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Chatham Massachusetts,
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 Chatham
a comfortable place in which to live year-round or vacation.
Chatham Massachusetts is located
in 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. |