Rural surroundings with an easy commute in Madbury
Madbury is a little slice of rural charm wedged between Dover, Durham and Lee. Often described as a bedroom community, Madbury’s fewer than 2,000 residents often work just a few miles away in Dover or Durham, where the University of New Hampshire is located. The town itself is small and quiet, which is a draw of its own for many. “I think everybody knows their neighbors because a lot of them are long-term residents,” says Lee Ann Parks, an associate broker with eXp Realty who has lived in the area for 46 years and has sold homes here for 22 years. She adds that children who grow up in Madbury often return to raise their children here. “…Most of the properties are 2-plus acres or even larger parcels, and there’s a lot of protected land.” The neighborhood is full of farms and open fields, and there’s even a horse boarding and training stable.
High demand for Madbury’s homes on large lots
Colonials, ranch-style houses and new traditionals sit on Madbury’s large lots. The median home price is about $660,000; small houses that need updating occasionally start as low as $340,000, but large, updated houses can sell for as much as $1.5 million. These houses often have acreage or amenities like pools and occasionally sit at the edge of a pond. Homes here don’t go for sale often, and when they do, they sell quickly. The average Madbury house spends 28 days on the market, compared to the national average of 49 days. Parks says she’s seen a house here spend a mere five days on the market before going under contract.
Extracurriculars at Oyster River High and nearby UNH
Niche gives the Oyster River Cooperative School District a C-plus. Children in Madbury attend Moharimet School, which earns an A-minus, from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. They then move on to Oyster River Middle School, which also has an A-minus, and Oyster River High School, which has a C. The high school offers model UN, book and sustainability clubs.
The University of New Hampshire, which offers 200 programs in over 100 fields of study, is just under 2 miles from the center of Madbury.
Commuting to nearby hotspots, nearest hospital in Dover
Although they’re just two-lane roads, state Route 9, state Route 155 and state Route 108 are Madbury’s biggest roads, connecting it to other highways and communities. Durham is just 2 miles south of Madbury and Dover is about 5 miles north. Dover is home to the nearest hospital, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, which is about 8 miles away. Durham and Dover have train stations on the Downeaster line, which brings passengers to Boston, Massachusetts in about an hour and 25 minutes. Portsmouth is even closer, just a 15-mile drive away, while Manchester is about 34 miles away.
Heading to nearby towns for essentials
Madbury doesn’t have a true town center, just a loose collection of buildings that includes a church, the local elementary school, town hall, and the Madbury Public Library. “Their library is absolutely stunning because it was just built in 2019,” Parks says. “For a town that is kind of quaint and older, it’s pretty modern.” For groceries, most locals drive to nearby Lee or Dover. Other shops and restaurants are found in Dover or Durham.
Hiking, mountain biking and kayaking at Madbury’s parks
Plenty of protected land and forests means that Madbury is dotted with campsites and threaded through with hiking trails. One of the most popular areas for trails is Kingman Farm. Owned by the University of New Hampshire, part of the area is used for agricultural education, but the rest of its 360 acres are full of trails. “A lot of people do recreation there on that land as well, so they mountain bike through there, they hike in the forest, they do trail running,” Parks says, adding that snowshoeing is another popular activity there in the winter. Bellamy Reservoir and Barbadoes Pond are both popular spots for kayaking and fishing. There are a few small parks with athletic fields for local teams to play on, including Demerritt Park and Tibbetts Fields. Parks says there’s also an exclusive tennis club with two indoor courts, Tennis Coop, which only accepts 120 members at a time. Madbury residents can also use the University of New Hampshire’s library and outdoor pool, the latter of which Parks calls “gorgeous.” The pool has a recreational, free-swim area as well as a competitive area with swimming lanes.
Celebrating Madbury Day with pancakes, music and more
Madbury Day is one of the biggest local events. The day begins with a pancake breakfast and features several events throughout the day, including the library book sale, live music, games and a parade. The day also features a 5K and shorter 1-mile run for younger participants. Parks also says that many residents head to UNH for hockey, football or basketball games.
Potential for flooding and occasional hurricanes
Although some areas along the Bellamy River and its brooks or reservoirs are prone to flooding, most homes aren’t affected. Despite this, Madbury’s regulations require the lowest floor of new homes to be built a foot above the base flood elevation. Hurricanes or tropical storms occasionally pass over the town, bringing high winds and potential flooding, but it’s not a yearly occurrence.
Written By
Christina Norwood
