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Harwich, MA

Founded:
1670
Population:
13,440
Land (Sq Miles)
20.9
Water (Sq Miles)
12.2
Property tax:
(per thousand)
$8.11
HARWICH

Villages: The town consists of seven villages Pleasant Lake, West Harwich, East Harwich, Harwich Port, Harwich Center, North Harwich and South Harwich. 


Attractions: Cape Playhouse, Harwich Mariners, Wychmere Harbor, Harwich Cranberry Festival, 


Beaches: Atlantic Avenue, Bank Street Beach, Belmont Beach, Earle Rd Beach, Fernandes Bog at Long Pond, Grey Neck Beach, Pleasant Rd Beach, Red River Beach, Sand Pond, Wixon Memorial


Parks & Recreation: Monomoy Island Excursions, Cape Sail, Adventure Chatham


Golf: Cranberry  Valley Golf Course, Harwich Port Golf Course


Inns/B&B: Tern Inn B&B and Cottages, Inn on the Beach, The Platinum Pebble Boutique Inn


Resorts: Wequassett Resort and Golf Club, Winstead Inn and Beach Resort, Wychmere Beach Club

Harwich was settled around 1665, and incorporated in 1694. Its early economy included agriculture and maritime industries and its history has included boom and bust cycles from the earliest days of the community.


When the whaling industry collapsed with the discovery of oil, the community's emphasis shifted to cod fishing. The eventual decline of the fishing industry in Harwich by the latter part of the 19th century was caused by increases in the size of ships which eventually outstripped the shallow port's ability to house them. Residents turned to the development of cranberry bogs and resorts for summer visitors, working side-by-side with Portuguese immigrants. The first resort hotel opened in 1880 and both the cranberry and the tourist industries remain substantial parts of Harwich's economy in the present.


Harwich, MA

Harwich, Massachusetts 02645

Barnstable County, Lower Cape Cod

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