Chatham Town Profile

Chatham is known for its upscale neighborhood charm

Cape Cod is shaped like a bended arm, and Chatham is the elbow. It’s at that turn of the Cape that you’ll find some of the Cape’s most desired housing properties.

While Cape Cod has many lovely Main Streets, the one in downtown Chatham is particularly charming. There you can dine at the Chatham Squire or Vining’s Bistro and shop at Yellow Umbrella Books, Yankee Ingenuity and Mermaids on Main. Other restaurants in town worth sampling include the Impudent Oyster, Chatham Bars Inn and Le Petit Café.

The town’s 65 miles of shoreline include six major saltwater beaches. The southern end of the Cape Cod National Seashore is in Chatham, as is the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. Several companies in town operate seal-watching cruises.

Chatham’s neighborly spirit is exemplified by the story of Todd Eldredge, a Chatham native and fisherman’s son. From the time he was 11, Chatham residents pitched in at a series of lobster bakes, ice shows and other fundraisers to help support the young skater’s career. He went on to win six national championships and became world champion in 1996.

The Chatham Anglers, formerly the Chatham Athletics, play at Veterans Field, which any fan would rate as one of the finest places to see a Cape Cod Baseball League game.

Summer concerts at the band shell at Kate Gould Park attract thousands of music lovers. For more than half a century, the Monomoy Theatre has been the site for summer productions by the Ohio University Players. Among the town’s annual events, perhaps the best known is First Night Chatham, which draws people from around Cape Cod for a family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration.