Eastham MA
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Town of Eastham 02642
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Eastham also includes North Eastham-02651. | ||||||||||||
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Eastham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 5,453 at the 2000 census.For geographic and demographic information about the village of North Eastham, please see North Eastham, Massachusetts
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HistoryOriginally settled by the Nauset tribe, Eastham was the site of a hunting expedition of the Mayflower on the Cape Cod Bay side of town, which led to the first encounter of the Pilgrims and the local Nauset tribe. It would not be settled, however, until 1644. The original lands included the towns of Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans and a small portion of Chatham. The town was officially incorporated in 1651. Fishing and especially farming were early industries in the town, and writers and artists also came to the town. In fact, it was in Eastham that Henry Beston wrote The Outermost House. The town is is discussed at some length in Henry David Thoreau’s Cape Cod as the somewhat rugged site of one of New England’s largest summer “camp-meeting” evangelistic gatherings in the mid-1800s. The gatherings were at times attended by at least “one hundred and fifty ministers, (!) and five thousand hearers” at a site called Millennium Grove, in the northwest part of town. (The area is now a residential neighborhood, the only reminder being Millennium Lane.) Today, Eastham is mostly known as the “Gate” to the Cape Cod National Seashore, which was founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to protect Cape Cod’s coast from erosion and overpopulation. The town is the site of many beaches, both on the Atlantic and bay sides, as well as the Nauset Light, which was moved to the town in 1923 from its old location in Chatham, and the Three Sisters Lighthouses, which have since been moved away from their now-eroded perches on the coast to a field just west of Nauset Light |
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Geography and Transportation Nauset Light, Cape Cod National Seashore According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 70.6 km² (27.2 mi²). 36.2 km² (14.0 mi²) of it is land and 34.3 km² (13.3 mi²) of it (48.66%) is water. It is bordered by Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on its western and eastern sides, respectively. Eastham is also bordered by the towns of Wellfleet and Orleans on its northern and southern sides, respectively. Orleans is located on the “forearm” of Cape Cod, and is twenty-three miles south of Provincetown and east-northeast of Barnstable, thirty-eight miles east of the Sagamore Bridge, and ninety-two miles (by land) southeast of Boston. Approximately one-third of the town is located within the Cape Cod National Seashore. There are several ponds near the center of town, the largest being called Great Pond. Along the Atlantic coast, portions of the CCNS include several islands, divided by channels which lead from Nauset Bay and Salt Pond Bay to the ocean. The town also shares Town Cove with neighboring Orleans. Also, several creeks and the Herring River run inland from the bay side. U.S. Route 6 passes from south to north through the town. The Nauset Bike Route, as well as several other bicycle routes, pass through the town. There is no rail or air service in town; the nearest regional air service is at the Chatham Regional Airport, and the nearest national and international air service can be found at Logan International Airport in Boston. |
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Demographics The Three Sisters Lights, North Eastham, 2005. As of the census2 of 2000, there were 5,453 people, 2,396 households, and 1,634 families residing in the town. The population density was 150.5/km² (389.8/mi²). There were 5,535 housing units at an average density of 152.8/km² (395.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.31% White, 1.49% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population. There were 2,396 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.66. In the town the population was spread out with 17.7% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 26.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $42,618, and the median income for a family was $51,269. Males had a median income of $36,642 versus $32,109 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,642. About 4.5% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.
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