Chatham, Massachusetts Chatham, Massachusetts Downtown Chatham, April 2010 Downtown Chatham, April 2010 Official seal of Chatham, Massachusetts Location in Barnstable County and the state of Massachusetts.
Location in Barnstable County and the state of Massachusetts.
Chatham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod.
First settled by the English in 1664, the township was originally called Monomoit based on the indigenous population's term for the region. The populace was 6,125 at the 2010 census. Chatham is home to the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, positioned on Monomoy Island, For geographic and demographic knowledge on specific parts of the town of Chatham, please see the articles on Chatham (CDP) and West Chatham.
Twelve years later another group of Europeans gave it the name "Sutcliffe's Inlets". Neither name stuck, and the locale was not permanently occupied by Europeans until English pioneer reached Monomoit in 1664. The town was incorporated on 11 June 1712, at which point it was retitled after Chatham, Kent, England.
Chatham's early prosperity would leave it with a considerable number of 18th century buildings, whose charm helped it precarious into a prominent summer resort.
Chatham is home to the Chatham Lighthouse, which was established by President Thomas Jefferson in 1808 to protect the ships circling the Cape.
Although urban sprawl has invaded the Cape, the town of Chatham still boasts a quaint and walkable Main Street, home to various family-owned and -operated shops, restaurants, and businesses.
During the summer, concerts are held in a gazebo on Main Street, and not far from the shops is where the Chatham Anglers baseball team plays, as part of the Cape Cod Baseball League on the peninsula for collegiate-age players.
Chatham, like much of Cape Cod, is suffering from an exodus of young citizens and young families due to high housing prices and a lack of civil and experienced opportunities. The majority of homes in Chatham sit empty in the winter months until the summer when second-home owners come to use their summer/vacation homes, or they are used as weekly rentals for tourists. As of February 22, 2012, the average listing price for a home in Chatham was $1.3 million. In summer, Chatham grows to a populace of an estimated 30,000. Facilities are overcrowded, and there continues to be limited parking in the Main Street Business District.
Limited parking exists in established parking areas, and the town's most prominent beach, Lighthouse Beach, has only off the street parking, which sometimes involves a long walk to her sandy shores.
Chatham Railroad Museum (1887) Chatham Lighthouse amid Hurricane Earl on September 3, 2010 Sunset in Chatham The town is situated in the southeast corner (the "elbow") of Cape Cod.
The town's villages include Chatham proper, Chatham Port, North Chatham, West Chatham, and South Chatham (west of West Chatham).
Chatham is bordered by Harwich to the west, Pleasant Bay and Orleans to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and Nantucket Sound to the south.
The town is 35 miles (56 km) south of Provincetown and east of the Sagamore Bridge, 20 miles (32 km) east of Barnstable, and 85 miles (137 km) southeast of Boston.
According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town has a total region of 24.4 square miles (63.2 km2), of which 16.1 square miles (41.8 km2) is territory and 8.3 square miles (21.4 km2), or 33.88%, is water. The mainland portion of the town is typical of Cape Cod, with a several ponds, brooks, rivers, harbors, and inlets around the town.
The town includes two narrow strips of territory which serve as a barrier between the Atlantic and the mainland; the northern of these is the southern part of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
There are a several islands, including Strong Island, Tern Island (which is a sanctuary), Morris Island, Stage Island, and Monomoy Island, a 7.25-mile-long (11.67 km) island south of the corner of the town which is home to the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge.
Chatham has an Oceanic climate under the Koppen climate classification (Cfb) and is positioned in Hardiness zone 7b.
Climate data for Cape Cod (Chatham, Massachusetts) All five roads that exit Chatham cross into Harwich.
The two state routes that pass through the town are Route 28 and the southern end of Route 137.
Route 28 circles through the center of town before exiting and heading north toward Route 6 - A, joining that route until the roads end at the Orleans Rotary.
In addition, another bicycle route passes through the town, starting at the end of the Rail Trail, and providing views of Chatham Fish Pier, Chatham Bars, and Chatham Light. The town is the home to the Chatham Municipal Airport, which provides small-town service to other small airports on the Cape and islands.
Chatham Lighthouse, 2007 During the summer months (generally Memorial Day through Labor Day), the populace of the town triples to approximately 20,000, not counting the additional transient tourist populace hosted by the town's many hotels, inns, motels, and bed and breakfasts.
While the tourist trade is very strong in Chatham, fishing still represents the town's chief industry.
In the town, the populace was spread out with 13.3% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 34.3% who were 65 years of age or older.
Chatham is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Fourth Barnstable district, which includes (with the exception of Brewster) all the suburbs east and north of Harwich on the Cape.
The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Cape and Islands District, which includes all of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket except the suburbs of Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich, and a portion of Barnstable. The town is patrolled by the Second (Yarmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State and the Chatham Police Department.
Chatham also provides Chatham Fire Rescue, a 24-hour fully staffed fire department. On the nationwide level, Chatham is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional precinct and is represented by William R.
Chatham is governed by the open town meeting form of government, administered by an propel Board of Selectmen and an appointed Town Manager.
The town operates its own police department, which is headquartered in West Chatham, near the Chatham Airport.
The chief fire department is positioned in the downtown area, and there is also a branch firehouse in South Chatham.
The town has four postal services, all positioned at various points along Route 28.
The town is home to the Eldredge Public Library, titled for its benefactor and designed by a student of H.
The town operates a several piers, beaches, boat landings and recreation areas throughout town.
Until 2013, Chatham directed its own school fitness for the town's 700 students.
The Chatham Elementary School served students from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, the Chatham Middle School served students from fifth through eighth grade, and Chatham High School served grades nine through twelve.
Chatham's athletics squads were known as the Blue Devils, and wore blue and white.
In December 2010, Chatham and the neighboring town of Harwich voted to regionalize their school systems into the Monomoy Regional school system.
High school students may attend Cape Cod Regional Technical School in Harwich no-charge of charge.
Zered Bassett, pro skateboarder, interval up in Chatham Ruby Braff, musician, died in Chatham Sandra Day O'Connor, Supreme Court justice; has a residence in Chatham Tisquantum (Squanto), died in Chatham and is buried in an unmarked grave on Burial Hill, overlooking Ryder's Cove Chatham Lights Seals in Chatham Harbor Chatham Windmill, Chatham, A history of Chatham, Massachusetts; formerly the Constablewick or Village of Monomoit; with maps and illustrations and various genealogical notes.
"Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Chatham town, Barnstable County, Massachusetts".
"WCAI | Two Cape Cods: Hidden Poverty on the Cape and Islands".
"Chatham, MA real estate overview".
"Chatham Bike Routes".
Index of Legislative Representation by City and Town, from Mass.gov Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chatham, Massachusetts.
Chatham (Massachusetts) travel guide from Wikivoyage Town of Chatham official website
Categories:
Chatham, Massachusetts - Towns in Barnstable County, Massachusetts - Towns in Massachusetts - Populated coastal places in Massachusetts - 1664 establishments in Massachusetts
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