Chatham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Chatham is a small town with just over 6,500 residents on the southeastern corner, or the elbow, of Cape Cod. It was incorporated as a separated town from its northern neighbor Eastham in 1712, nearly 60 years after a man from Yarmouth purchased the land from local natives for the price of a boat. Chatham and North Chatham together touch the shoreline of Pleasant Bay to the north, the Atlantic to the east, and Nantucket Sound to the south. Such a waterfront advantage-20 miles of oceanfront beaches-attracts hordes of tourists to the town's large collection of upscale vacation homes near the seven beaches.
Vacation rentals of Chatham range in price from $600 per week to $1,550 per week for a vacation villa, and from $199 per night to $8,600 per week for a private home. The town carries an appealing attitude of "old-fashioned meets luxury". Looking around at some of Chatham's multimillion-dollar estates might make it difficult to imagine this land in a more primitive time, when it was named Monomoit. Mr. William Nickerson first purchased Monomoit over 300 years ago from a local tribe in exchange for a small boat. Try to compare that image to today, when single acres sell for millions!

Chatham's 44 miles of shoreline meet two bodies of water: the Nantucket Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Known locally as "the first stop of the East Wind", many of Chatham's attractions are closely associated with the sea. The US Weather Service has a local base here, as does the US Coast Guard at the Chatham Lighthouse. The Fisherman's Monument by the Chatham Fish Pier was built and dedicated in the early 1990s to honor this town's remarkable fishing industry.
The Chatham Lighthouse plays an important part in a heartrending piece of Chatham history. The Monomoy Disaster is honored by a memorial on the lawn of the Chatham Lighthouse erected in 1902, a year after the shipwreck that claimed the lives of five sailors and six men from the Monomoy Station crew who were attempting to save them. Two schooners stranded about a mile from Monomoy Point and rescuers arrived quickly to bring those aboard to safety, but the sailors soon decided to return to work. A storm struck a few days after and at the ships' signals of distress, Monomoy Station's second rescue efforts began. Sadly, this second time could not succeed and only one rescuer, the twelfth man, survived.
Chatham has two golf courses, one private and the other public. The public, Chatham Seaside Links, is a par-34 course with 9 holes. The private, Eastward Ho Country Club, is a larger members-only course featuring 18 holes for a par of 71.
Chatham's huge spread of beach is rivaled in appeal only by the upscale shopping and dining available along Main Street. The town's laid-back ambiance is illustrated throughout the year starting with a Spring Fling celebration, continuing with the romantic Chatham fog that softly blankets warm summer nights, and finishing with the handful of inviting festivals and fairs occurring throughout the other seasons. Everyone is invited to enjoy the Annual Antique Show (more than 50 years strong); the creative arts center's gallery exhibits and year-round classes; one of three local museums; or visit Veteran's Field, home of the Cape Cod Baseball League's Chatham Athletics. And wildlife enthusiasts can check out the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1944 as a necessary habitat for migratory birds.