Moving to Cape Cod year-round? (Boston, New Bedford: hotels, tech jobs, public schools)

[Liverpoolfan13]

I have lived on cape cod and still am. I find the summer to be fun because of the beach and. Surfing. Thats all i enjoy here. The winters are cold and rainy with the ocassional block buster snow storm. Spring is nice. Its warm, sometimes foggy and rainy. In the fall it isnt bad at the beggining then it gets cold and rainy till the spring. But its the cape...you dont like the weather than wait 20 minutes. But the tourism is the main economy booster. People make their money in a 4 month span off of vacationers and live of it in the winter. The people can be nice, but its new englanders and fisherman. Some people prefer to do their thing and domt like to be bothered. Everyone is different though. Its ok, summer is fun but other than that its so-so.

[thefaf]

After living in Northern New England, NH and VT for fifteen years, my family bought a house in South Yarmouth. i just had enough of the 100" of snow a year. My wife, however, would not leave New England, (we are both originally from the Boston area), so we agreed on Cape Cod. At first we looked in Bourne and Sandwich. The decent places we liked in Bourne seemed expensive and the parts of Sandwich within our budget, ($400K max), mostly in Forestdale, seemed to be declining. The military base has created environmental questions. There have been concerns about water quality and cancer clusters, enough to give pause and perhaps effect RE values in the future.

So we decided to look Mid-Cape and found a fixer-upper in a nice neighborhood in S. Yarmouth. Summer is great, but off-season is better. We find, from our rural perspective, there is plenty to do. My boys, 13 and 9 have an abundance of activities available. The high school, Dennis-Yarmouth HS has an excellent band program and my older son is having a blast and has met many new friends. It is a fairly "gray" population, but the seniors love having kids around and we have been warmly welcomed.

The weather is great for us. Fewer temperature extremes than most other places on the east coast. When it snows, it usually melts fast. Summers are cooler than Boston, about the same high temps as in NH, but more muggy. Prices are high, generally. We go off Cape a few times a month to grocery shop and visit Walmart.

If you are used to the busy city or suburban life you might find the Cape boring off-season. From our perspective it's just right. Plenty to do with still some feeling of open space and nature. In the summer we know all the roads to get us around and stay off Route 28.

We didn't move until my wife secured a good job on Cape, not an easy thing to do. We plan to stay here year round until the younger boy is out of high school, about ten years, then we may retire and perhaps winter down south for 3 months a year. We are happy with our move, hope our experience helps someone.

Mark

[capenewfs]

The farther into the Cape you go, the older the population. Schools on the lower Cape are needing to regionalize, I would bet you would find younger families around mid Cape, that is Barnstable and Sandwich

[GTK473]

Originally Posted by capecodcathy

I just located this website of pictures that I believe are absolutely gorgeous!
They not only give the impressions of a summer on Cape Cod, but year round life, as well. I hope you enjoy.
Cape Cod Photo Album

These pictures are incredible!!! Thanks for posting the web site!!!

[seeriously]

Originally Posted by capenewfs

The farther into the Cape you go, the older the population. Schools on the lower Cape are needing to regionalize, I would bet you would find younger families around mid Cape, that is Barnstable and Sandwich

This is not true. Mashpee is full of seniors, you can't run out for a newspaper without seeing an ambulance. I think the more amenities a town has, i.e., Mashpee Commons, restaurants, doctors, etc., the older the population will be.

[pinecrust]

Hi,

I'd be interested in hearing anything from folks currently living on The Cape about the schools. Also, it seems like housing prices are going up again, although that just might be because it's summer?

Thanks

[Beachcomber4]

Prices are on the rise for sure. I'm seeing homes and land selling in my neighborhood. Some have sat on the market for quite some time with little interest that are now garnering multiple offers. Schools are losing students and are adjusting. The reason is aging populatiOn and choice. There is now a parochial high school in Cape, Sturgis Charter School is exceptional and there are excellent vocatiOnal choices as well. I know in my community we also see a decent number of students who head off to boarding school for high school. Our town, Sandwich, is investigating the feasibility of closing the Wing School. It is an emotional decision for some as Wing is the original k12 school in town. For others who live in East Sandwich, the Wing School has always been the top performing k8 in town and as such was a great selling point with real estate agents in town. The joke about town is its called "Wing Country Day School" because of the small class size, high achievement and rather the schools penchant for tradition. It also graduates numerous students to Tabor each year. Personally I am a fan of the plan to close Wing and establish a STEM Academy for grades 5-8. There is a need for students to be exposed to certain concepts and technology at
an earlier age and this would address those needs and allow students to be more competitive in a global market. Our superintendent is working with WHOI, Mass Maritime and other institutions to develop a master plan. He is also reaching out to the vast art community on CaPe Cod tO further that curriculum in our schools.

[modernart]

The Cape is good for people who enjoy living in a sensory deprivation environment. Coming from Toronto and moving here is a big downer and now we are finally selling our house!! Yes!! and moving off Cape. The environment here in Chatham is under stimulating if you are used to using your brain in a productive manner. Step away from the Cape. . .

[Cape Cod Todd]

Originally Posted by modernart

The Cape is good for people who enjoy living in a sensory deprivation environment. Coming from Toronto and moving here is a big downer and now we are finally selling our house!! Yes!! and moving off Cape. The environment here in Chatham is under stimulating if you are used to using your brain in a productive manner. Step away from the Cape. . .

I have been living in Brewster since 2005 and own my own real estate company here. The Cape is what you make of it and it is not for everyone. There is plenty of mental stimulation if you are a fan of the arts and you choose to join in. We have music of all manner from a symphony to people playing on sidewalks. Nature abounds here and plenty of people capture it on canvas and in photos then display and sell it in one of many galleries. There is a play house in every town and some put on amazing plays including off Broadway productions. There are farmers markets, flea markets and fairs. In the Summer it is all about the beaches and water, fishing, boating just splashing around keeping cool.

Cape Cod is a wonderful place to live but like anywhere including Toronto it is what you make of it.

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by modernart

The Cape is good for people who enjoy living in a sensory deprivation environment. Coming from Toronto and moving here is a big downer and now we are finally selling our house!! Yes!! and moving off Cape. The environment here in Chatham is under stimulating if you are used to using your brain in a productive manner. Step away from the Cape. . .

Sensory deprivation....using your brain in a productive manner.

Care to elaborate?

Interesting moniker.

It would only take a quick glance to see that modern art is like a fish out of water in Chatham.

Toronto to Chatham is a huge change.

Why did you even move there?