Lebanon is a core city of the Lebanon–Claremont micropolitan area, comprising four counties in the upper Connecticut River valley, two in New Hampshire and two in Vermont.

Lebanon was chartered as a town by colonial governor Benning Wentworth on July 4, 1761, one of 16 along the Connecticut River.

Lebanon, Connecticut, was the original home of Moor's Charity School, the antecedent of Dartmouth College.

Early settlement concentrated along the Connecticut River in what is now West Lebanon, and in the Mascoma Lake region near Enfield.

This became the center of town, although West Lebanon grew into a railroad hub with a separate identity after lines entered from Boston.

Reconstruction resulted in a controversial urban renewal project featuring a closed-off district, called The Mall, built to replace the destroyed Hanover Street area.

[6] The routing of Interstates 89 and 91 through Lebanon and nearby White River Junction, Vermont, in addition to the growth of Dartmouth College, led to the area's economic revival.

Just south of the village of West Lebanon, a major shopping district has sprung up at the intersection of Route 12A and I-89.

Lebanon has undertaken improvements to its recreational facilities, including miles of hiking trails, a municipal ski area, a swimming pool and several sports fields.

The highest point in Lebanon is the northern end of Shaker Mountain, at 1,657 feet (505 m) above sea level, on the eastern border of the city.

Located on the downtown pedestrian mall is the Lebanon campus of Claremont-based River Valley Community College.

Many departments of Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine are additionally located just north of downtown at Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center.

New Hampshire Route 12A begins in West Lebanon and heads south along the Connecticut River to Claremont.

The closest Greyhound bus terminal and Amtrak train station are both located in White River Junction, Vermont.

[18][19] Dartmouth Coach offers daily express bus service to Boston's Logan Airport and to New York City.

The land that later developed into the park was donated in 1792 by Robert Colburn as the site for the community's meeting house, serving the purposes of church and town hall.

Arterial roads were built to the area, and it began to develop as a commercial and civic center in the early 19th century.