Data Points, Plans, and Pathways: Barrington’s Vision for the Future

If you have ever driven on route 125 in southern New Hampshire, chances are you’ve passed through the Town of Barrington. But while some see Barrington as a bedroom community and the most direct commuting route to the Seacoast, the community is more than meets the eye. It’s a growing community that’s attracting young families, home to businesses large and small, and hosts a variety of high-quality trails and recreation opportunities.

In Barrington’s Town Center, at the intersection of Routes 9 and 125, is Calef’s Country Store, an institution in the region. Calef’s has served happy locals and visitors with sandwiches, pickles, penny candy, and its famous snappy old cheese since 1869. Many have likely stopped at Calef’s but probably missed the 13 acres hiding behind the iconic store in the charming Town Center, across from the Christmas Dove, another iconic business, and next to the Post Office. Barrington recently acquired this land and has built a perimeter trail that connects the Town Center to the local elementary school and has the potential to connect to other parts of town.

To better connect its trails and natural assets with its economic development goals, Barrington reached out to Extension's Community & Economic Development team to see about bringing the Downtowns & Trails Program to the community. Extension began a partnership over the winter, providing volunteer training on the benefits of connecting trails to downtowns and how to use a GIS app to conduct a community assessment. Volunteers in Barrington will be conducting assessments and sharing surveys throughout the Spring to gather information about the community’s assets and opportunities. The Program will also help the community to gain insight into what residents and visitors think of the Town Center and local trails. The collected data will be synthesized and shared to support actions the town may take in the future, which could include enhancing signage, planning infrastructure projects, applying for funding, beginning a business awareness campaign and more.

With engaged and active staff and volunteers, a growing population, and many built and natural assets, Barrington is at a key juncture in its trajectory. We are honored to work with the Barrington community again (our team worked with Barrington back in 2014 on a community profile) and look forward to the coming data collection and community engagement aspects of the Downtowns & Trails Program.

This work builds on the ongoing dedication and efforts of staff and community members, including those involved with the Barrington Center Development Committee and the Conservation Commission.