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• Harwich Port Real Estate

Harwich Port Real Estate

• Population: 12,386
  
• Settled: 1670
  
• Square Miles: 33.2
  
• 2011 Tax Rate: $7.70
• Best known for:The birth place of commercial cranberry harvest in 1846
  

The Town of Harwich is a resort and residential community located on the south side of the Cape peninsula and 28 miles East from the Sagamore bridge over the canal. The town boasts an extensive shoreline on Nantucket Sound. It was settled around 1670, and incorporated in 1694. Its early economy included agriculture and maritime industries of fishing and shipping 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. By 1802, 15 to 20 ships were shore fishing and another four ships were cod fishing in Newfoundland and Labrador, and by 1851, there were 48 ships employing 577 men and bringing in thousands of tons of cod and mackerel. 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 in fact Harwich is considered to be the birthplace of the commercial cranberry bog having started in 1846. 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 beaches and water front are found on Nantucket sound. The 3 active and picturesque harbors are Saquatucket, Wychmere and Allen Harbor. Harwich is also home to the largest fresh water lake on the Cape called Long Pond.  The pond is so large that airplanes are allowed to land on it and do.  This pond also has a small boat ramp and parking area to give access to the crystal clear lake waters for residents and visitors alike.