Communities and Consequences

Rebalancing New Hampshire's human ecology is critically important because intensifying workforce shortages threaten to cripple our economy and impede our ability to care for the rapidly growing numbers of elderly. This book and the companion film by Jay Childs describe how we came to be in this situation, and they show how visionary community leaders are crafting solutions to help us regain our balance: New Hampshire is the nation's second-oldest state in median age. Northern New England shares this affliction as a region-only Maine is older, and Vermont ranks third. Several NH counties are aging even faster than the state. New Hampshire now has 29,000 fewer children than in 2010, but 67,000 more residents age 65 and older, due in part to generous property-tax exemptions for elderly homeowners and over 17,000 age-restricted housing units. Learn how residents in towns and cities across the state are seeing the consequences of this imbalance, and they're joining forces across generations and walks of life to craft solutions for their own communities.