Every year someone stops in my office with a the question, "What is the Upper Cape?"  There aren't really any traditional explanations.  Most people when asked, will name the towns that are considered the Lower Cape, but they won't be able to tell you why they are called the Upper and Lower Cape.  The same thing happens for Martha's Vineyard.  Why is Gay Head, now named Aquinnah (and where I proposed in 1985), called Up Island?

Well, the answer is simple.  Because the Cape and Islands were coastal and shipping based economies when they were founded, they use latitude to describe certain areas.  For the Cape, Falmouth has a higher latitude than Provincetown.  And Barnstable is in the Middle, thus the Mid Cape designation.

Using the same explanation, Aquinnah has a higher latitude than Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard.

Now the other thing that is humorous about the southeastern part of Massachusetts is that many, many, of the towns, or villages within the towns, end in ville, burg, port, or town.  But that is topic for another blog.

Happy Selling and Listing! 

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The towns on the Upper Cape:  Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich, Mashpee

The Towns in The Mid Cape: Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Chatham

Lower Cod: Brewster, Eastham, Orleans, Truro, Welfleet, Provincetown