| Overview | Yarmouth, incorporated
in 1639, is located in the mid-Cape area, about 65 miles southwest of Provincetown
and 23 miles east of the Cape Cod Canal. It extends from Cape Cod Bay on the north
across the peninsula south to Nantucket Sound. The most striking physical features
of the town are the result of glaciation; the low round hills on the north side
of town were created by the leading edge of the glacier as it pushed the land
before it. The flat sandy terrain of the southern part of town is the apron of
material that was washed out from the glacial ice. On
the north side of Yarmouth, sea captains' houses, galleries, and shops line Route
6A, the Old King's Highway. North of the highway, marshes amble down to the beaches
that lie along Cape Cod Bay. On the south side of Yarmouth runs Route 28 with
its motels, amusements, and restaurants that cater to the people who like the
beautiful beaches along Nantucket Sound. Keeping
pace with the growth on Cape Cod is the growth of professional and community music,
art, dance and theater groups, some of them located in Yarmouth. The community
enjoys a variety of recreational programs as well as the town's fifteen public
saltwater beaches, five freshwater beaches, and two municipal golf courses. (Narrative
in part courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.) |