A Love Letter to the Cape Cod Washashore

Dear Washashore,

You need to know you are our favorite Cape Codder.

You came to these shores with hopes and dreams and likely an idealized vision of this place. Maybe you had been as a kid, or heard stories, or really like history. Maybe you're a beach bum at heart and you heard the siren's call of the shore calling you home. The reason why doesn't matter. Somehow, for some reason, you ended up here.

Thank you.

Living here is not for the faint of heart. Winters are long and bleak. The cost of living is staggering. There is no social life whatsoever, most of us keeping friendships alive from childhood or forging them through the trenches of work. Eventually, if you're lucky as an adult, you end up with a pretty solid village, but it is not something you stumble into. It is something you build.

And without the advantage of pre-established roots, you have chosen to build here.

We could not exist without you.

You, who have built businesses here.

You, who is passionate about the environment, and work to protect our ecosystem.

You, who shops local.

You, who cares for the elderly or teaches our youth or works our banks or creates our arts or runs our nonprofits.

I see you, and I want you to know, we love you.

The ruggedness of those born here isn't because of you. We were born pickled, born into salt air, the sense of cold weather and smell of low tide imprinted in our very pores. We're New England-mean, with a side of extra salt.

Distrustful of outsiders, fearful of being misunderstood, and forever hesitant to make change, sometimes it feels like we have you set up to feel like an outsider before you even decide to cross the bridge.

I want you to know this special place wouldn't be half as special without you. 

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

With love,
Cape Cod