Madbury, New Hampshire
Madbury, New Hampshire is a small, easily missed town of about 1700 residents located in Strafford County. Sandwiched between the college town of Durham to the south and the historic city of Dover to the north, Madbury is easily overshadowed and oftentimes unheard of by New Hampshire residents not living near the seacoast.
The area to become Madbury was first the southern part of Dover, sometimes referred to as Barbados for the traders that lived there. When Durham Parish came into being around 1716, the Barbados area was a part thereof. The name “Madbury Parish” was first documented in 1735 upon the incorporation of Durham as a town, and Madbury itself was incorporated in 1775. The name “Madbury” comes from the fact that the area was once owned by Sir Frances Champernowne, whose family mansion was located at Modbury in Devon, England. Madbury was primarily a farming and lumber-producing town for much of its existence, but now is regarded as a bedroom community for those working in the nearby towns of Dover, Portsmouth and Exeter, as well as faculty and students from Durham’s UNH campus.
Madbury is a wonderful town in which to raise a family. The Oyster River School District is second to none, taking full advantage of internships granted to UNH students in the field of teaching. The town’s municipal park has two baseball fields and residents can utilize the many UNH-owned properties throughout the area, including Kingman Farm with its miles of hiking and bicycling trails, fields of corn and a nature trail alongside the Bellamy River. Organized youth sports include baseball, soccer, basketball and hockey and there is a Boy and Girl Scouts presence as well as a 4H club. Madbury has little industry or commercial business in town, so most residents venture to Dover for their shopping needs. There are several Wal-Marts, Home Depots and grocery stores all within ten minutes of Madbury, so travel time is minimal.
Madbury, NH is a part of School Administrative Unit #5 and a member of the Oyster River Cooperative School District, along with Durham and Lee. Most Madbury elementary school age children attend Moharimet Elementary School, though some, depending on their location in town, attend the Mast Way Elementary School in Lee. All residential students in grades five through eight learn at the Oyster River Middle School while student in grades nine through twelve attend the Oyster River High School. There are no current plans to construct any new schools in town.
Madbury is a nice, quiet town with a great location and a wonderful school system. It’s the perfect town in which to start a family or retire in comfort. If Madbury sounds like the place for you, you need to call Jim Miller Bean Group at (603) 801-3987. At Bean Group, we’ll answer all your questions, show you only the homes that you’re interested in and be there for you throughout the entire home buying process. One call is all it takes – make the call today.
Mast Way Elementary School (k-4)
(603) 659-3001
Moharimet Elementary School (k-4)
(603) 742-2900
Oyster River Cooperative Middle School (5-8)
(603) 868-2820
Oyster River Cooperative High School (9-12)
(603) 868-2375
