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The Town of Barnstable includes seven villages within its boundaries. Each village has unique and significant cultural and historical qualities.
Centerville, located on the south side, is primarily residential, includes the Christian Camp Meeting Association and has a beautiful beach. Osterville is located on the south side, is primarily residential and includes inlets and harbors for fishing and boating. Hyannis is the town's central business district which includes town offices and several shopping malls. Hyannis is also a fishing village and its harbor provides steamship access to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Islands. Marstons Mills is primarily residential and is located on Route 28. Cotuit is a village located on a peninsula on the south side, is primarily residential and has several small beaches. West Barnstable is located on the north side, is primarily residential and sparsely populated. Barnstable is located on the north side.
Town of Bourne is a medium-sized rural community at the gateway to Cape Cod. The Cape Cod Canal bisects the community, with both the Bourne and the Sagamore bridges, and the lift railroad bridge all located in Bourne. The canal is well known for its superb sport fishing, and for carrying ships flying the flags of all nations. The Bourne ScenicPark campground is located beneath the BourneBridge and is a perfect vacation location for those seeking to enjoy the canal.
Bourne has numerous quiet harbors and inlets for boating and bathing, and the shellfishing in the area is particularly enticing. Bourne is a quiet community without the summer tourist crush experienced by some of the other Cape communities. The annual Bourne Scallop Festival, which is held in early September each year, brings
visitors from across the nation.
The Town Of Brewster is an historic sea captains' town located on the bay side of Cape Cod. Established in 1803, the town encompasses approximately twenty three square miles, including over 325 acres of beach and marshlands, with 24 ponds larger than 10 acres in size.
Brewster has taken action to protect the town's historic character by establishing sign codes and site plan review by-laws and is in the process of updating its comprehensive plan. In 1985, the town took steps to protect its open space and water quality by purchasing close to 850 acres of land. Currently, over one-third of Brewster's land has been retained for conservation, open space, recreation and watershed protection. Consequently, Brewster boasts award-winning drinking water and two nationally acclaimed 18-hole golf courses among other recreation sites.
NickersonState Park contains 400 acres of trails for biking and hiking, camping areas, and freshwater ponds for swimming, fishing and boating. Brewster has over 15 bed and breakfast inns and over 30 art galleries, craft shops and antique shops, most of which are along historic Route 6A, the old "King's Highway". Brewster's year-round population of about 9,600 grows to about 25,000 in the summer season as visitors come to sample the diversions of the town. (1998 numbers).
The Town Of Chatham one of the older townships of Cape Cod, was settled in 1656 by a handful of Pilgrims, whose surnames still dominate the town's census list. The town was incorporated in 1712. Originally a farming community, its inhabitants found deep sea fishing more lucrative, and today small boat deep sea fishing is an important source of the town's revenue.
Covering an area of approximately seventeen square miles, Chatham is a happy combination of past and present: old fashioned and picturesque, yet affording the best in modern facilities. The town operates under the town meeting form of government. The executive officers are a board of five part-time selectmen and an executive secretary. Once a year, the citizens meet to discuss articles in a town warrant and pass or reject them. Most funds spent by the town are voted at this meeting. The citizens of Chatham enjoy the special benefits of forward-looking zoning and current planning, and of both public and private conservation efforts. Warm summer days with cool summer nights, beautiful warm indian summers, and relatively mild winters make.
The Town Of Dennis, named an All AmericanTown in 1978, combines its traditional New England heritage with modern day conveniences. The villages of East Dennis, Dennis and South Dennis feature scenic historic districts hailing back to whaling days, while tranquil tree-lined streets meander through Dennisport and West Dennis. Sixteen inviting beaches lie on the warm waters of Nantucket Sound to the south and on the crisp refreshing waters of Cape CodBay to the north. Numerous recreation trails offer healthful relaxation, and well developed business districts throughout the villages provide ample goods and services.
Residents of Dennis feel a sense of pride in their home by the sea.The quiet little town, incorporated in 1793, was named for Josiah Dennis, a favorite minister. The town was involved in the maritime activities of the 1800's and was full of the amazing tales of clipper ship adventures. As the twentieth century approached and the glory days of sea captains faded, Dennis residents turned to commercial fishing and land-based industries.
Dennis comes into its own during the summer months, with special events every week. Home to the nation's oldest summer theater, the Cape Playhouse, Dennis offers varied summer activities, with arts and craft shows, concerts on the village green and Dennis Festival Days, held in August, which celebrate the friendly heritage of this All American New England town.
The Town Of Eastham Gateway to the Cape Cod National Seashore, the Town of Eastham is a coastal resort community straddling the arm of Cape Cod. Located on the lower Cape, the town is bounded on two sides by land, the other two by water, the Atlantic Ocean and Cape CodBay.
Eastham is a quiet town with several Ocean and Bay Beaches, a host of kettle ponds, pretty country lanes, panoramic views of Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, and lots of wide-open space for nature lovers. Pre-colonial stands of oak and pine were long ago harvested for fuel and shipbuilding and the terrain of the town is now heavily salt marsh and sand.
The town was originally home to the Nauset Indians. In 1651, it was incorporated by a group of Pilgrims who settled here. About one third (4800 Acres) of the Town is included in the National SeashoreNational Park .
Town Of Falmouth is a large town geographically, and probably has one of the longest coastlines in the State. Consequently, there is a lot of land development with high value, high demand, and the choice views that create real property wealth.
There is a lot of very attractive development in the community, because people have the money to invest in those waterfront or water-view properties. At the same time, Falmouth has a lot of agencies that are very attentive to the environmental demands of that coastline, whether it be the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Conservation Commission, the Department of Natural Resources, Shellfish Warden, Harbormaster and the Board of Selectmen.
Large geographical tracts of land have been set aside for public conservation, not necessarily exclusively waterfront, but some of the woodland and back land areas that are the natural habitat for wildlife and are locations that also serve to enhance the attractiveness of the community. Falmouth, like every community tries to retain attractiveness in the face of growth pressure.
The Town of Harwich is a resort and residential community located on the south side of the Cape peninsula, with an extensive shoreline on Nantucket Sound. It was settled around 1665, and incorporated in 1694. Its early economy included agriculture and maritime industries and its history has included boom and bust cycles from the earliest days of the community.
The Town of Harwich is a resort and residential community located on the south side of the Cape peninsula, with an extensive shoreline on Nantucket Sound. It was settled around 1665, and incorporated in 1694. Its early economy included agriculture and maritime industries and its history has included boom and bust cycles from the earliest days of the community. When the whaling industry collapsed with the discovery of oil, the community's emphasis shifted to cod fishing. By 1802, 15 to 20 ships were shore fishing and another four ships were cod fishing in Newfoundland and Labrador, and by 1851, there were 48 ships employing 577 men and bringing in thousands of tons of cod and mackerel.
The eventual decline of the fishing industry in Harwich by the latter part of the 19th century was caused by increases in the size of ships which eventually outstripped the shallow port's ability to house them. Residents turned to the development of cranberry bogs and resorts for summer visitors, working side-by-side with Portuguese immigrants. The first resort hotel opened in 1880 and both the cranberry and the tourist industries remain substantial parts of Harwich's economy in the present.
The Town Of Mashpee. Located on Cape Cod, the Town of Mashpee is the fastest growing municipality in the Commonwealth, and felt by its new and old residents to be one of the most gifted with natural beauty. Along with the Martha's VineyardTown of Gay Head, it is also unique as one of the remaining homes of the Wampanoag Nation, the Native American tribe which met the Pilgrims at Plymouth. Although now outnumbered by new residents, the Wampanoag continue to play a significant role in defining the character of the community through the town's IndianMuseum, the annual July Pow Wow and other ongoing activities of the Tribal Council.
With over five miles of sandy beaches on Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds, extensive waterfrontage on Waquoit and Popponesset Bays, four of the largest freshwater ponds on Cape Cod, the three championship golf courses of New Seabury and Willowbend and numerous other visitor amenities such as the nationally recognized Mashpee Commons project, Mashpee is a prime resort, seasonal home and retirement community offering both a relaxed pace of life and a complete range of services. With enhancement of its economic base in mind, the town is actively seeking both environmentally friendly industrial and commercial development and increased tourist facilities. As part of that effort the Board of Selectmen has officially embarked on a "green tourism" development project focusing on enhanced access and programming at the town's 1,000-plus acres of conservation lands as well as SouthCape Beach State Park, the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and The Trustees of Reservations' Lowell Holly and Mashpee River Reservations. In addition, 2200 acres in Mashpee have been proposed for inclusion in a new National Wildlife Refuge.
The Town Of Orleans. Originally known as South Parish of Eastham, which was settled in 1644, Orleans became incorporated in 1797 after seeking independence since 1717. The Nauset Indians were the native people of the area. The relationship between the settlers and native Americans was peaceful and co-operative.
The present NausetHeights area was the farming site of the Indians. The last of their settlements lived in South Orleans.The sea has influenced the economy of Orleans from the beginning to the present. Salt works were located on the bay and Town cove shores. There were many domestic needs for salt and the fishing fleet's requirements were large for fish preservation. Finally with the discovery of salt deposits in the U.S. the salt-making industry became obsolete in the 1850s. Sea Captains and ordinary seamen of Orleans manned the merchant and whaling vessels during the age of sail. The fishing industry has waxed and waned through the years according to the supply. Fish weirs and small boat hand lining as well as coastal whaling thrived in the early years.
Today there is a large charter boat sports fishing fleet located in RockHarbor, which has been the Orleans center of maritime commerce and history. The Indians initially taught the settlers about shell fishing. It has continued to be an excellent source and generally reliable monetary factor in good and bad economic times. Now aquaculture appears to have a successful future. Packet boats were the mode of transportation of goods and people until the arrival of the railroad in 1865, which opened up other avenues of commerce such as pants manufacturing. The railroad spawned early tourism. The many needs of the town supplied by the railroad were taken over by cars and trucks. Railroad service to the town ceased in the 1950's. The formerly barren landscape is now covered with trees and vegetation and people are very supportive of land conservation. The advent of the National Seashore Park in 1962 created the complete tourist economy of today.
The Town of Provincetown was incorporated in 1727, but its history begins much earlier since its well protected harbor offered excellent protection from storms. The European explorer Gosnold recorded a stop in Provincetown as early as 1602 and the harbor was the site of the first landing of the Mayflower. The Pilgrims signed the Mayflower compact in the harbor, to codify the way in which they were going to administer the new colony they intended to establish.
Although rich fishing grounds resulted in the seasonal leasing of fisheries with licenses granted for bass, mackerel and cod fishing, the first permanent settlement didn't take place until 1700. Provincetown grew very slowly during the 18th century and its population fluctuated with the price of fish. Farming was of secondary importance and aside from the fishing industry, there were only some salt works and one mill. After the Revolution, the town boomed and its population rose 276.6% between 1790 and 1830.
Despite its relative lack of good farm land, by the middle of the 19th century, Provincetown had developed as the prime maritime, fishing and commercial center of the Cape. The Civil War, which destroyed so much New England business, only provided more markets for Provincetown's fish. Portuguese sailors, picked up by American ships in the Azores and Cape Verde Islands to fill out their crews, came to Provincetown to live and additional Portuguese immigrants had moved to town by the 19th century to work on the whaling boats and coastal fishing vessels. In 1875, there were 25 coastwise and 36 ocean vessels operating in town, more than any community in the state including Boston.
Provincetown was a bustling place with all of the ancillary maritime businesses operating, such as ship chandlers, shipwrights, sail makers, caulkers, riggers and blacksmiths. Today, the wealth of preserved historic buildings combines with the lure of the sea to support a huge tourist and summer home industry.
The Town Of Sandwich. Incorporated in 1639, Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod.It is located on both sides of the Cape Cod Canal with the majority of its population and land mass on the southerly side of the canal. Sandwich is a mostly residential community with a winter population considerably smaller than the population during the warm summer.
Residents feel that its charm and uniqueness combined with its ideal location make Sandwich a very attractive place both to live and visit. Sandwich's beaches along Cape CodBay stretch for miles and provide a wonderful view on a clear day of the many vessels that pass through on their way to or from the Boston area. Commercial fishermen and lobstermen can be seen daily from the docks at the Sandwich Marina, the only harbor along the canal.
Not too far from the marina is historic SandwichVillage which is a world renowned tourist destination, providing a glimpse into New England's rich colonial history. Heritage Plantation, Sandwich GlassMuseum, the Thornton Burgess Museum, Hoxie House (the oldest house on Cape Cod), Daniel Webster Inn, Dexter Grist Mill and various art galleries, rare book and antique stores are some examples of the attractions which bring visitors to Sandwich from all across New England and the world.
The Town of Truro is a small, rural community of Lower Cape Cod where the quaint and unique character of "Old Cape Cod" is preserved. Truro is rich in history and strongly tied to the sea.
It is in Truro where the Pilgrims from the Mayflower found a spring from which they drew their first drink of water in the new land, and where they found a cache of Indian corn, at a place named Corn Hill, that saved them from starvation after their first year. Truro possesses beautiful beaches on Cape CodBay and some of the most magnificent beaches on the Atlantic Ocean.
A source of inspiration to artists and beachcombers alike, Truro's beaches, dunes and landscape of rolling hills are an attraction to tourists and vacationers. Home to a diverse year-round population, Truro's permanent population includes fishermen, tradesmen and an ever-growing number of retirees.
The town is home of the famous Cape Cod Light, Cape Cod's oldest lighthouse, which was first erected in 1797 and replaced by the current structure in 1857. The national landmark is in danger of falling into the ocean due to erosion, unless the town and area citizens receive support and cooperation from the federal and state governments.
The Town Of Wellfleet. Located some seventy-five miles out into the Atlantic Ocean on the outer end of Cape Cod, the Town of Wellfleet offers an abundance of quaint rural seaside character and charm and spectacular natural resources.
Bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and the west by Cape CodBay, 61% of the land area of Wellfleet is in the Cape Cod National Seashore Park. Wellfleet has a total upland area of approximately 13,100 acres (20.47 square miles). Of this total, about 8,000 acres (12.5 square miles) are within the Seashore boundaries, leaving 5,100 acres (8 square miles) outside.
During the summer, the population swells from 3,500 year-round residents to an estimated 17,000 persons enjoying the Town's miles of ocean and bay-side beaches; numerous beautiful, clear, spring-fed, ponds; many fine art galleries, shops and restaurants; and the magnificent Wellfleet Harbor offering a constantly changing panorama of sail boats, motor yachts, sport fishing boats and trawlers.
The Town Of Yarmouth. Three villages make up the 17 square mile town of Yarmouth Cape Cod: West Yarmouth, Yarmouthport, and South Yarmouth. Each village has a distinctive character formed by over 350 years of history.
A community shaped by its seaside heritage, Yarmouth has retained much of historic charm while integrating the present into its surroundings. To gain a true perspective of our town you must stray from the major roadways of Route 6 and 28 that traverse from Hyannis to the West and Dennis to the East. Yarmouth is the second oldest town on Cape Cod, and it is filled with historic charm. Yarmouth's rich history has grown a Cape Cod seaside community that offers a potpourri of activities for area vacationers. For the outdoor minded, Yarmouth boasts 15 of Cape Cod’s finest fresh and saltwater beaches to laze away the days, 4 golf courses challenging all levels, 14 tennis courts for the more active, and many hiking, and conservation trails.
Yarmouth, Cape Cod truly has something for everyone. On the Northside in YarmouthPort, tree lined historic Route 6A hosts an array of country inns and quaint bed & breakfasts, complemented by antique and craft shops. The Southside along Route 28 offers the hustle and bustle of a summertime resort town, from factory outlet shopping to sea lion shows to the most adventurous mini-golf. Nightlife in Yarmouth is filled with moonlight walks on Cape Cod’s most beautiful beaches, candle lit dinners at the area's many restaurants, and dancing to music for all ages at one of several clubs.
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