Chatham, MA (CAPE COD) Yet Another Thread...

[ctman987]

Chatham is located at the elbow of Cape Cod. The population was 6,625 at the 2000 census. Chatham is home to the Chatham Anglers (Cape Cod Baseball League), Chatham Light, Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, located on Monomoy, and to Monomoy Theatre.

English settlers first settled in Chatham in 1665, and the town was incorporated in 1712, naming it after Chatham, Kent, England. The community became a shipping, fishing, and whaling center. Chatham's early prosperity would leave it with a considerable number of 18th century buildings, whose charm helped it develop into a popular summer resort.

The town's villages include Chatham proper, Chatham Port, North Chatham, South Chatham, and West Chatham.

The town includes two narrow strips of land, the northern of which is the southern part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, which serve as a barrier between the Atlantic and the mainland. There are several islands, including Strong Island, Tern Island (which is a sanctuary), Morris Island, Stage Island, and Monomoy Island (a 7-1/4 mile long island south of the corner of the town which is home to the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge)
Chatham is home to the Chatham Lighthouse, which was established by President Thomas Jefferson in 1808 to protect the ships circling the Cape. Today, the keeper's house is home to a Coast Guard station.

Although urban sprawl has started to invade parts of Cape Cod, the town of Chatham still boasts a quaint and walkable Main Street. Main Street is home to numerous family-owned and -operated shops, restaurants, and businesses. The main shopping area features pedestrian-friendly crosswalks, on-street parallel parking, and some parking lots that are off Main Street. 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
During the summer months (generally Memorial Day through Labor Day), the population of the town triples to approximately 20,000, not counting the additional transient tourist population hosted by the town's many hotels, inns, motels, and bed and breakfasts. While the tourist industry is very strong in Chatham, fishing still represents the town's main industry.

National Trust for Historic Preservation Distinctive Destination Awards Recipient

Main Street (27) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main St

Mark Fiore & Stride by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Mermaids On Main (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Chatham Wayside Inn by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr
Start of downtown Main by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main Street (30) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Pentimento, Beach Cottage Designs by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main Street (5) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main Street (21) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main Street (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main Street (16) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main Street (12) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main St - Route 28 -Chatham School by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main St Shop (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main and Cross streets

Main & Cross Sts (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Squire

Chatham Squire by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main and Bridge streets

Main St Ocecanfront & Bridge St by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Former B&B turned private residence

Main Street (8) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham sunset

Sunset from Condo by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Stage Neck Road

Stage Neck Road (7) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Ivy Lane

Ivy Lane (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Indigo Lounge

Indigo Lounge by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

In the Pink

In The Pink by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Impudent Oyster

Impudent Oyster by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Wequassett Resort and Golf Club

Wequassett Resort & Golf Club (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Wequassett Resort & Golf Club (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Morris Island Road

View of Monomoy Island by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Stage Island Road

View of Stage Island Road 2 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

View of Stage Island Road by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Veteran's Memorial Field - home of the Chatham A's - part of the Cape Cod Baseball Leauge

Veterans Memorial Field (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

The Mayflower

The Mayflower by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham’s premier resort the Chatham Bars Inn

CBI by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

CBI (4) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

CBI (6) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

CBI (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Free Friday night concerts on the green during the summer!

Chatham Band Concert (3) - July 25, 2008 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Old Schoolhouse

The Old Schoolhouse of South Chatham by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Beach and Tennis Club

Chatham Beach & Tennis Club by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chataham Beach & Tennis Club (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Shoe Salon

The Shoe Salon by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Light

Chatham Light by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Box Office Cafe

The Box Office Cafe by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Beach House at Chatham B&B

The Beach House at Chatham by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Surfside Motor Inn

Surfside Motor Inn by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Beach off Starfish Lane

Starfish Lane Beach (4) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Main St by the water

Main Street Oceanfront (4) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Pates Restaurant

Pate's Restaurant (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Lighthouse Beach

Lighthouse Beach (12) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Lighthouse Beach (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Lighthouse Beach (4) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Lighthouse Beach (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Lighthouse Beach (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Tilipi Run on Morris Island

Tilipi Run (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Tilipi Run (5) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Tilipi Run (6) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Tilipi Run (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Tilipi Run by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Tilipi Run (8) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr
Chatham Cookware

Chatham Cookware Cafe by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Fire Dept

Chatham Fire Dept by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Fish Pier – still active

Chatham Fish Pier (6) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Fish Pier (7) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Fish Pier (9) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Fish Pier (16) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Fish Pier (14) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Hardware

Chatham Hardware by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Pottery

Chatham Pottery by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Fishing boats off shore

Chatham Harbor (11) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Don’t forget a seal tour – many companies in town offer seal tours

Chatham Harbor - Seals (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Outermost harbor

Outermost Harbor (5) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Outermost Harbor (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Outermost Harbor (12) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Outermost Marina and Chatham Oceanfront Condos from Monomoy Island by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Outermost Marina 5 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Oyster Pond

Oyster Pond by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Orleans Rd

Orleans Road by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Old Village Co op Gallery

Old Village Co-Op Gallery by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Beach off Harborview Lane

Harborview Lane (8) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Harborview Lane (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

North Beach - Chatham's part of Nauset Beach, which faces the open Atlantic Ocean. This barrier beach is now almost entirely managed by the Cape Cod National Seashore though some private property owners still maintain rights to summer camps. This is what you are seeing in the pic. Without an oversand permit and a four wheel drive vehicle, North Beach can only be reached from the Chatham mainland by boat. Over the years many houses have been lost to the ocean during major storms or have had to be moved for safety. Houses out there have no electricity.

North Beach (4) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Stage Neck Road

Stage Neck Road (4) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Stage Neck Road by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Stage Neck Road (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Simple Pleasures

Simple Pleasures by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Stage Harbor

Stage Harbor 2 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Stage Harbor 3 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Shore Road

Shore Road (9) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Shore Road (6) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Silver Leaf Ave

Silver Leaf Avenue (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Sears Point

Sears Point by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Seaview St

Seaview Street by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Sandunes

Sandunes by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Salt Pond Road

Salt Pond Road (4) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Public parking lot off Main St

Rear of Main St (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Puritan of Cape Cod

Puritan of Cape Cod by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Pleasant Bay

Pleasant Bay (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Morris Island Rd

Morris Island Road (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Mistover Lane

Mistover Lane by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Mill pond

Mill Pond by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Holway St

Holway Street (6) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Holway Street (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Fox Hill Rd

Fox Hill Road by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Fox Hill Road (4) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Fishing is still big in Chatham

Chatham Harbor (13) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Gallery Building

Gallery Building by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Frost Fish Hill rd

Frost Fish Hill Road by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

First Congregational Church

First Congregational Church of Chatham by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Another former B&B turned private residence (BEFORE)

Chatham Town House Inn by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

AFTER

Former Town House Inn by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Eastward Ho Country Club

Eastward Ho Country Club by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Eliphamets Rd

Eliphamets Lane (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Emack and Bolios Ice Cream

Emack & Bolio's by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Cyrus Kent House

Cyrus Kent House by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Cuffy's

Cuffy's by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Cranberry Inn

Cranberry Inn (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Cross St

Cross Street by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Cove Gallery

Cove Gallery by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Cow Yard Lane

Cow Yard Lane (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Cotpinicut Rd

Cotpinicut Road (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Cotpinicut Road (5) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Cotpinicut Road (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Claire Murray

Claire Murray by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Clafin Landing

Claflin Landing (7) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Claflin Landing (8) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Mobil

Chatham Mobil by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Real Estate

Chatham Real Estate by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

400 Main

400 Main Street (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

400 Main Street (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

1448 Main

1448 Main Street by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Anne Blairs Run

Anne Blairs Run (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Anne Blairs Run (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Andrew Hardings Road

Andrew Hardings Road by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

443 Main – restaurant turned shops recently

443 Main Street by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Bailey’s Path

Bailey's Path by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Bell Rd – public housing

Bell Road (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Bell Road by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Captain’s Row

Captain's Row by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Captain’s Table

Captain's Table Restaurant (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Oceanfront condos

Chatham Oceanfront Condominiums (12) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Unit 20 (19) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Unit 20 (20) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Wayside Inn

Chatham Wayside Inn (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Chatham Wayside Inn (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Hawthorne Motel

Hawthorne Motel (4) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Hawthorne Motel (5) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

House renovation – BEFORE

Little Beach Road Construction by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

AFTER

Little Beach Road 7 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Nickerson Fish Market

Nickerson Fish Market 2 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Nickerson Fish Market by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

[Danny]

Thank you very much for so many beautiful pictures of Chatham, ctman987!

I´ve enjoyed watching all those beautiful houses and landscapes. Cape Cod is a wonderful place, as we can see in your pictures.

I love those houses, the grass, the flowers, the beaches, the sea, the lighthouses. Chatham has everything to be happy! I hope to return to Cape Cod someday...

Congratulations and greetings from Madrid, Spain!

[ctman987]

Originally Posted by Danny

Thank you very much for so many beautiful pictures of Chatham, ctman987!

I´ve enjoyed watching all those beautiful houses and landscapes. Cape Cod is a wonderful place, as we can see in your pictures.

I love those houses, the grass, the flowers, the beaches, the sea, the lighthouses. Chatham has everything to be happy! I hope to return to Cape Cod someday...

Congratulations and greetings from Madrid, Spain!

You are quite welcome! You may have noticed some of the favortimsm I have towards Chatham. I love Chatham. Great little down. Where to begin? Ill just let the pictures speak for themselves.

[OhioGuy]

Idyllic.

[jdcamb]

Cool thread. Chatham is my favorite town on the Cape. I used to work for a roofing company and we put a roof on one of the houses pictured along with the Country Club too. Worse cases of Sunburn I ever had.

[Expat]

I like Chatham, too. Especially like the Chatham light. And enjoyed seeing the Beggars Banquet as I have a thing for working boats.

[RobertWalpole]

[ctman987]

Originally Posted by jdcamb

Cool thread. Chatham is my favorite town on the Cape. I used to work for a roofing company and we put a roof on one of the houses pictured along with the Country Club too. Worse cases of Sunburn I ever had.

Chatham is tied with Provincetown for my favorite town on the Cape. Chatham is amazing. I have been going up there every summer of my whole life and even made the trek all the way from NYC this year. It was worth it.

[stepper77]

Nice little place. Great photos, thanks!

[xzmattzx]

Quite an extensive Chatham thread. Despite being next to Orleans and Harwich, which I have spent more time in than any other places in Cape Cod, I have not spent much time in Chatham and don't really remember what it looked like.

Your pictures of the new houses make me think about how my impressions of Cape Cod have changed since I was last there as a young teenager 15 years ago. Back then, all I really noticed from the car were cedar shingles on seemingly every building, pine trees and pin oaks, and little coves and salt marshes. Evryone on the cape might as well have been a fisherman or seafarer to me. Now, seeing it for the first time again, I am noticing that Cape Cod has more sprawl than I notice from satellite images, and that it's much more decentralized than I originally thought. The town centers must've been bigger to me when I was younger (just like everything is bigger when you're younger), and back then it seemed like there were more areas where no one or almost no one lived. This time I was up there, the houses are spread out along roads everywhere and there don't seem to be any uninhabited chunks of land in Orleans, Harwich, Chatham, Brewster, etc. Finally, I noticed how easy it is to drive to Boston from Orleans, and how quick it must be from Bourne at the gateway to the Cape, and I can imagine Cape Cod becoming almost an exurb of Boston soon if it isn't already. I know I wouldn't mind driving from the western part of Cape Cod to Boston for work if I lived up there and it worked into a hypothetical schedule.

[sterlippo1]

Originally Posted by ctman987

Chatham is tied with Provincetown for my favorite town on the Cape. Chatham is amazing. I have been going up there every summer of my whole life and even made the trek all the way from NYC this year. It was worth it.

with Falmouth, clearly the top three towns on The Cape..........pictures tell the story of this place

[ctman987]

Your pictures of the new houses make me think about how my impressions of Cape Cod have changed since I was last there as a young teenager 15 years ago. Back then, all I really noticed from the car were cedar shingles on seemingly every building, pine trees and pin oaks, and little coves and salt marshes. Evryone on the cape might as well have been a fisherman or seafarer to me. Now, seeing it for the first time again, I am noticing that Cape Cod has more sprawl than I notice from satellite images, and that it's much more decentralized than I originally thought. The town centers must've been bigger to me when I was younger (just like everything is bigger when you're younger), and back then it seemed like there were more areas where no one or almost no one lived. This time I was up there, the houses are spread out along roads everywhere and there don't seem to be any uninhabited chunks of land in Orleans, Harwich, Chatham, Brewster, etc. Finally, I noticed how easy it is to drive to Boston from Orleans, and how quick it must be from Bourne at the gateway to the Cape, and I can imagine Cape Cod becoming almost an exurb of Boston soon if it isn't already. I know I wouldn't mind driving from the western part of Cape Cod to Boston for work if I lived up there and it worked into a hypothetical schedule.[/QUOTE]

While I agree somewhat with your statement I would like to put on the record the fact that Chatham has retained a vibrant, mixed use and pedestrian friendly downtown. Main Street is home to a variety of shops, restaurants, lodging establishments, homes, religious venues and a park. Almost every store downtown is locally owned and operated with the exceptions being a Dunkin Donuts and a CVS (which are New England headquartered to being with). There is on street parking downtown and then all municipal parking lots are located behind the buildings downtown. Yes Chatham has seen an exorbitant amount of growth however I should point out that some of the growth viewed in these pics is the result of houses being torn down and rebuilt on the same lot. A trend I am not particularly fond of is closing down and/or tearing down lodging establishments for housing. Chatham has lost 2 B&Bs over the last few years to make way for housing.

Provincetown's downtown is the best one on the Cape (in my opinion). Commercial Street is filled with excellent shops, restaurants, bars and lodging establishments. All parking is off street in parking lots that charge money and are off the main drag.

Chatham and Provincetown have centers that are bustling throughout the tourist season. And of course, there are many other wonderful towns with bustling downtowns on the Cape.