Moving to Dover? (Portsmouth, Hampton, Exeter: crime rate, new home, buying)

[jlaneme]

My family are moving to the Seacoast region and have been searching for a great place to live since this past June. We finally narrowed our search down to Portsmouth, Dover, Exeter, Stratham, Greenland, Hampton (not Hampton Beach), Rye and Madbury. Of course, after further research, we found we couldn't afford anything in Rye, Hampton or Greenland and very little in Portsmouth, Exeter or Stratham. That left us with Dover. Feeling pretty good about our decision, I started doing further research on the school systems, particularly the Woodman Park School and the Dover High School. The High School is very large - any feedback on the school system? I noticed on previous threads that drugs are an issue (as in most schools these days) and the fact that it's just so big - 1600 kids? Also noticed the test scores were a little on the low side. I have a child not yet 3 so it's a couple years away but it will be here before I know it and it's of particular concern for me. Also, what types of activities are offered for families of young children? Sense of community, etc? It's hard searching for a new home when you are looking from away. How is downtown Dover? I guess I know there are good and bad to every place but I'm trying to get an honest and good sense of the perception of Dover and the people who live there, the school system, the community, etc.

Also - I heard the Portsmouth Childrens Museum is moving to Dover? Any truth to that?

Are there bad vs good areas of Dover? The house we are looking at falls in the Woodman Park School area.

I appreciate any feedback you can provide - thanks!

[theflynns]

Hey!
We moved to Dover from northshore of Massachusetts about seven years ago and love it! (although we are planning on relocating soon, but down the Carolinas way for continuing ed, job, etc.!)

We have been VERY pleased with Dover as a whole. WE have two children, one in kindergarten (Horne Street) and one in preschool. We originally looked in of the towns that you mentioned, and much the same, we were priced out. Dover stood out for us because of the school system and services offered. WE bought a small 2 bdrm starter home here in 2000, sold in 2003, and bought a larger home again in Dover.

The quality of life here is great...lots of parks, boating (Hilton Park boat launch), annual Apple Harvest Festival, Christmas parade, etc...The library has great storytimes for the little ones, lots of programs offered through the Rec Department (ie: hockey, baseball, swim lessons at the city pool, etc.), concert series and outdoor story times weekly in the summer, etc. We are very close to beaches (both NH and ME), and YES! the Children's Museum is relocating here!

As to the schools, since my oldest is only in kindergarten, I can only speak with second-hand knowledge. Many in our subdivision have children in the High School, and while it has its fair share of problems, I feel it is much better than many of the surrounding areas. The kids I know are good kids (a few babysit for us!) and there seems to be very few incidents (ie: drugs, crime etc.) Also, towns like Barrington that have been sending kids to Dover schools are growing and building schools of there own, so the number of students should ease.

Speaking of crime, on epodunck.com (?sp) it states a violent crime rate in 2005(?) of nine...only nine violent crimes in a city this size is amazing (no homicides!) Again, coming from working in cities such as Lowell MA, this seems like paradise! I feel safer than anywhere else I have lived, including some upper-middle class towns in Massachusetts! Any time we have needed to speak to the police regarding any issues (cars parked illegally, noise problems, etc.) they are reposnsive and courteous! We also have mounted police downtown!

Anyways, hope this helps! Feel free to contact me again via posting with any questions...Good luck!

[jlaneme]

I really appreciate your candid feedback regarding Dover. I was beginning to wonder & worry, because nobody was responding. We do have a house under contract in Dover - our 2 year old would be going (eventually) to the Woodman Park School. I have heard nothing about that school - any thoughts or feedback? The schools website is under construction so it was difficult to get a feel for the programs and activities that are offerred. I do like the fact that the crime rate is low and that so many activities for little ones are offerred. I did get worried that the high school seemed so big. Everybody who I have talked to says that "the schools are OK but very big". Coming from a small town and never having kids in school, it's sort of difficult to navigate and make the "right choice". I mean, obviously, I might choose a different town but our finances don't allow us to do that at this time. I'm glad that Dover works for you and is a good fit for your children. We are buying in a small subdivision - with all Cape style houses for the most part. We figure we can always sell down the road but this is what we can afford now. Let me know if you have any other thoughts or feedback. I really appreciate the help!