Best neighborhood/school in Portsmouth, NH (Durham, Rye: best neighborhoods, townhouses, neighborhoods)

[Tooman]

My family with 2 kids are looking at a move to Portsmouth, NH and wondering what the best neighborhood is. We're looking for proximity to town but neighborhood with a good grade school where kids can play on streets. Any suggestions of neighborhoods or even best streets?

[wealthtrader]

Originally Posted by Tooman

My family with 2 kids are looking at a move to Portsmouth, NH and wondering what the best neighborhood is. We're looking for proximity to town but neighborhood with a good grade school where kids can play on streets. Any suggestions of neighborhoods or even best streets?

What's your price range? Well, you said that you're looking for the best so here it is. There is a great neighborhood near Rye on Odiorne Point Rd. $600's and up which is new and very idealic. (White picket fences, colonial street lights, and large homes.) If you're on a tighter budget -$300k, try Atlantic Heights. It's a quiet community with parks, but it's still no New Castle or York Harbor.

[Tooman]

Thanks. $300-450K is more like our price range. What's the school district for Atlantic Heights? Is it a good one?

[wealthtrader]

Originally Posted by Tooman

Thanks. $300-450K is more like our price range. What's the school district for Atlantic Heights? Is it a good one?

I'm not aware of school districts in Portsmouth. I believe there is only one. However, in the lower levels there may be some residency boundaries for certain schools. I know that there is only one high school, Portsmouth High School and it is a regional school that the neighboring towns attend. You can probably find any detailed info on the schools at GreatSchools.net
Outside of Portsmouth, the renowned school districts (with high schools) IMO are Oyster River (Durham, Madbury, Lee), Marshwood (Eliot, South Berwick), and York (York, Maine).

[Valerie C]

Tooman, I wish I could help with telling you of the best neighborhoods, but I honestly don't have enough working knowledge of Portsmouth to give advice here. A good resource is Portsmouth School District Schools, New Hampshire - NH: charter and public schools. where you can do some comparisons. As wealthtrader said, with only the one district high school, the neighborhood you chose is really only relevant for the younger grades.

If it would be helpful, I can send you some listings within your price range so that you can see on an interactive map out where they are located, what's near them, etc. Being able to let kids play safely is a major concern--I understand that you wouldn't want to be on a main road, or even a road known as being a cut-through. That was my concern when I bought the house we live in now, and to this day, I am glad with our decision to buy the older house in the neighborhood that works well for us, rather than the brand new huge house on a main road...

[mdamien]

Elwyn Park is one of the nicest neighborhoods, including the adjacent "Woodlands" area, although that's pricier.

[fishnfool]

I'm not too sure I would recommend atlantic heights. It is anold government housing project so the houses are mostly identical and are usually small (<900 sq ft), or tiny townhouses. Some are well kept and others look like they will fall over at any minute. Rents are cheap so it attracts cheap renters. I have friends who liver there and can't wait to leave. They won't let anyone come over because their place is so bad. Like I said, some people keep them up but because the houses are so close, it really stinks when your neighbors do not....and many many are not.


the nicest areas are obviously right near downtown...but they are pricey. Honestly there aren't any "bad" areas of Portsmouth so see what fits your budget.

[steveusaf]

Originally Posted by fishnfool

I'm not too sure I would recommend atlantic heights. It is anold government housing project so the houses are mostly identical and are usually small (<900 sq ft), or tiny townhouses. Some are well kept and others look like they will fall over at any minute. Rents are cheap so it attracts cheap renters. I have friends who liver there and can't wait to leave. They won't let anyone come over because their place is so bad. Like I said, some people keep them up but because the houses are so close, it really stinks when your neighbors do not....and many many are not.


the nicest areas are obviously right near downtown...but they are pricey. Honestly there aren't any "bad" areas of Portsmouth so see what fits your budget.

I second the vote cautioning about Atlantic Heights. It is a hit and miss neighborhood. Many of the old brick houses have been nicely restored, but others are trashed. Back when I was growing up in the 80s, it was not considered a nice area. Things have probably gotten better, but it's not considered one of the nice areas of Portsmouth by any stretch.