Living Near Main Street in East Orleans, MA

East Orleans is a lovely neighborhood to buy a home because it's far quieter than Orleans' downtown area, yet never more than a few minutes from some of the town's top attractions.

Once you live in this part of town, you'll have easy access to the Cape Cod National Seashore and can enjoy the amenities of Route 6A without any hassle.

At the same time, East Orleans has a small downtown area itself and offers access to Pleasant Bay.

Here's a look at some reasons why buying a home in East Orleans is an excellent choice for those looking to move to Cape Cod.

Shops and Restaurants

First and foremost, East Orleans has a commercial area of its own, so you don't necessarily have to visit downtown Orleans to do some shopping or eat at a restaurant.

Main Street in East Orleans is home to popular eateries like the Whisk Breakfast & Lunch Cafe, Toast to the Coast, and The Barley Neck, giving you some selection when heading out for a meal. 

While the shopping scene in East Orleans is limited, Adorn is a local jewelry, art, and home decor shop that's owned and operated by a mother-daughter team. This store is an excellent place to pick up some new decor for your home once you move in.

There's also Nauset Farms, a butcher shop and bakery that also sells prepared or fully-cooked meals. The great thing about Nauset Farms is that you can stop by and buy a ready-made dinner and grab some food to cook for the next day's meal, too.

Downtown East Orleans isn't a bustling location, but it provides just enough to keep its residents happy.

Meeting House Pond

Another attraction in East Orleans is Meeting House Pond, a saltwater body with Pleasant Bay access.

If you buy a home in East Orleans and own a boat, you're in luck because the area is home to Nauset Marine East, a full-service marina with slips, moorings, and a repair shop. You can also buy or rent a boat at the marina, if you don't have one already, and leave your boat there all winter in their seasonal storage center.

Even if you don't want to use the marina, you can put a boat in the water on Meeting House Pond at its boat launch. This launch features a paved ramp and a loading dock, making it suitable for larger vessels. Parking at the lot is reserved for Orleans residents only between June 15 and September 15, so you won't have to worry about the Cape's visitors taking up all the space.

Barley Neck and Pochet Neck

There are a couple of beautiful neighborhoods just east of East Orleans that are also worth discussing.

Barley Neck features some large properties with plenty of tree cover, many of which have private water access. There are two boat launches in this neighborhood - Gilman Landing and Barley Neck Landing - where you can carry a kayak to the water before paddling down to Little Pleasant Bay.

Pochet Neck is a smaller neighborhood with a boat launch on Sparrowneck Road and a bridge that extends directly to a secluded section of Nauset Beach. These features make Pochet Neck an incredibly desirable place to buy a home.

As a bonus, both of these neighborhoods are minutes from Main Street in East Orleans, so you're never far from its amenities.

Nauset Beach

Of course, the main draw of living in East Orleans is its access to Nauset Beach. Beach Road, which connects directly to Main Street, leads to Nauset, and you'll find a massive parking lot once you get there.

Nauset Beach is a ten-mile strip of sand on the Cape Cod National Seashore and is one of the Cape's most popular summertime locations. You're sure to use the beach multiple times per year when living in East Orleans, and, as a bonus, you might even be within walking distance.

Buying a Home in East Orleans

East Orleans certainly isn't the largest community on the Outer Cape and, outside of Nauset Beach, it doesn't get much attention from the tourist crowd in the summer.

That's just the way locals like it, though, as they're free to go about their lives year-round, without worrying about their favorite shops and eateries becoming overrun with the Cape's thousands of seasonal visitors. 

When buying a home on the Cape, look at East Orleans because of its outstanding location and the amenities it offers its residents.