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The 'Town of Barnstable' is a city on Cape Cod in Massachusetts; it is the county seat of Barnstable County. The population was 47,821 at the 2000 census. The city contains several villages (one of which is also named Barnstable) within its boundaries. The village of Hyannis is home to Cape Cod's commercial air hub, Barnstable Municipal Airport.

Contents

History

Geography

Transportation

Demographics

Population trends

Government

Education

Notable residents

References

External links

History

Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod. It is named for Barnstaple, Devon, England. The area was first explored by Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602. It was one of the first towns to be settled, in 1636, and was incorporated in 1639, as were the other Cape towns of Sandwich and Yarmouth. The early settlers were farmers, but soon fishing and salt works became major industries in town. By the end of the nineteenth century, there were some 800 ships harbored in the town. But this came to a decline with the rise of the railroad, which had arrived in 1854, and by steam ships.
By the late nineteenth century, however, Barnstable was becoming world-renowned as the tourist destination it is to this day. Many prominent Bostonians spent their summers on the Cape shores, as did Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Grover Cleveland. However, the most famous family to summer in the city was, and still is, the Kennedy family, who can still be found living in their compound in Hyannis Port. It was the summer home of President John F. Kennedy during his administration, and, in fact, Senator Ted Kennedy's home address is still listed as being in the city.
Today, tourists come in droves to the city during the summer months. There is abundant shopping in the quaint shops of Hyannis, as well as the John F. Kennedy Museum and several other museums. The city's many beaches are popular as well.^[1]

Geography

Barnstable is located at (41.659158, -70.353059), about halfway along the "bicep" of the Cape Cod "arm." According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 197.5 km² (76.2 mi²). 155.5 km² (60.0 mi²) of it is land and 42.0 km² (16.2 mi²) of it (21.26%) is water. It is bordered by Cape Cod Bay on the north, Nantucket Sound on the south, Sandwich and Mashpee on the west and Yarmouth on the east. Barnstable is approximately seventy miles southeast of Boston.
The ''Town of Barnstable'' contains seven villages:

★ The village of Barnstable

★ Centerville

★ Cotuit

★ Hyannis, including Hyannis Port

★ Marstons Mills

★ Osterville

★ West Barnstable
Barnstable is a city of many facets. To the north lie the dunes of Sandy Neck along Barnstable Harbor, tipped by the Sandy Neck Lighthouse. The central part of the town is dominated by the pines and oaks around Wequaquet Lake. The south is where the bulk of the population lives, many along the beaches of Centerville and Hyannis Harbors.

Transportation

Both U.S. Route 6 and Route 28 pass through the city from west to east, with Route 6 being a four-lane freeway through the city. Routes 6A, 132, 149 and a brief, 1/10 mile portion of 130 are also located in town. Route 6A follows an east-west route to the north of Route 6, on its route between Sagamore and the Orleans Rotary. Routes 132 and 149 are both entirely located within the city, and both begin at 6A and end at Rte. 28.
The city is located along the Old Colony Railroad line, which originally passed through the entire southern Cape. Today, the rail is seldom used, except along the Cape Cod Railroad tourist line which begins at the end of a spur which follows the Yarmouth town line. The city is the site of two airports. Cape Cod Airport is a smaller airfield, used primarily for private travel, and Barnstable Municipal Airport at Polando Field is used for regional flights, especially between the Cape and Islands. The nearest national and international air service can be reached at Logan International Airport in Boston. Hyannis Port is also the site of the main ferry line to Nantucket, as well as a seasonal line to Martha's Vineyard.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 47,821 people, 19,626 households, and 13,012 families residing in the city. The population density was 307.5/km² (796.5/mi²). There were 25,018 housing units at an average density of 160.9/km² (416.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.85% White, 2.74% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 2.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.70% of the population.
There were 19,626 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,811, and the median income for a family was $54,026. Males had a median income of $41,494 versus $30,442 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,554. About 6.3% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Population trends

1930	7,271
1940	8,333
1950	10,480
1960	13,465
1970	19,842
1980	30,898
1990	40,949
2000	47,821
2002	48,854 (estimate)

''Sources: Massachusetts Institute for Social and Economic Research and U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division''

Government

Barnstable is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the Second, Third and Fifth Barnstable Districts. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Barnstable and Cape and Islands Districts, the former including Bourne, Falmouth, Kingston, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton and Sandwich and the latter including the rest of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.^[2] The town is patrolled by the Second (Yarmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police.^[3]
On the national level, Barnstable is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional district, and is currently represented by Bill Delahunt. The state's senior (Class I) member of the United States Senate, re-elected in 2006, is Ted Kennedy. The junior (Class II) Senator, up for re-election in 2008, is John Kerry.
The town is governed by the council-manager form of government, led by a town manager and town council. (This governmental structure makes it officially a city, not a town, by Massachusetts law.) The town hall is located within the village of Hyannis, and the police station is located along Route 132, closer to the geographic center of town. There are eight fire stations, seven libraries and ten post offices located throughout the town, with the largest or central branches usually being in the downtown Hyannis area. Hyannis also is the site of the Cape Cod Hospital, which serves the central Cape region. Also, as the county seat of Barnstable County, the town is the site of the county court house and house of corrections, as well as the offices of the Cape and Islands district attorney.

Education

Barnstable has the largest public school enrollment of any town on Cape Cod, with over 4,500 students. The town operates an Early Learning Center for pre-kindergarten students and eight elementary schools serving various grades, including: Centerville (K-4), Cotuit (3-4), Hyannis (K-4), Hyannis West (K-4), Marstons Mills (PK-2), Osterville (K-2), Osterville Bay (3-4), and West Barnstable (K-4). (In practice, Marstons Mills students graduate to Cotuit, and Osterville to Osterville Bay). There is also the Marstons Mills East Horace Mann Charter School, which offers grades K-4. The Barnstable Horace Mann Charter School is open to fifth and sixth grade students, and all town fifth grade students attend this school. The Barnstable Middle School serves grades seven and eight, and is located on Route 28 behind Barnstable High School, which serves grades nine through twelve. Barnstable's athletic teams are nicknamed the Red Raiders (using a logo similar to the University of Utah), and their colors are red and white. Their teams are fairly successful, given the large student body with which to choose from. Notable town rivals of the Red Raiders are Sandwich and Falmouth. Barnstable has played Falmouth in football on Thanksgiving Day nearly every year since 1895, making the annual game one of the longest-standing high school football rivalries in history.
In addition to its public schools, there are also several private schools in the town. There are three Christian schools: Bayberry Christian Academy (K-3), Faith Christian School (PK-12), and Trinity Christian Academy (PK-12). There is a Catholic school, Saint Francis Xavier Prep, which serves fifth through eighth grades. Barnstable is also home to the Academy of Early Learning (PK-6), Veritas Academy (K-8), and the Cape Cod Academy, a private K-12 school. There are also two special educations schools (Southeast Alternative & Beacon Point), as well as the Sturgis Charter Public School, which serves high school-aged students. Additionally, high school students also have the option of attending Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich free of charge.
Barnstable is also the home to Cape Cod Community College, a two-year junior college affiliated with Suffolk University in Boston.

Notable residents

★ Reverend John Lothropp, founder of Barnstable

★ Thomas Hinckley, governor of Plymouth Colony

★ James Otis, lawyer and American patriot

★ Mercy Otis Warren, author, poet, playwright, and American patriot

★ Kennedy Family 4 generations to date

★ John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States

★ Judy Garland, actress and singer

★ Jeffrey H. Aikman, actor

★ Kurt Vonnegut, author, political icon, entertainer

★ Jack Kerouac, American novelist, poet, artist

★ John Havlicek, basketball player for the Boston Celtics

★ Dan LaCouture, NHL hockey player for the Boston Bruins

★ Eric Nickulas, NHL hockey player for the Boston Bruins

★ Paul Pena, blues singer, guitarist, 1950-2005

★ Paul Stewart, professional ice hockey player and NHL referee

★ Kevin Bonelli, guitarist, The Freeze

★ Larry Page, co-founder of Google

★ William Murphy, co-founder of Impulse Technologies

★ Joss Whedon, American writer, director, executive producer, and creator of the well-known television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Angel'', and ''Firefly''

References

1. ''Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Street Atlas.'' South Easton, MA: Arrow Maps Inc., 2004, p. 20.
2. Index of Legislative Representation by City and Town, from Mass.gov
3. Station D-2, SP Yarmouth

External links

★ Barnstable Official Website