Town of Orleans,
Cape Cod Massachusetts

Orleans, incorporated in 1797, lies in the Lower Cape between Cape Cod Bay to the west and Pleasant Bay and the Atlantic to the east. Orleans still retains a small town feel while being the commercial center of the Lower & Outer Cape. In the 18th century commercial fishing, shellfishing and whaling supported the local economy. By the 19th century, Orleans serviced coastal packets from Boston, while several windmills provided town power. Fishing was also a staple economic base until competition from bigger boats and larger ports forced its eventual decline. By then the town had established itself as a market center for the Outer Cape. Modern-day changes in Orleans were wholly sparked by summer tourism development. This resort home development, which accelerated between 1915 and 1940, still continues today. It has also had the greatest effect on the town and supports increasing commercial development along Route 6A.

Cape Cod News Headlines

Rezko convicted of fraud, spills beans

CHICAGO -- Jailed political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, the Chicago real estate developer who helped launch Barack Obama on his political career, is whispering secrets to federal prosecutors.
Report stings Palin over Troopergate flap

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A legislative investigator found that Gov. Sarah Palin violated state ethics laws and abused her power by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper.
Courtroom experts see value in apologies

The family of Dino Giancola got the satisfaction of watching the man responsible for his death in a 2005 drunken driving accident plead guilty last month in Barnstable Superior Court.
Shuttle driver reflects on Nobel snub

A former Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientist who now work in Alabama shared research with others who won the top chemistry prize this week.
'Paddlethon' launched for Wareham library

Mid-October wouldn't be Dick Wheeler's first choice when it comes to embarking on 1,000 miles of kayak trips, paddled day after day.
Crisis shelves president's retirement

Kathleen Schatzberg, who announced last month that she would retire as president of Cape Cod Community College next year, has agreed to stay on to help the college through the current economic crisis.