Hampden Meadows, in northeast Barrington, separated from the rest of town by the Barrington and Warren rivers, may be Barrington’s best-kept secret. It is generally more affordable than the high-end Rumstick and Nayatt neighborhoods, but there are many waterfront and water-view properties, particularly near One Hundred Acre Cove, and the streets farther from the water are wooded and quiet.

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Hampden Meadows

“Hampden Meadows is a very desirable area; it’s more of a middle-class area of Barrington,” said Joyce Hughes, an agent with Residential Properties and a Barrington native. “It’s surrounded by water. People don’t even understand it’s waterfront.”

More practically, from Hampden Meadows “you can zip over to Warren and Seekonk without dealing with a lot of the traffic on [Route] 114,” said Hughes.

From Route 114, there are three main entry points to the neighborhood, Massasoit Avenue, near the high school athletic fields and the tall, white Barrington Congregational Church, and nearer Warren, New Meadow Road and Sowams Road. The Sowams Elementary School serves the neighborhood children in kindergarten through grade three, and the Hampden Meadows School is the townwide school for grades four and five. There are several small businesses in The Meadows, but it is almost entirely a residential neighborhood.

Another Barrington native, Chris Conti, has had two serious prospective buyers since he put his Hampden Meadows house on the market in June. Conti, an accountant, is selling his Laurel Lane property himself. The first buyers made an offer within a week, but they were unable to sell their house, so they could not complete the purchase. Conti recently had an acceptable offer from another couple. “I just hope this works,” he said.

He said the neighborhood is especially attractive to young families. Conti, who is selling because of a divorce, plans to remain in Barrington.

Steve Wing, a mechanical engineer, bought a small 1910 cottage on Teed Avenue in The Meadows several years ago and renovated it completely, doing all the work himself. The 781-square-foot dwelling has new windows, plus a new roof, shingles and hardwood floors, among other improvements. He was not eager to move, but when a neighbor asked if he was interested in buying his home earlier this year, Wing decided to make the change. He is now beginning another renovation project at his new house, a bigger place just a short distance from the cottage.

Wing said his experience is typical of the neighborhood. “Nobody moves out — they move up,” he said.

Hampden Meadows houses listed for sale in the state’s Multiple Listing Service this month range in price from $229,900 for a two-bedroom cottage built in 1922 to $985,000 for a four-bedroom contemporary.

Hughes, who is married to Greg Hughes, a lieutenant in the Barrington Fire Department, has a house listed in The Meadows, an updated waterfront cottage, for $729,000. She said she and her business partner, Linda Burton, bought the house as an investment, and they are trying to “flip” it. This is not as easy or quick as it used to be, Hughes said, but Barrington “is a unique community. … People come for the school system no matter what. Even in a down market, people are still buying in Barrington.”