute to the increasing development pressures in Hanover: a strong economy, the presence of Dartmouth College and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the rapidly changing school situations in Vermont and New Hampshire, and the nation-wide attraction of a non-urban quality of life.