The 15 towns of Cape Cod are unique and special -- each with their own "flavor" and charm. In addition to being divided into three areas (Upper, Mid and Lower Cape), each town has several villages with distinct characteristics of their own. Figuring out which town or village best meets the your lifestyle and that of your family is your first step in selecting a home. If you are considering relocation (what Cape Codders deem a "wash ashore"), the place you vacationed most may not be your choice for a year-round residential community. The good news is, because the Cape is compact, you can live in one village and easily visit and enjoy the amenities of the others.

There are so many sites with information on Cape Cod Communities. However, if your search for information is in anticipation of a real estate purchase, you need the "nitty-gritty" important to know stuff -- town information, tax rates, schools. Once again, personally discussing your needs and desires with an agent familiar with the Cape can help you in this important first step. But here are some starters. Towns are listed in the order you pass through them if you were taking a leisurely drive from the canal to Race Point. So much to learn and discover...

Note: Population statistics are taken from Cape Cod Times demographics database and are as of 2007. Tax rates are for 2009 gleaned from the websites from each individual town. The provided property taxes reflect the amounts currently paid by the owner and are obtained from sources deemed reliable. This tax may change upon the sale of the property because of certain exemptions.Tax does not include water district tax (if any) or the Community Preseervation Act 3% surcharge assessed on all Cape Cod real estate. All prospective buyers should speak with the appropriate town agencies to verify the tax. Median home, condo sales are based on free town statistics from the Warren Group, www.thewarrengroup.com, calculated from January through December 2007. Median prices will be updated by mid-February 2009 when all sales data has been gathered and factored.

Bourne

The Cape Cod town with "real estate" on both sides of the canal. Includes the villages of Bourne, Bournedale, Buzzards Bay, Cataumet, Gray Gables, Monument Beach, Pocasset, Sagamore, Sagamore Beach, Sagamore Highlands.

http://www.townofbourne.com

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/barnstable.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 29,023

SUMMER POPULATION: 40,000

TAX RATE: $7.37 (2009)

(some villages have additional  Water District Taxes)

Median Home Sale: $308,807

Median Condo Sale: $225,000

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Otis Memorial Elementary School (K-4)

Ella F. Hoxie School (1-4)

James F. Peebles Elementary School (1-4)

Bourne Middle School (5-8)

Bourne High School (9-12)

Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical High School (9-12)

Sandwich

Includes East Sandwich, Forestdale, Sandwich, South Sandwich. Sandwich is the Cape's oldest town.

http://www.sandwichmass.org

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/sandwich.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 20,255

SUMMER POPULATION: 41,000
TAX RATE: $10.270 (2009)

(some areas have additional Water District Taxes)

Median Home Sale: $340,000

Median Condo Sale: $212,000

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Forestdale School (K-8)

Henry T. Wing Elementary School (K-8)

Oak Ridge School (K-8)

Sandwich High School (9-12)

Mashpee

Includes Mashpee, New Seabury, Popponesset, South Mashpee.

http://www.ci.mashpee.ma.us

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/mashpee.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 14,261

SUMMER POPULATION: 34,800

TAX RATE: $6.99 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $312,500

Median Condo Sale: $312,000

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Kenneth C. Coombs School (preschool-2)

Quashnet School (3-6)

Mashpee High School (7-12)

Falmouth

Includes Davisville, East Falmouth, Falmouth, Falmouth Heights, Hatchville, Maravista, Megansett. North Falmouth, Quisset, Silver Beach, Sippewissett, Teaticket, Waquoit, West Falmouth, Woods Hole.

http://www.town.falmouth.ma.us

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/falmouth.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 33,247

SUMMER POPULATION: 108,500

TAX RATE: $6.08 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $370,500

Median Condo Sale: $310,000 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

East Falmouth Elementary School (K-4)

North Falmouth Elementary School (K-4)

Mullen-Hall School (K-4)

Teaticket School (K-4)

Morse Pond School (5-6)

Lawrence Middle School (7-8)

Falmouth High School (9-12)

Barnstable

Includes Barnstable, Centerville, Cotuit, Craigville, Cummaquid, Hyannis, Hyannis Port, Marstons Mills, Osterville, Santuit, West Barnstable,
West Hyannisport.

http://town.barnstable.ma.us

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/barnstable.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 46,738

SUMMER POPULATION: 120,000

TAX RATE: $6.90 (residential 2009)

Different villages also have an additional Fire Tax rate

Median Home Sale: $449,900

Median Condo Sale: $180,000

Averages are for Barnstable village only.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Osterville Elementary School (K-2)

Centerville Elementary School (K-4)

Cotuit Elementary School (K-4)

Hyannis Elementary School (K-4)

Hyannis West Elementary School (K-4)

Marstons Mills Elementary School (K-4)

Marstons Mills East Elementary School (K-4)

West Barnstable Elementary School (K-4)

Osterville Bay Elementary School (3-4)

Horace Mann Charter School (5)

Middle School at Marstons Mills (6-8)

Middle School at Hyannis (6-8)

Barnstable High School (9-12)

Yarmouth

Includes Bass River, Hyannis Park, South Yarmouth, West Yarmouth, Yarmouth, Yarmouth Port.

http://www.yarmouth.ma.us

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/yarmouth.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 24,010

SUMMER POPULATION: 50,000

TAX RATE: $6.73 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $285,000

Median Condo Sale: $214,900

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Laurence C. MacArthur Elementary School (K-2)

Marguerite E. Small Elementary School (K-5)

Station Avenue Elementary School (K-5)

John Simpkins School (3-5)

Mattacheese Middle School (6-8)

Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School (9-12)

Dennis

Includes Dennis, Dennis Port, East Dennis, South Dennis, West Dennis.

http://www.town.dennis.ma.us

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/dennis.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 15,473

SUMMER POPULATION: 65,000

TAX RATE: $5.07 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $315,000

Median Condo Price: $101,520

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Ezra Baker School (K-3)

Nathaniel H. Wixon School (4-8)

Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School (9-12)

Harwich

Includes East Harwich, Harwich, Harwich Port, North Harwich, Pleasant Lake,

South Harwich, West Harwich.

http://www.town.harwich.ma.us

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/harwich.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 12,837

SUMMER POPULATION: 37,500

TAX RATE: $6.25 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $360,000

Median Condo Sale: $205,000

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Harwich Elementary School (preschool-4)

Harwich Middle School (5-8)

Harwich High School (9-12)

Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical High School (9-12)

Brewster

Includes Brewster, East Brewster,

West Brewster.

http://www.town.brewster.ma.us

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/brewster.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 10,023

SUMMER POPULATION: 24,000

TAX RATE: $5.94 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $425,000

Median Condo Sale: $270,000

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Eddy Elementary (K-5)

Stony Brook Elementary (K-5)

Chatham

Includes Chatham, Chatham Port, North Chatham, South Chatham, West Chatham.

http://www.town.chatham.ma.us

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/chatham.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 6,726

SUMMER POPULATION: 25,000

TAX RATE: $3.74 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $617,250

Median Condo Sale: $520,000

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Chatham Elementary School (preschool-4)

Chatham Middle School (5-8)

Chatham High School (9-12)

Orleans

Includes East Orleans, Orleans, 

Rock Harbor, South Orleans.

http://www.town.orleans.ma.us

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/orleans.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 6,315

SUMMER POPULATION: 22,000

TAX RATE: $4.99 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $600,000

Median Condo Sale: $260,000

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Orleans Elementary School (K-5)

Nauset Regional Middle School (6-8)

Eastham

Includes Eastham, North Eastham,

South Eastham.

http://www.eastham-ma.gov

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/eastham.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 5,445

SUMMER POPULATION: 30,000

TAX RATE: $5.31 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $427,000

Median Condo Sale: $228,750

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Eastham Elementary (K-5)

Nauset Regional High School (9-12)

Wellfleet

Includes South Wellfleet, Wellfleet.

http://www.wellfleetma.org

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/wellfleet.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 2,748

SUMMER POPULATION: 26,000 - 30,000

TAX RATE: $5.12 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $500,000

Median Condo Sale: $265,000

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Wellfleet Elementary (K-5)

Truro

Includes North Truro, South Truro, Truro.

http://www.truro-ma.gov

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/truro.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 2,134

SUMMER POPULATION: 25,000 - 30,000

TAX RATE: $4.74 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $582,500

Median Condo Sale: $239,000

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Truro Central School (preschool-6)

Provincetown

The very tip of Cape Cod.

http://www.provincetowngov.org

http://www.state.ma.us/cc/provincetown.html

YEAR ROUND POPULATION: 3,390

SUMMER POPULATION: 30,000

TAX RATE: $5.12 (2009)

Median Home Sale: $594,500

Median Condo Sale: $334,000

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Veterans Memorial Elementary School (preschool-6)

Provincetown High School (6-12)

Questions on a specific community. I will most likely know the answer.
If not, O can certainly follow up for you. Email me with your request.

Your complete Cape Cod real estate resource.

Shirley Enders
ENDERS ASSOCIATES


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