The hills between Shimmo and Polpis — close-in country with the harbor below.
Shawkemo is the rolling stretch between Shimmo and Polpis where the land lifts into genuine hills — by island standards — and the harbor opens below. The Shawkemo Hills give the area its topography and its premium: elevated sites with water views back toward town, reached by private drives off the Polpis Road.
This is close-in country living: larger parcels, meadow and scrub-oak privacy, and a seven-to-ten-minute run to Main Street. Less storied than Monomoy, less hidden than the east end, Shawkemo is the connoisseur’s middle — and its occasional listings draw exactly that buyer.
What Shawkemo really means
Topography does the work here. The hills deliver what flat harborside land can’t: views over the water from genuinely private sites, with elevation easing the flood questions that waterline properties carry. Parcels run large, driveways run long, and the building stock leans to substantial homes sited for the vista.
The area reads as a quieter extension of the Shimmo–Monomoy corridor, sharing its buyers and its discretion. In LINK’s data it’s a small area with occasional trades — enough to keep a live market, few enough that each listing is an event for the short list watching.
Why buyers choose Shawkemo
What you're actually buying in Shawkemo
The hills sort the market simply.
The view crests
Elevated sites with the harbor panorama — the area’s signature product, prized for combining vista, privacy, and proximity in one parcel.The wooded folds
Parcels in the lee of the hills trade the view for deeper seclusion and softer pricing — the value path into the corridor.The occasional build
Buildable land surfaces here more often than in the tighter harbor pockets — always inside HDC review, and always watched closely by patient buyers.The market here
Shawkemo trades like the corridor it belongs to: infrequently, discreetly, and firmly in the island’s upper tier, with view crests commanding the premium. Its occasional feed presence — a listing or two in a typical year — makes it slightly more accessible than its tightly-held neighbors, which is exactly how buyers who know the area like it.
The live listings above are today’s public picture. As throughout the harbor corridor, part of the market moves on relationships — and the elevated sites rarely wait for a second showing.
Buying in Shawkemo: what to know
Private-drive diligence
Siting is the value
HDC on new builds
Corridor comps
Shawkemo homes for sale
All Shawkemo listings →1 active · $6,500,000 · median ask $6,500,000 · 1 land
Live from the Nantucket MLS · updated July 22, 2026 (preview — refreshed automatically by listings-sync)
Shawkemo — the questions I get
Where is Shawkemo?
The rolling stretch off the Polpis Road between Shimmo and Polpis, seven to ten minutes east of town — the Shawkemo Hills are the landmark, the harbor is the view.What makes it different from Shimmo?
Elevation and openness. Shimmo slopes to the water through the trees; Shawkemo rises above it in meadow and moor. Shimmo is about the shoreline; Shawkemo is about the vantage.Do properties have water access?
Some carry deeded or association paths; most enjoy the harbor visually and use the town landings minutes away. Buyers for whom frontage is essential should look waterline — and pay accordingly.What does Shawkemo cost?
Upper-tier corridor pricing: view crests at the top, wooded folds below. The live listings above, when present, are the market’s honest voice.Is land still available?
Occasionally — more often than in the tighter harbor pockets, rarely enough to move fast on. Buildable view land here is a patient buyer’s reward.Thinking about Shawkemo?
Sean Kalman is a sixth-generation Nantucketer who knows the island the way only a native can — its neighborhoods, its seasons, and the difference between visiting and truly living here. Through The Kalman Co. (brokered by eXp Realty), he pairs a hospitality background with sharp market insight, guiding buyers and sellers with calm, concierge-level service from Town to 'Sconset to Madaket. sean@thekalmanco.com · thekalmanco.com
Sean Kalman, REALTOR® · The Kalman Co., brokered by eXp Realty. Equal Housing Opportunity.