Great Trip...... (Dover, Portsmouth, Amherst: fit in, for sale, real estate)

[Cindy, CA]

Hi All,
Well we are back in CA after having a very enjoyable trip to ME & NH. We unfortunately didn't make it to all the areas we had on our list but we loved the ones we did visit.

We made it to Portsmouth to visit with our friend and we had a great time. We had a wonderful lunch down on the water but I have forgotten the name of the place. I had my first and only lobster roll of my vacation and it was delish.

That same day we made it down to Amherst and Hollis and we loved both towns. We had a great spinach pizza at Monument Market(?) and were very pleased with it also.

We also made it to Dover and took the kids to the Children's Museum. The kids had a blast and didn't want to leave. I have to say I really enjoyed Dover also.

There is a very good possibility that my DH will be getting a job in Portsmouth in the next year or so and we couldn't be happier. Of course we can't afford to live in Portsmouth so we will be checking out some surrounding areas. Any thoughts on Barrington or Madbury?

PS We have decided that the next time we visit ME will be when we have made the move to NH. All the children did great on the flights back and forth except our smallest one-he was a terror. Doesn't help that I can't stand to fly in the first place.

[GregW]

Glad you enjoyed our state. Portsmouth is a very nice small city. I like it myself.

I'll bet your smallest child was picking up on your own fear and freaking out as a result. Not much you can do about it because some part of our brains realize that it just ain't natural go speeding through the stratosphere in a really big aluminum can.

[BF66389]

Glad you had a great trip!!! Also glad that you enjoyed Monument Square Market

Portsmouth is great and I'm sure you'll love it here!

[lisa g]

Nice to hear you enjoyed your trip.
Glad to hear you liked Hollis That Monument Square pizza is good, but not stellar. Probably stellar by local comparison though Portsmouth is nice to visit (esp. the Portsmouth Brewery if I am getting the name right) but don't think I'd want to live there.
I can't stand to fly across the country either but agreed to it in order to escape CA and even then required klonopin. Wish I could help you w/info on Barrington/Madbury, would love to help a fellow CA escapee.

[WannaComeHome]

Glad you enjoyed your trip- Hollis and Amherst are great towns, aren't they! It's hard to fit in everything you want to see! You know, I still have a hard time remembering that shop is called 'Monument Square Market' - I still think of it as 'Bob's', we call it 'Bob's that isn't Bob's anymore'

Barrington is nice, I have some friends who bought land there and built a house a few years ago. They love it. Portsmouth isn't far away for shopping.

[steveusaf]

Barrington is a nice town, but is a commuter town, really. Not any downtown to speak of if that's what you're looking for. Everyone goes to Dover or Portsmouth for the downtown experience. I just bought some land in Barrington - I thought I got a great deal for a parcel of land 25 minutes from the ocean. For me, the proximity to salt water, good shopping, major routes of travel, and good school system for the price made Barrington a great choice for me. You can get cheaper real estate in other towns near Dover, but those towns are no where near as nice as Barrington IMO. Good luck!

[Cindy, CA]

Thanks for the replys. I too have friends in Barrington and they love it. They just bought there second house there so that says something. They could have bought elsewhere but chose to stay there.

I hope we can get there this next summer

[rmcewan]

We moved from SoCal to Madbury in 2007.

Both are great towns. Madbury is a little cheaper on taxes than the surrounding towns in the Oyster River school district (but not as low as Barrington). Barrington is further out from the Seacoast - DH will spend and extra 10-20 minutes waiting to turn on to the circle during the evening rush hour until he gets to know the side-roads. Real estate will be more expensive in Madbury - and harder to come by (only a few hundred homes here). Nottingham, to the south of Barrington is more rural, and will be cheaper.

[Cindy, CA]

Thank you!! I thought someone on the board lived in Madbury but I couldn't remember who.

We are getting our house ready for sale and praying a job opens up for DH so we can leave by next summer. We were hoping to get as close to the coast as possible and have great schools for the kids but it all depends on our financial situation also. Barrington is a big consideration for us at this point.

Do the kids in Barrington go to OR schools by choice or do they have to get approval and pass entrance exams? We were told about Strafford also and that the kids(from Barrington) can choose to go to Coe Brown Academy(?) but must pass exams to get in.

[steveusaf]

I believe you have the choice of Oyster River or Coe Brown, but Barrington will only provide busing to Dover High from what I understand. Transportation for the other two is "on your own". My neice and nephew will enter high school in a couple of years, and my brother in law is trying to figure out where the kids will go.

Not sure about entrance exams for Coe Brown. BTW, Barrington should have its own high school within 5 years, I believe.

Barrington rocks, IMO!