Wareham, Massachusetts

Wareham (/ˈwɛərhæm/ WAIR-ham) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 23,303.

Wareham is in the southern outskirts of Greater Boston, and is a part of the South Coast region of Massachusetts which encompasses the cities and towns that surround Buzzards Bay and Mount Hope Bay.

Wareham was first settled in 1678 by Europeans as part of the towns of Plymouth and Rochester. It was officially incorporated in 1739 and named after the town of Wareham in England. Because of its geography, Wareham's early industry revolved around shipbuilding and the related industries. It also served as a resort town, with many smaller resorts scattered around the town, especially in Onset. Like Sandwich, its waterways, especially Buttermilk Bay, were considered as possible pathways for the Cape Cod Canal. Although the canal proper goes through Bourne and Sandwich, the southern approach to Buzzards Bay passes just south of the peninsulas that make up the topography of the town.

Wareham is home of the Tremont Nail Factory, the oldest nail manufacturer in the United States. The factory was established in 1819.

For years the town was known by its slogan "Gateway to Cape Cod," but in January 2020 adopted a new slogan: "It's Better Before the Bridges." The intent was to draw attention to the appeal of Wareham as a tourist destination itself, rather than as a conduit to somewhere else.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 46.3 square miles (120 km²), of which 35.8 square miles (93 km²) is land and 10.5 square miles (27 km²) is water. The total area is 22.64% water. Wareham is bordered by Marion to the southwest, Buzzards Bay to the southeast, Rochester to the west, Middleborough to the northwest, Carver and Plymouth to the north, and Bourne to the east. The town's localities are numerous, the most important being East Wareham, Onset, Point Independence, Wareham Center, and West Wareham. The town is just west of Cape Cod, and is 18 miles (29 km) east of New Bedford, approximately 45 miles (72 km) east of Providence, Rhode Island and 55 miles (89 km) south-southeast of Boston.

In recent years, the town has sought to use its location as part of Cape Cod as a marketing ploy.

Wareham is the innermost town on the north shore of Buzzards Bay. The Weweantic River empties in the southwestern corner of town, with the Sippican River and other brooks emptying into it. The Wareham River, which is formed at the confluence of the Wankinco and Agawam rivers, flows into the harbor east of the Weweantic, and has brooks and the Mill Pond River as tributaries. To the east lie Onset Bay and Buttermilk Bay, both of which empty into the head of the bay, at the right-of-way of the Cape Cod Canal. Between these rivers and bays lie several points and necks, including Cromesett Point, Swift's Neck, Long Beach Point, Indian Neck, Stony Point, Cedar Island Point, Codman's Point, Sias Point and Whittemore's Point. The southern boundary of Myles Standish State Forest is concurrent with the town line between Wareham and Plymouth.