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About Chatham
This town is one of the older townships of Cape Cod and
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, it is a happy
combination of past and present old fashioned and picturesque, yet
affording the best in modern facilities. The town operated 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 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 Chatham a comfortable place in
which to year-round or vacation.
Southeastern Massachusetts, at the "elbow" of Cape Cod. Bordered by
Pleasant Bay and Orleans on the north, the Atlantic Ocean on the east,
Nantucket Sound on the south, and Harwich on the west. Chatham is 17
miles east of Hyannis, 89 miles southeast of Boston, and 223 miles from
New York City. |
