Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,136 at the 2000 census.

For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Sandwich, please see the articles on East Sandwich, Forestdale, and Sandwich (CDP). The postal ZIP codes for the town are 02537, 02644, and 02563 respectively. The town motto is "Post Tot Naufragia Portus" (Latin: 'after so many shipwrecks a haven').

History

First settled in 1637, and officially incorporated in 1639, Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod, and for that matter, is one of the oldest towns in the United States. It was settled by a group from Saugus with the permission of the Plymouth Colony. It was named for the seaport of Sandwich, Kent, England. Sandwich was the site of an early Quaker settlement. However, the settlement was not well-received, as their beliefs clashed with those of the Puritans who founded the town. Many Quakers left the town, either for further settlements along the Cape, or elsewhere, including places like Dartmouth. Early industry revolved around agriculture, with fishing and trading also providing for the town. Later, the town grew a small industrial component along the Scusset River and Old Harbor Creek and its tributaries. Today, most of its industry revolves around tourism.[1]

There are several attractions in Sandwich, including Heritage Museums and Gardens, the Sandwich Glass Museum, the Thornton Burgess Museum, Hoxie House (the oldest house on Cape Cod), the Dan'l Webster Inn, and the Dexter Grist Mill, the oldest on Cape Cod. Sandwich is home to numerous art galleries, rare book and antique stores. It is also home to a major portion of Otis Air National Guard Base, including half the land the runways are on.

Geography and Transportation

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 114.9 km² (44.4 mi²). 111.5 km² (43.0 mi²) of it is land and 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²) of it (2.98%) is water. Sandwich is bordered by Cape Cod Bay to the north, Barnstable to the east, Mashpee and Falmouth to the south, and Bourne to the west. It is approximately fifty-seven miles south-southeast of Boston.

Sandwich is the site of the Cape Cod Bay entrance to the Cape Cod Canal. The northern point of Sandwich, where Sagamore Hill and the Scusset Beach State Reservation lie, is divided from the rest of the town by the canal. The town is also the location of the Shawme-Crowell State Forest and the Massachusetts State Game Farm. The town is home to six beaches along the shores of Cape Cod Bay. The rest of the town's geography is typical of the rest of the Cape, with many small ponds and hills, with most of the trees being pine or oak. Sandwich is also the site of Old Harbor Creek, a large inlet with several other small creeks feeding it, which once served to provide safe harbor for ships.

U.S. Route 6, also known as the Mid-Cape Highway on Cape Cod, passes through the town to the north of Otis Air National Guard Base as a four-lane divided freeway. There are three exits off of this route within town. Route 6A also passes through town to the north of Route 6, and is the town's main road. The northern terminus of Route 130 is near the intersection of Routes 6 and 6A within town. The road passes along the eastern side of Otis on its way towards Mashpee.

The Bay Colony Railroad, which originally passed through the entire Cape, passes through town on its way between the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge and its current terminus in Barnstable. The rail is seldom used except for tourist excursions based in Barnstable. The nearest private and regional air service can be found in Barnstable, and the nearest national and international airport is Logan International Airport in Boston.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,136 people, 7,335 households, and 5,515 families residing in the town. The population density was 180.6/km² (467.9/mi²). There were 8,748 housing units at an average density of 78.5 persons/km² (203.3 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.75% White, 0.38% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,335 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% were married couples living together, 8.1% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 24.8% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $61,250, and the median income for a family was $66,553. Males had a median income of $49,195 versus $33,516 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,895. 3.1% of the population and 2.2% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 3.3% are under the age of 18 and 4.1% are 65 or older.

Government, Services and Education

Sandwich is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Fifth Barnstable District, which also includes portions of Barnstable, Bourne and Mashpee. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Barnstable district, which includes Bourne, Falmouth, Kingston, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton and portions of Barnstable.[2] The town is patrolled by the Seventh (Bourne) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police.[3].

On the national level, Sandwich is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional district, and is currently represented by Bill Delahunt. The state's senior (Class I) member of the United States Senate, re-elected in 2006, is Ted Kennedy. The junior (Class II) Senator, up for re-election in 2008, is John Kerry.

Sandwich is governed by the open town meeting form of government, led by a town administrator and a board of selectmen. The town operates a police department and a fire department consisting of three volunteer fire stations. There are also three post offices in town. The town's public library is located in the town's center, and belongs to the Old Colony Library Network, the Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Library System, and the Massachusetts Library Information Network.

Sandwich operates its own public school department. It is different from many local school districts, however, in that there is no middle school or junior high school. There are three schools (Forestdale, Oak Ridge and Henry T. Wing) which serve kindergarten through eighth grade classes. (Wing Elementary also serves pre-kindergarten classes.) Sandwich High School operates grades nine through twelve, and is located in East Sandwich. The school teams are known as the Blue Knights, and their colors are dark blue, light blue and (more recently) silver.

High school students may also choose to attend the Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School in Bourne free of charge. Students may also choose to attend private schools in Barnstable, Bourne and Falmouth.

References

1. ^ Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Street Atlas. South Easton, Mass.: Arrow Map Inc., 2004, p. 74.
2. ^ Index of Legislative Representation by City and Town, from Mass.gov
3. ^ Station D-7, SP Bourne

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