Another notable thing is that Harwich is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Harwich’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.
Because of many things, Harwich is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Harwich really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Harwich perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.
It is a fairly quiet town because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) Harwich has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. Harwich has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Harwich than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Harwich may be for you.
Harwich is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.
Harwich is a small town, and as such doesn't have a public transit system that people use to get to and from their jobs every day.
Harwich is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 45.83% of adults in Harwich have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.
The per capita income in Harwich in 2022 was $54,092, which is middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $216,368 for a family of four. However, Harwich contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call Harwich home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Harwich residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Harwich include Irish, English, Swedish, German, and Italian.
The most common language spoken in Harwich is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and French.
