Cape Cod Towns

Bourne, the town closest to the mainland, actually straddles the Cape Cod Canal. Bourne consists of nine small villages, as well as the Massachusetts Military Reservation, totalling an area of 40 square miles and containing a population of 17,260 The village of Gray Gables in Bourne has the distinction of being home to the first summer White House where President Grover Cleveland summered in the 1890s. Monument Beach, Cataumet, and Pocasset are residential seaside villages that are quaint and off the beaten path; Bournedale, nestled between the two bridges on the mainland portion of town, has a country store and one of the Cape's productive herring ponds; Buzzards Bay is a commercial center, home to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and pretty views of Buttermilk Bay.Lying just east of Bourne is historic and charming Sandwich which has a population of 22,000 and is the oldest town on the Cape. Famous for the glass industry that thrived there in the 1800's, Sandwich is still home to a few glass-making studios and the Sandwich Glass Museum. The village of Sandwich, with its shady lanes dotted with antique shops, historic inns, and a working Grist Mill, is the perfect town for a casual stroll. Falmouth, situated south of Bourne and Sandwich, is the second-largest town on the Cape and has more shore and coastline than any other, with 14 harbors and numerous saltwater inlets reaching up like fingers from Vineyard Sound. With a total year-round population of 31,000, Falmouth is made up of eight villages. Falmouth Village, the center of town, has a wonderful village green, a fascinating array of specialty shops, and includes Falmouth Heights, popular among summer visitors. East Falmouth, Hatchville, Teaticket and Waquoit are residential areas. Quaint North and West Falmouth, are known as the keepers of the old Cape Cod. Their village centers were placed on the National Register of Historic Places because so many of their 18th- and 19th-century buildings remain in place. The village of Woods Hole is home to three important scientific institutions: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI, or "hooey" to locals), the Marine Biological Laboratory, and the National Marine Fisheries Service. This seaside village is also a terminus for ferries bound for Martha's Vineyard. East of Falmouth is Mashpee, the town with the strongest ties to the Cape's Native American heritage; in fact it is administered by the Wampanoag Tribe. It's seen tremendous growth in the last decade; in fact, it's become one of the fastest-growing areas of the state. It now has a year-round population of about16,000, and this increases to 25,000 during the summer.

Mid-Cape

Moving east to the Mid-Cape, Barnstable is the Cape's largest and most populated town, with an estimated 46,000 residents in 60 square miles. It serves as the county seat with a complex containing a courthouse and jail. Surrounding quiet, historic Mass. Rt. 6A, Barnstable Village is known for its lovely old houses and its harbor. Also on Mass. Rt. 6A is West Barnstable, which enjoys beautiful views of the salt marshes and barrier beach on Sandy Neck Conservation area. Barnstable also contains Hyannis, which is the closest thing to a city on Cape Cod. Many residents of other Cape towns, including the far-flung Lower Cape towns, travel regularly to Hyannis for shopping, medical services, or employment. Hyannis Harbor has two docks from which ferries depart for Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Hyannisport is famous for the Kennedy Compound, where President John F. Kennedy came to sail and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of Cape Cod with his family in the "Camelot" days. Other villages in Barnstable are Cotuit, Osterville, Centerville, and Marstons Mills.Stretching between Nantucket Sound and Cape Cod Bay is Yarmouth. On the north side of the Cape is historic, tranquil Yarmouthport along scenic Mass Rt. 6A, while on the south side is Bass River and the bustling Mass. Rt. 28. If you're looking for a game of minigolf, a quick lunch, or a little nightlife, head for Mass. Rt. 28. If you're into antiquing and visiting historic sites, meander along Mass. Rt. 6A. Yarmouth's year-round population of about 23,000 grows to more than 50,000 in the summer months.

Dennis enjoys a great location and also stretches from the sound to Cape Cod bay. Historic Mass. Rt. 6A wends through the quiet north side, and, to the south, Dennisport is very much a family-oriented summer resort with a breezy shoreline dotted with cottages and motels. Dennis spans 20 square miles and has a year-round population of about 14,000.

Lower Cape

Just east of Dennis is Brewster, often called the sea captains' town, since it was once home to many wealthy sea captains who built magnificent homes. Today, many of those stately sea captains' homes have been converted into bed and breakfast inns. With a year-round population of about 10,000, Brewster is a family town, as evidenced by the high number of young children that required the town to recently construct a second elementary school. Another sign of the town's growth--and its priorities--is the recent impressive remodeling of the Brewster Ladies' Library. Once the north parish of Harwich, Brewster has eight beautiful beaches and numerous freshwater ponds. It is also home to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, with its magnificent nature trails, and the Nickerson State Park.South of Brewster is Harwich, which boasts 16 saltwater beaches on Nantucket Sound, along with a number of freashwater ponds. Home to about 12,000 year-round residents, Harwich comprises seven villages, including bustling Harwichport, quiet Pleasant Lake, historic North Harwich, and charming Harwich Center, which is home to an old-fashioned hardware store and a small coffee shop where locals gather each morning to trade news. Harwich's Wychmere Harbor is perhaps one of the most picturesque harbors on the Cape but development has impacted its natural beauty. Tucked away down on the "elbow" of Cape Cod is Chatham, almost a world unto itself. One thing that sets it apart is its geography; it's not on the way to any other town. With a picturesque Main Street of upscale shops along brick-lined sidewalks, Chatham exudes gentility and sophistication. It is also home to an active fishing fleet, which balances its affluent side. Chatham, with just 7,000 residents, has a higher percentage of senior citizens than any other Cape town and consistently votes Republican in presidential elections. One of the most scenic drives on the Cape is Mass. Rt. 28 which runs between Chatham and Orleans, a winding stretch of road filled with beautiful vistas of Pleasant Bay, inlets, and cranberry bogs. If you enter Orleans this way, you'll get a glimpse of woodsy, residential South Orleans and will pass the South Orleans General Store, which uniquely provides most of the necessary conveniences of a pleasant daytrip. When you reach Orleans, you won't at first understand why this is called the hub of the Lower Cape--it's just a nice little downtown, you think, but then you'll realize it's got everything you could need. The town has many attractions, including the famed Nauset Beach on the ocean side and quaint Rock Harbor on Cape Cod Bay, home to a fleet of charter fishing boats. The gateway to the Cape Cod National Seashore, Eastham is a town with a rural nature and both bay and ocean beaches. With about 5,500 residents, Eastham is predominantly a family town, and has numerous summer cottages clustered along the bay side for summer rentals. Roughly one-third of its 14 square mile are taken up by the Cape Cod National Seashore, established in 1961, and comprising Eastham's entire ocean coastline (See our Cape Cod National Seashore chapter.) Wellfleet is an art lovers' haven and a fishing community, a free-spirited individualistic community of about 3,200 year-round residents. The Cape Cod National Seashore extends the entire length of Wellfleet's ocean coastline, and also its width as far as Great Island, a narrow strip of land that juts 8 miles into Cape Cod Bay and shelters Wellfleet Harbor. The harbor is home to an active fishing fleet, and the fishing community coexists amicably with the art world. Laid-back and woodsy, with dramatic 80-foot beach cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay, Truro is a summertime haven for those who crave privacy but want proximity to someplace lively--and neighboring Provincetown fills that requirement perfectly. The least populated of all the towns with just 1,800 residents, Truro is currently going through a building development boom as more and more people want to "get away from it all." Provincetown explodes on the senses with its fun-loving, artsy, carnival-like flavor that is counterbalanced by a fishing community and incredible natural beauty. Well-known for its gay community, Provincetown is both colorful and sophisticated with lots of great restaurants, terrific shops, and fine art galleries. Many of the town's summer residents are from Manhattan--which perhaps explains its undeniable Greenwich Village flair. Some 4,000 people live here year-round, though the population swells to over 25,000 in the summer months. The Cape Cod National Seashore extends to the tip of Cape Cod at Long Point in Provincetown, and encompasses the historic Province Lands, reserved as fishing grounds by the Pilgrim Fathers. The Province Lands are laced with thrilling bicycle trails and the Beach Forest walking trail and has a visitor center set on a hill with magnificent views of the Atlantic Ocean and across the bay to Plymouth. Once a major whaling port, Provincetown is now home to the largest whale-watching fleet on the East Coast.