Barnstable, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Barnstable is a city, referred to as the Town of Barnstable, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 and the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Barnstable County
Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, consisting of Cape Cod and associated islands. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,902...

. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...

. The town contains seven villages (one of which is also named Barnstable
Barnstable (village), Massachusetts
Barnstable is the name of one of the seven villages within the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Village of Barnstable is located on the north side of the town, centered along "Old King's Highway" , and houses the County Complex of Barnstable County, a small business district, a working...

) within its boundaries. Its largest village, Hyannis
Hyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis is the largest of seven villages in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Also it is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area as a result of the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape"...

, is the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

 of the county and home to Barnstable Municipal Airport
Barnstable Municipal Airport
Barnstable Municipal Airport , also known as Boardman/Polando Field, is a public airport located on Cape Cod, one mile north of the central business district of Hyannis, in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Town of Barnstable...

, the airline hub
Airline hub
An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...

 of Cape Cod and the Islands of Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....

 and Nantucket. It is also a 2007 All-America City Award
All-America City Award
The All-America City Award is given by the National Civic League annually to ten cities in the United States.The oldest community recognition program in the nation, the award recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon...

 winner.

History

Barnstable is named after Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...

, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, England. The area was first explored by Bartholomew Gosnold
Bartholomew Gosnold
Bartholomew Gosnold was an English lawyer, explorer, and privateer, instrumental in founding the Virginia Company of London, and Jamestown, Virginia, United States...

 in 1602. It was one of the first towns to be settled, one year behind Sandwich, in 1638, and was incorporated in 1639. The early settlers were farmers, led by the Reverend Joseph Hull
Joseph Hull
Rev. Joseph Hull led a company of 106 which sailed from England to Massachusetts in 1635 and was known as the Hull Colony.Hull was born in Crewkerne, Somerset and graduated from Oxford in 1614. He was ordained in 1619, and served as teacher, curate and minister of Colyton, Devonshire...

, the founder of Barnstable. A memorial tablet was dedicated there in 1939 (the 300th anniversary of the town’s founding) marking the site of his home, and the rock from which he preached still stands along the highway there.

Soon after the town's founding, agriculture, fishing and salt works became its major industries. By the end of the 19th century, there were some 804 ships harbored in the town. But this came to a decline with the rise of the railroad, which had arrived in 1854, and of steamships.

By the late 19th 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
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...

 and Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...

. However, the most famous family to summer in the town was, and remains, the Kennedy family
Kennedy family
In the United States, the phrase Kennedy family commonly refers to the family descending from the marriage of the Irish-Americans Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald that was prominent in American politics and government. Their political involvement has revolved around the...

, who can still be found living in the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port. It was the summer home of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....

 during his administration, and it was likewise the home of Senator Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...

 until his death.

Today, tourists come in droves to the town during the summer months. There is abundant shopping in the quaint shops of Hyannis, and other popular sites abound, such as the John F. Kennedy Museum and several other museums and places on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

, including the Ancient Burying Ground
Ancient Burying Ground
Ancient Burying Ground is an historic cemetery at Phinney's Lane in Barnstable, Massachusetts.The cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.- References and external links :*...

 and Gideon Hawley House
Gideon Hawley House
Gideon Hawley is a historic house at 4766 Falmouth Road in Barnstable, Massachusetts.The Georgian style house was built in 1758 by missionary Gideon Hawley. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987....

. The town's many beaches are popular tourist destinations as well.

Geography

Barnstable is located at 41°39′33"N 70°21′11"W (41.659158, -70.353059), about halfway along the "biceps" of the Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...

 "arm." According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 76.2 square miles (197.4 km²), of which, 60 square miles (155.4 km²) of it is land and 16.2 square miles (42 km²) of it (21.26%) is water. It is bordered by Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay is a large bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Measuring below a line drawn from Brant Rock in Marshfield to Race Point in Provincetown, Massachusetts, it is enclosed by Cape Cod to the south and east, and Plymouth County, Massachusetts, to the west....

 on the north, Nantucket Sound
Nantucket Sound
Nantucket Sound is a roughly triangular area of the Atlantic Ocean offshore from the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is long and wide, and is enclosed by Cape Cod on the north, Nantucket on the south, and Martha's Vineyard on the west. Between Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard it is connected to the...

 on the south, Sandwich
Sandwich, Massachusetts
Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,675 at the 2010 census. The Town Hall is located right next to the Dexter Grist Mill, in the historic district of town....

 and Mashpee
Mashpee, Massachusetts
Mashpee is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,006 as of 2010.For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Mashpee, please see the articles on Mashpee Neck, Monomoscoy Island, New Seabury, Popponesset, Popponesset Island,...

 on the west and Yarmouth
Yarmouth, Massachusetts
Yarmouth is a New England town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 24,807 at the 2000 census....

 on the east. Barnstable is approximately seventy miles southeast of Boston.

The Town of Barnstable contains seven villages:
  • The village of Barnstable
    Barnstable (village), Massachusetts
    Barnstable is the name of one of the seven villages within the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Village of Barnstable is located on the north side of the town, centered along "Old King's Highway" , and houses the County Complex of Barnstable County, a small business district, a working...

    , including Cummaquid
  • Centerville
    Centerville, Massachusetts
    Centerville is a village in the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Located on the south side of Barnstable, Centerville is primarily residential, includes a small business district, notable beaches, and a school . Centerville contains the neighborhood of Craigville, which includes...

    , including Craigville
    Craigville, Massachusetts
    Craigville is a part of the village of Centerville in the city of Barnstable in the United States. Craigville makes up the Craigville Beach area.-Demographics:Craigville is located in the Barnstable village of Centerville.-External links:...

  • Cotuit
    Cotuit, Massachusetts
    Cotuit is a village on Cape Cod in the City of Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. Located on a peninsula on the south side of Barnstable about midway between Falmouth, Massachusetts and Hyannis, Massachusetts...

  • Hyannis
    Hyannis, Massachusetts
    Hyannis is the largest of seven villages in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Also it is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area as a result of the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape"...

    , including Hyannis Port
    Hyannis Port, Massachusetts
    Hyannis Port is a small residential village located in Barnstable, Massachusetts, and Hyannis, Massachusetts. It is an affluent summer community on Hyannis Harbor 1.4 miles to the south-southwest of Hyannis.-Community:...

  • Marstons Mills
    Marstons Mills, Massachusetts
    Marstons Mills is a village in the City of Barnstable, Massachusetts. It was founded by the Marston Family in 1648. They built grist mills along the Marstons Mills River, hence the name of the village. It is primarily residential, located on Route 28, and rural in nature...

  • Osterville
    Osterville, Massachusetts
    Osterville is one of the seven villages within the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The village of Osterville is located on the south side of Barnstable on Nantucket Sound...

  • West Barnstable
    West Barnstable, Massachusetts
    West Barnstable is a village or section in the northwest part of the City of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Once devoted to agricultural pursuits, West Barnstable now is largely residential.-Natural features:...



Barnstable is a town 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
Route 28 (Massachusetts)
Route 28 is a nominally south–north route in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, running from the town of Orleans via Boston to the New Hampshire state line in Methuen. Following the route from its nominally southern end, Route 28 initially heads south to the town of Chatham then turns west to...

 pass through the town from west to east, with Route 6 being a four-lane freeway through the town. Routes 6A
Route 6A (Massachusetts)
Route 6A is the name for parts of former U.S. Route 6 on Cape Cod. Most of "6A", as the locals call it, is also known as the Old King's Highway...

, 132
Route 132 (Massachusetts)
Route 132 is a highway in the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, part of Cape Cod. The entire length of the highway is also locally signed as part of Iyannough Road...

, 149 and a brief, 1/10 mile portion of 130
Route 130 (Massachusetts)
Route 130 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The southern terminus is at Route 28 in Barnstable. The northern terminus is at Route 6A in Sandwich.-Route description:...

 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 town, and both begin at 6A and end at Rte. 28.

Freight rail service is provided by the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad
Massachusetts Coastal Railroad
The Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is the successor operator of portions of Bay Colony Railroad.-History:On December 31, 2007 the contract to operate the freight railroad lines owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts administered by the Executive Office of Transportation expired. These...

. The Cape Cod Central Railroad
Cape Cod Central Railroad
The Cape Cod Central Railroad is a heritage railroad located in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.Originally founded in 1999, it operates a variety of excursion trains from downtown Hyannis to the Cape Cod Canal during spring, summer, and fall. Recently, it has expanded service in a limited capacity to offer...

 operates seasonal tourist excursions from Hyannis
Hyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis is the largest of seven villages in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Also it is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area as a result of the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape"...

 to Sandwich
Sandwich, Massachusetts
Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,675 at the 2010 census. The Town Hall is located right next to the Dexter Grist Mill, in the historic district of town....

 and Sagamore
Sagamore, Massachusetts
Sagamore is a census-designated place in the town of Bourne in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,544 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sagamore is located at ....

, with some scheduled weekend stops at the West Barnstable
West Barnstable, Massachusetts
West Barnstable is a village or section in the northwest part of the City of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Once devoted to agricultural pursuits, West Barnstable now is largely residential.-Natural features:...

 depot on Route 149 near Route 6A. The nearest inter-city (Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

) passenger rail stations are Boston's South Station
South Station
South Station, New England's second-largest transportation center , located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street in Dewey Square, Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest train station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston, a prominent train station in the northeastern...

 and Providence
Providence (Amtrak station)
Providence Station is a railroad station in Providence, Rhode Island and is served by Amtrak and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority . The station has four tracks for passenger service, with a fifth track passing through for Providence and Worcester Railroad freight trains...

. The Kingston/Route 3
Kingston (MBTA station)
Kingston / Route 3 is a passenger rail station on MBTA Commuter Rail's Plymouth/Kingston Line. it is located at 194 Marion Drive in Kingston, Massachusetts, which is west of Independence Mall Shopping Center off of Exit 8 on Massachusetts Route 3, hence the dual name.Kingston station was built in...

 and Middleborough/Lakeville
Middleborough/Lakeville (MBTA station)
Middleborough/Lakeville is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Lakeville, Massachusetts. It is the terminus of the Middleborough/Lakeville Line. Middleborough/Lakeville Station was built on a line that was once part of the original Fall River Railroad, which actually had two different stations for...

 stations of the MBTA's
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...

 commuter rail
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. It is operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company a joint partnership of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier Transportation and Alternate...

 system provide the closest direct service to Boston.

The town is the site of two airports. Cape Cod Airport
Cape Cod Airport
Cape Cod Airport, in Marstons Mills, Massachusetts is a public airport owned by the Town of Barnstable. It has three runways, averages 75 flights per week, and has approximately 20 aircraft based on its field. Biplane Rides, flight school, and skydive operations on the field. In the 1930s, the...

 is a smaller airfield, used primarily for private travel, and Barnstable Municipal Airport
Barnstable Municipal Airport
Barnstable Municipal Airport , also known as Boardman/Polando Field, is a public airport located on Cape Cod, one mile north of the central business district of Hyannis, in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Town of Barnstable...

 at Polando Field is used for regional flights, especially between the Cape and the Islands. The nearest national and international air service can be reached at Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...

 in Boston. Hyannis is also the site of the main ferry lines to Nantucket
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...

 and Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....

.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 47,821 people, 19,626 households, and 13,012 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 796.5 PD/sqmi. There were 25,018 housing units at an average density of 416.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 91.85% White, 2.74% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.59% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.70% of the population. 24.2% were of Irish, 13.3% English, 9.3% Italian and 5.5% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 92.1% spoke English, 3.4% Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

, 1.6% Spanish and 1.0% French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 as their first language.

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 town 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 town 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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town 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)

Barnstable is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...

 as a part of the Second, Third and Fifth Barnstable Districts. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...

 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. The town is patrolled by the Second (Yarmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...

.

On the national level, Barnstable is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional district
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district is a political constituency that includes parts of the South Shore of Massachusetts, and all of Cape Cod and the islands. With a population of 635,901 and a land area of , it is the most populous of Massachusetts's ten congressional districts and the...

, and is currently represented by Bill Delahunt
Bill Delahunt
William D. Delahunt is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1997 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Delahunt did not seek re-election in 2010, and left Congress in January 2011. He was replaced by Norfolk County District Attorney Bill Keating...

. The state's senior (Class II) member of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

, re-elected in 2008, is John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...

. With the death of Senator Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...

 in August 2009, the other Senate seat has been filled by Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...

.

The town is governed by the council-manager
Council-manager government
The council–manager government form is one of two predominant forms of municipal government in the United States; the other common form of local government is the mayor-council government form, which characteristically occurs in large cities...

 form of government, led by a town manager and town council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....

. This governmental structure makes it officially a city by Massachusetts law, but it is incorporated as a town. The town hall is located within the village of Hyannis, and the police station is located on 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 courthouse and juvenile lockup at the old house of corrections, as well as the offices of the Cape and Islands district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...

.

Government

Barnstable has a council–manager government. It was created when the town rewrote its charter and was moved from a selectman, town meeting form of government to a town council form of government in 1989. The first town manager, Warren Rutherford, was in office from 1990-1997. His successor, John Tinsley, was in office from 1997 to 1999, when he died from a heart attack. He was succeeded by present manager John Klimm. Recently, Klimm's contract was extended until 2012. This is going on at a time when some are considering rewriting the charter so that the town could have a mayor. Current plans aren't going far, but some are still determined to get this passed. The Charter Revision failed to pass the referendum stage in 2009. John Klimm had his contract bought out due to the actions of 6 members of the Barnstable Town Council, known as the "Gang of Six." Thomas Lynch is the current interim Town Manager. Donald Grissom resigned from the position of Town Council Administrator earlier in the year.
Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 15, 2008
Party Number of Voters Percentage
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

8,242 25.45%
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

5,836 18.02%
Unaffiliated 18,073 55.80%
Minor Parties 235 0.73%
Total 32,386 100%

Education

Barnstable has the largest public school enrollment of any city or town on Cape Cod, with over 5,000 students. In 2010, the public school system underwent major changes due to budget issues. The new structure now includes: an Early Learning Center for pre-kindergarten students and five elementary schools serving various grades, including: Centerville (K-3), Barnstable Community Horace Mann
Horace Mann
Horace Mann was an American education reformer, and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1827 to 1833. He served in the Massachusetts Senate from 1834 to 1837. In 1848, after serving as Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education since its creation, he was...

 Charter School
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...

 (K-3), West Village Elementary (formerly Marstons Mills East Elementary) (K-3), Hyannis West (K-3), and Barnstable West Barnstable (K-3). The Barnstable Horace Mann Charter School
Barnstable Horace Mann Charter School
Barnstable Horace Mann Charter School is a public elementary school located in Marstons Mills, Massachusetts. Its name incorporates that of the famous education advocate Horace Mann. This is followed in the operation of the school which run by a board of trustees and is more oriented to student...

 is open to fourth and fifth grade students, and all town fourth and fifth grade students attend this school. The Barnstable Middle School
Barnstable Middle School
Barnstable Intermediate School is a combination elementary/middle school in Barnstable, Massachusetts. It is located on Route 28 in the village of Hyannis in Barnstable....

 serves grades six and seven, and is located on Route 28 behind Barnstable High School
Barnstable High School
Barnstable High School is a public high school in the village of Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA, Town of Barnstable. It is the largest high school in Barnstable County on Cape Cod. It is divided into 5 "houses", described as "schools within a school". In the 2010–2011 school year, it had...

, which serves grades eight through twelve. Barnstable's athletic teams are nicknamed the Red Raiders (using a logo similar to that of the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...

), and their colors are red and white. Their teams are highly successful because of the large student body from which to choose players. 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 Barnstable. There are five Christian schools, three of which are not Catholic: Bayberry Christian Academy (K-3), Faith Christian School (PK-12), and Trinity Christian Academy (PK-12). There are two Catholic schools, Saint Francis Xavier Prep (5-8) and Pope John Paul II High School
Pope John Paul II High School (Hyannis, Massachusetts)
Pope John Paul II High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Hyannis, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River.-Background:...

, which opened in 2007. Barnstable is also home to the Academy of Early Learning (PK-6), Veritas Academy (K-8), and the Cape Cod Academy
Cape Cod Academy
Cape Cod Academy is an independent coed college preparatory school for grades kindergarten through 12.-Lower School:...

, a private K-12 school. There are also two special education schools (Southeast Alternative & Beacon Point), as well as the Sturgis Charter School, which serves high school-aged students. Additionally, high school students 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
Cape Cod Community College
Cape Cod Community College, known locally as "4-C's", is a two-year community college located in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. Cape Cod Community College was established in 1961, the second institution to open as part of what is now a 15 community college system in Massachusetts...

, a two-year junior college affiliated with Suffolk University
Suffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...

in Boston.

Notable residents

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK