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Go back 10 years and look at the Canal Region. At that time, it was three towns heavily dependent on tourists during a very short summer season. That meant dramatic swings in employment – with double-digit joblessness during the winter months.

The vision is strong, and growing. Buzzards Bay – once a beacon of ‘olde’ Cape Cod – will resurrect itself as a destination, framed by a boardwalk and green space along the canal and boasting a Main Street replete with restaurants, boutique shops and entertainment locales.

Dr. Scott Harris was in the right place at the right time for Cape Cod Healthcare. As a result, Bourne has its first full-time medical specialist practicing in town.

Did you know you could learn the art of Sogetsu Ikebana in Sandwich?
The availability in the Canal Region of this internationally recognized school of Japanese flower arranging underscores not only the resources but also the ambitions of the Heritage Museums and Gardens – as the venerable institution adjusts to its second executive director in five years and a changing tourism scene.

When Plymouth residents decided in 1900 that they needed a local hospital, philanthropist and summer resident Eben D. Jordan gave $20,000 to create the hospital that bears his name. It has grown from a 12-bed rural hospital to a 150-bed acute care community hospital, serving almost 280,000 residents from 12 towns across Plymouth County, the South Shore and Upper Cape.

When the ambulance arrived, EMTs found Lisa Mazzola crumpled under the car. She was minutes from death. Rapid response at Cape Cod Hospital and an airlift to Boston specialists saved her life. Then she became engaged in a daily struggle to recover – medically, physically, behaviorally and psychologically – at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands.

Cape Business sat with Elaine Meredith, vice president of Tobey Hospital in Wareham, to explore how and why Southcoast Hospitals Group is growing in Wareham and the Canal Region.

Typical Saturday errands for an Upper Cape family may well entail a trip to Wareham’s Home Depot or Wal-Mart. And while they’re at it, they might as well fill up the tank with gasoline that runs 10 cents less per gallon than on their side of the bridge.

“Tourism is the third largest industry in the state,” says Canal Region Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Marie Oliva. “It’s important for the Cape and for Wareham.”

Learn all about the Canal Region and the towns that comprise it, including statistics, demographics and fun facts.