2010 Population: 5,890
The Town of Orleans, incorporated in 1797, is a resort community on the outer Cape whose European history begins in 1642 with the first permanent settlement established by Nicholas Snow and his family. Settlers had purchased rights to the town from Mattaguason, sachem of the Manamoyick Indians.
The Colonial economy was built on agriculture, especially corn, rye and wheat, plus the growing of hay and vegetables. In the 18th century commercial fishing and shellfishing supplemented local incomes and residents worked on herring boats and went after whales. By the 19th century, coastal packets from Boston were being serviced and several windmills created power resources in the town, but the heaviest reliance by residents was on cod and mackerel fishing. Life long residents recall that in those days the very old and the very young farmed, while all the able-bodied men fished. Fishing in Orleans declined as competition from larger boats and larger ports grew, but the town had established a commercial importance on the Cape as a market center for other communities, that continues into the 20th century.
Small businesses like the Mayo Duck Farm that produced 50,000 ducklings in 1918 were welcomed by the town, but the major modern change in Orleans was spurred by the impact of summer development. Resort home development, which accelerated between 1915 and 1940 and still continues, has had the greatest effect on the town and in turn has supported increasing commercial development. |
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Doughnuts, the croissant of American pastry, have accompanied our morning coffee for Centuries. The pastry, rumored to have been invented in New England when a boy from Clam Cove, Maine, poked a fork though his mother’s fried dough cakes in 1847, has taken New England by storm, ranking second only to California in the number of doughnut vendors sprinkling our coastlines. Following the formal recognition of the Boston Creme as the Commonwealth’s official doughnut in January 2003, some might argue that the New Englander’s love affair with the bagel’s sidekick has reached an all-time high – Cape Cod being no exception.
Today, the Hole In One Donut shop serves up nearly 44 dozen doughnuts every morning in the off-season and more than 250 dozen of the holy pastries daily in summer.
“We use the best ingredients and the more expensive mixes to make our doughnuts,” says Cindy Bazzano, 64, mother of the four girls who maintains there is nothing like a hot doughnut made by hand. “Our chocolate, frostings and glazes are the best and our doughnuts are made fresh every day. There is nothing like them.”
98 Cranberry Hwy, Orleans, MA
phone: 508-255-3740
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Orleans - Cape Cod
