TOWN OF DENNIS
Dennis was first settled in 1639, by Thomas Howes, as part of the town of Yarmouth. The town officially separated and incorporated in 1793. It was named after resident minister, Josiah Dennis. There was not enough land for farming, so seafaring became the town's major industry in its early history, centered around the Shiverick Shipyard.[1]
Currently, Dennis is a popular seaside resort area encompassing the villages of East Dennis, Dennis and South Dennis, notable for its stately colonial mansions along the northern Cape Cod Bay coastline, and its picturesque, warm water beaches along the southern Nantucket Sound.
The Cape Playhouse, in northern Dennis, is the oldest summer theatre in the United States, and among the most well-known. The actress Bette Davis was 'discovered' there while working there as an usher. Other famous Dennis residents include the author Mary Higgins Clark and actress Amy Jo Johnson, who grew up in Dennis.
Cranberries were first grown as a cash crop here after a local farmer discovered in 1816 that production was greatly increased by covering the vines with loose sand
All the public beaches in Dennis are owned by the town and free to walk on. The Northside Beaches are located on Cape Cod Bay, while Southside Beaches are located on Nantucket Sound. Some of them have different names for different entrances. On the Northside, Corporation Beach and Howes Street Beach are on the same strip of public beach. The same goes for Mayflower Beach and Bayview* Beach, and Cold Storage* Beach and Sea Street Beach. Chapin Beach and Harborview* Beach are not paired with any other.
On the Northside, the town also owns two beaches on Scargo Lake which are Scargo Beach and Princess Beach. Southside Beaches Include: Glendon Beach, Haigis Beach, Inman Road Beach, Maycroft Beach, Metcalfe Memorial Beach, West Dennis Beach, South Village Beach.
There were 7,504 households out of which 18.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them. The median age is 36.5, which is relatively young for Cape Cod.
Dennis shares its school system with Yarmouth to form the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District. The town itself operates the Ezra H. Baker School, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through third grade, and the Nathaniel H. Wixon Middle School, which serves grades 4 to 8. High school students attend Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School in Yarmouth. Students are not officially contracted to any vocational high schools; private schools can be found in each of the neighboring towns.
The town boasts a large population of families is a wonderful place to live, work and play!
Town of Dennis
FUN FACTS
The latitude of Chatham is 41.681N. The longitude is -69.96W, Elevation is 7 feRegister to search for homes, sign-up for email alerts, or just browse properties. Search for Homes in Dennis here.
Population: 15,973*
Median household income*: Local: $60,800, National: $41,994
*Source: 2005 census, U.S. Census Bureau
Crime: he number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 85. The number of murders and homicides was 0. The violent crime rate was 5.2 per 1,000 people.
Well-known residents have included:
Mary Higgins Clark, writer
Performing arts: Cape Playhouse
Nearby parks & recreation: Cape Cod Rail Trail
Historic sites and museums: Cape Museum of Fine Arts, Josiah Dennis Manse
Museum Support for libraries: Local government funding for the local library system, in fiscal years 2001-2002, was below the national average.
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