Provincetown, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Provincetown is a New England town
located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod
in Barnstable County
, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174. Sometimes called "P-town
",
the town is known for its beaches, harbor
, artists, tourist industry, and its status as a vacation destination of gays and lesbians
.
tribe, who had a settlement known as Meeshawn.
Bartholomew Gosnold
named Cape Cod
in Provincetown Harbor
in 1602. In 1620, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact
when they arrived at the harbor. They agreed to settle and build a self-governing community, and then came ashore in the West End. Though the Pilgrims chose to settle across the bay in Plymouth, Provincetown enjoyed an early reputation for its fishing grounds. The "Province Lands" were first formally recognized by the union of Plymouth colony
and Massachusetts Bay colony
in 1692, and its first municipal government was established in 1714. After harboring ships for more than a century Provincetown was incorporated by English settlers in 1727. The population of Provincetown remained small through most of the 18th century.
Following the American Revolution
, however, Provincetown grew rapidly as a fishing and whaling
center. The population was bolstered by a number of Portuguese
sailors, many of whom were from the Azores
, and came to live in Provincetown after being hired to work on US ships. By the 1890s, Provincetown was booming, and began to develop a resident population of writers and artists, as well as a summer tourist industry. After the 1898 Portland Gale
severely damaged the town's fishing industry, members of the town's art community took over many of the abandoned buildings. By the early decades of the 20th century, the town had acquired an international reputation for its artistic and literary output. The Provincetown Players
was an important experimental theater company formed during this period. It was an example of intellectual and artistic connections to Greenwich Village
in New York that began then.
The town includes eight buildings and a historic district
on the National Register of Historic Places.
In the mid-1960s, Provincetown saw population growth. The town's rural character appealed to the hippies of the era; furthermore, property was relatively cheap and rents were correspondingly low, especially during the winter. Many of those who came stayed and raised families. Commercial Street gained numerous cafes, leather shops, head shop
s — various hip small businesses blossomed and many flourished.
By the mid-1970s a substantial number of members of the gay
community began moving to Provincetown. However, homosexuality had been prevalent in Provincetown as early as the turn of the century with the introduction of the artists' colony. Drag queens could be seen performing as early as the 1940s in Provincetown. In 1978 the Provincetown Business Guild (PBG) was formed to promote gay tourism
. Today more than 200 businesses belong to the PBG and Provincetown is perhaps the best-known gay summer resort on the East Coast. The 2010 US Census revealed Provincetown to have the highest rate of same-sex couples in the country, at 163.1 per 1000 couples.
Since the 1990s, property prices have risen significantly, with numerous condo conversions, causing some residents economic hardship. The recent housing bust (starting in 2005) has so far caused property values in and around town to fall by 10 percent or more in less than a year. This has not slowed down the town's economy, however. Provincetown's tourist season has expanded to the point where the town has created festivals and weeklong events throughout the year. The most established are in the summer: the Portuguese Festival and PBG's Carnival Week.
Provincetown is located at the tip of Cape Cod
. The town's total area is 17.5 square miles (45.3 km²), 9.7 square miles (25.1 km²) of it being land and 7.8 square miles (20.2 km²) of it water. The town is bordered by the town of Truro
to the east, Provincetown Harbor to the southeast, Cape Cod Bay
to the south and west, and Massachusetts Bay
to the north. The town is 45 miles (72.4 km) north (by road) from Barnstable
, 62 miles (99.8 km) by road to the Sagamore Bridge
, and 115 miles (185.1 km) from Boston
via roadway.
Nearly two-thirds of the town's land area is covered by the Cape Cod National Seashore
. To the north lie the "Province Lands", the area of dunes and small ponds extending from Mount Ararat in the east to Race Point in the west, along the Massachusetts Bay shore. The Cape Cod Bay shoreline extends from Race Point to the far west to the Wood End in the south, eastward to Long Point, which points inward towards the Cape, and providing a natural barrier for Provincetown Harbor. All three points are marked by lighthouses. The town's population center extends along the harbor, south of the Seashore's lands.
Provincetown is the eastern terminus of U.S. Route 6
, both in the state and in the nation. Although the terminus is directed east officially, geographically speaking, the road, having curved around Cape Cod, is facing west-southwest at the point, and is marked only by its junction with Route 6A. The state-controlled portion ends with a "STATE HIGHWAY ENDS" sign as the road enters the Cape Cod National Seashore, after which the road is under federal maintenance. Route 6A
passes through the town as well, mostly following Bradford Street (whereas US 6 originally followed Commercial Street before the bypass was built and Commercial Street was switched to one-way westbound), and ending just south of the Herring Cove Beach.
Provincetown is served by seasonal ferries to Boston and to Plymouth that charge their passengers up to $51 for a one-way trip, up to $83 for a round-trip ticket. Both dock at MacMillan Pier, located just east of the Town Hall. The town has no rail service (the town's only railway having been abandoned by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
in the early 1960s and a large portion of the "road" later converted into roads Harry Kemp Way and Rear Howiand, plus a pedestrian path), but is the home of Provincetown Municipal Airport
, located just east of Race Point.
The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority offers flex route buses between MacMillan Pier and Harwich and a shuttle to Truro. Provincetown is also served by Mercedes Cab & Livery taxis and Ptown Pedicabs.
The airport is mostly for General Aviation, but does receive regular scheduled service from Cape Air
which also operates code-share flights for JetBlue. It is a well-equipped, if small, general-aviation airport with a single 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) runway, an ILS approach, and full lighting. The nearest national and international service is from Logan International Airport
in Boston.
, and 3.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.16% of the population.
The top reported ancestries were Portuguese
(22.6%), Irish
(13.9%), English (10.4%), and Italian
(8.7%).
There were 1,837 households out of which 9.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 17.7% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 74.7% were non-families. 53.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.69 and the average family size was 2.65.
In the town the age distribution of the population shows 8.0% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 115.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.2 males.
The median income for a year-round household in the town was $32,716, and the median income for a family was $39,679. Males had a median income of $30,556 versus $25,298 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,109. About 8.5% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.
Provincetown's zip code
has the highest concentration of same-sex couple households of any zip code in the United States.
And economic statistics based on federal census figures may be deceptive. For example, the census counts 3,890 housing units in Provincetown, but only 1,837 "households." And there is an apparent disparity between the census figures for median household income ($32,716) and median home value ($323,600).
Part-time residents are not counted in the census. These people may own a second home in the town or pay rent for up to six months each year. Many of them pay property and other taxes, hold jobs in the community and even own businesses.
Provincetown is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
as a part of the Fourth Barnstable district, which includes (with the exception of Brewster) all the towns east and north of Harwich on the Cape. The seat is held by Democrat Sarah Peake
, a former Provincetown selectman. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate
as a part of the Cape and Islands District, which includes all of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket except the towns of Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich and a portion of Barnstable. The Senate seat is held by Democrat Dan Wolf
, President of Cape Air
. Provincetown is patrolled by its own Police Department as well as the Second (Yarmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police
.
On the national level, Provincetown is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional district
, and is currently represented by Bill Keating
. Following the death of Ted Kennedy
, the state's senior (Class I) member of the United States Senate
is John Kerry
(re-elected in 2008); the junior (Class II) senate seat is held by Scott Brown
, the victor in the special Senate election on January 19, 2010.
Provincetown is governed by the open town meeting
form of government, and is led by a town manager and a board of selectmen
. The town has its own police and fire departments, both of which are stationed on Shankpainter Road. The town's post office is located along Commercial Street, near the town's Fourth Wharf. The town's Provincetown Public Library is a member of the Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing
library network and is also located along Commercial Street, in the former Center Methodist Episcopal Church building since 2005.
serves students from seventh through twelfth grades (and also accepts students from Truro). Provincetown High School is recognized as one of the smallest high schools in the country with a student population of 32 students in grades 10-12. PHS's sports teams are known as the Fishermen, and the school colors are black and orange. There are no private schools in Provincetown; students may attend Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
in Harwich or Nauset Regional High School
in North Eastham free of charge.
In 2009, the school board elected to shutdown Provincetown High School
at the end of the 2012–2013 school year, and elected to merge with nearby Nauset Regional High School
in North Eastham. This merge will become effective in the 2013–2014 academic year.
In June 2010, the Provincetown school board decided to make condoms available to students if they requested them from a school nurse or school counselor. Because the board did not specify a lower age limit, this resulted in extensive media coverage with exaggerated claims that the school was "passing out condoms" to children as young as five. School Superintendent Beth Singer clarified the decision, stating that "If an early elementary school pupil asks for a condom, the nurse would ask the pupil a series of questions and almost certainly deny them."
from the Rural Development program
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
to help rebuild the town's MacMillan Pier
. It primarily serves tourists and high-speed ferries that charge their passengers up to $45 per one-way trip. Between 2004 and 2007, the Provincetown Art Association and Museum
received four Rural Development grants and loans totalling $3 million to increase the museum's space, add climate-controlled facilities, renovate a historic sea captain's house (the Hargood House) and cover cost overruns. As the mission of the Rural Development program is "To increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life
for all rural Americans", the USDA considered Provincetown's residents in the 2000s to still be rural and to still require such federal assistance.
The Atlantic House
in Provincetown is a contender for the oldest gay bar in the US and Frommer's
calls it "the nation's premier gay bar".
The Art House provides a venue for numerous entertainers and shows during the summer season, in particular Varla Jean Merman, Miss Richfield 1981, Ms. CoCo Peru, and other town favorites. In off season, the Art House remains open providing nightly entertainment that includes a Wii Bowling League, Trivia Night, and similar events.
Other notable festivals during the year include the Christmas-themed "Holly Folly", "Bear Week", "Mate's Leather Weekend", "Women's Week", "Family Week", "Single Men's Weekend", "Provincetown International Film Festival", "Provincetown Rocks: The Festival!" and the "Provincetown Jazz Festival
". In October, Provincetown sees the arrival of transvestite, transgender and transsexual people for the annual Fantasia Fair. Started in 1975, it is the longest running event of its kind in the USA.
The Provincetown International Film Festival
, held each June, honors the best in independent and avante garde film. Among the honorees for 2011 were actress Vera Farmiga
and director Darren Aronofsky
. Prior honorees have included Quentin Tarantino
, Jane Lynch
, Gael García Bernal
, Tilda Swinton
, Kathleen Turner
, Jim Jarmusch
, Todd Haynes
, Gus Van Sant
, and John Waters
. Waters, a summer resident, is a major participant in the festival.
Norman Mailer
's novel Tough Guys Don't Dance and Annie Dillard
's novel The Maytrees
are primarily based in Provincetown.
Provincetown is mentioned, along with various other Cape Cod locations, in the Vampire Weekend
song 'Walcott', included on their 2008 debut album Vampire Weekend
.
In November, 2011, the Provincetown Theater Company became the first theater company in New England to stage a live-action dramatic theatrical presentation of horror-fantasy author H.P. Lovecraft. The story was Lovecraft's 1919 classic, "The Picture in the House," and was described as "...the macabre come to life." The adaptation was produced for the 22nd Fall Playwright's Festival.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
located at the extreme tip of 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...
in 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...
, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174. Sometimes called "P-town
P-town
- USA :*Pensacola, Florida*Pottsboro, Texas*Paoli,Indiana*Peoria, Arizona*Phoenix, Arizona*Patterson, Louisiana*Pomona, California*Palo Alto, California*Placentia, California*Plano, Texas*Pleasanton, California*Palatine, Illinois*Peoria, Illinois...
",
the town is known for its beaches, harbor
Provincetown Harbor
Provincetown Harbor is a large natural harbor located in the town of Provincetown, Massachusetts. The harbor is mostly 30 to deep and stretches roughly one mile from northwest to southeast and two miles from northeast to southwest, i.e., one large, deep bowl with no dredged channel necessary for...
, artists, tourist industry, and its status as a vacation destination of gays and lesbians
Gay village
A gay village is an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries where a large number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people live or frequent...
.
History
The area was originally settled by the NausetNauset
The Nauset tribe, sometimes referred to as the Cape Cod Indians lived in what is present-day Cape Cod, Massachusetts, living east of Bass River and lands occupied by their closely related neighbours, the Wampanoag...
tribe, who had a settlement known as Meeshawn.
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...
named 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...
in Provincetown Harbor
Provincetown Harbor
Provincetown Harbor is a large natural harbor located in the town of Provincetown, Massachusetts. The harbor is mostly 30 to deep and stretches roughly one mile from northwest to southeast and two miles from northeast to southwest, i.e., one large, deep bowl with no dredged channel necessary for...
in 1602. In 1620, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the colonists, later together known to history as the Pilgrims, who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower...
when they arrived at the harbor. They agreed to settle and build a self-governing community, and then came ashore in the West End. Though the Pilgrims chose to settle across the bay in Plymouth, Provincetown enjoyed an early reputation for its fishing grounds. The "Province Lands" were first formally recognized by the union of Plymouth colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
and Massachusetts Bay colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
in 1692, and its first municipal government was established in 1714. After harboring ships for more than a century Provincetown was incorporated by English settlers in 1727. The population of Provincetown remained small through most of the 18th century.
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, however, Provincetown grew rapidly as a fishing and whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
center. The population was bolstered by a number of Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
sailors, many of whom were from the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, and came to live in Provincetown after being hired to work on US ships. By the 1890s, Provincetown was booming, and began to develop a resident population of writers and artists, as well as a summer tourist industry. After the 1898 Portland Gale
Portland Gale
The Portland Gale was a storm that struck the coast of New England on November 26 and 27, 1898. The storm formed when two low pressure areas merged off the coast of Virginia and travelled up the coast; at its peak, it produced a storm surge of about ten feet in Cohasset harbor and hurricane-force...
severely damaged the town's fishing industry, members of the town's art community took over many of the abandoned buildings. By the early decades of the 20th century, the town had acquired an international reputation for its artistic and literary output. The Provincetown Players
Provincetown Players
The Provincetown Players was an amateur group of writers and artists who, at the early part of the 20th Century, wanted to see a change in American theatre and created a company committed to producing new plays by exclusively American playwrights...
was an important experimental theater company formed during this period. It was an example of intellectual and artistic connections to Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
in New York that began then.
The town includes eight buildings and a historic district
Provincetown Historic District
The Provincetown Historic District is a portion of downtown Provincetown, Massachusetts, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It was added in 1989 as Barnstable County place #89001148.The district is roughly bounded to the north by U.S...
on the National Register of Historic Places.
In the mid-1960s, Provincetown saw population growth. The town's rural character appealed to the hippies of the era; furthermore, property was relatively cheap and rents were correspondingly low, especially during the winter. Many of those who came stayed and raised families. Commercial Street gained numerous cafes, leather shops, head shop
Head shop
A head shop is a retail outlet specializing in drug paraphernalia used for consumption of cannabis, other recreational drugs, legal highs, legal party powders and New Age herbs, as well as counterculture art, magazines, music, clothing, and home decor; some head shops also sell oddities, such as...
s — various hip small businesses blossomed and many flourished.
By the mid-1970s a substantial number of members of the gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
community began moving to Provincetown. However, homosexuality had been prevalent in Provincetown as early as the turn of the century with the introduction of the artists' colony. Drag queens could be seen performing as early as the 1940s in Provincetown. In 1978 the Provincetown Business Guild (PBG) was formed to promote gay tourism
Gay tourism
Gay tourism or LGBT tourism is a form of niche tourism marketed to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. They are usually open about their sexual orientation and gender identity but may be more or less open when traveling; for instance they may be closeted at home or if they have come...
. Today more than 200 businesses belong to the PBG and Provincetown is perhaps the best-known gay summer resort on the East Coast. The 2010 US Census revealed Provincetown to have the highest rate of same-sex couples in the country, at 163.1 per 1000 couples.
Since the 1990s, property prices have risen significantly, with numerous condo conversions, causing some residents economic hardship. The recent housing bust (starting in 2005) has so far caused property values in and around town to fall by 10 percent or more in less than a year. This has not slowed down the town's economy, however. Provincetown's tourist season has expanded to the point where the town has created festivals and weeklong events throughout the year. The most established are in the summer: the Portuguese Festival and PBG's Carnival Week.
Geography
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's total area is 17.5 square miles (45.3 km²), 9.7 square miles (25.1 km²) of it being land and 7.8 square miles (20.2 km²) of it water. The town is bordered by the town of Truro
Truro, Massachusetts
Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, comprising two villages: Truro and North Truro. Located two hours outside Boston, it is a summer vacation community just south of the northern tip of Cape Cod, in an area known as the "Outer Cape"...
to the east, Provincetown Harbor to the southeast, 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....
to the south and west, and Massachusetts Bay
Massachusetts Bay
The Massachusetts Bay, also called Mass Bay, is one of the largest bays of the Atlantic Ocean which forms the distinctive shape of the coastline of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Its waters extend 65 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Massachusetts Bay includes the Boston Harbor, Dorchester Bay,...
to the north. The town is 45 miles (72.4 km) north (by road) from Barnstable
Barnstable, Massachusetts
Barnstable is a city, referred to as the Town of Barnstable, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the county seat of Barnstable County. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod. The town contains seven villages within its boundaries...
, 62 miles (99.8 km) by road to the Sagamore Bridge
Sagamore Bridge
The Sagamore Bridge in Sagamore, Massachusetts carries U.S. Route 6 across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the rest of Massachusetts, USA....
, and 115 miles (185.1 km) from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
via roadway.
Nearly two-thirds of the town's land area is covered by the Cape Cod National Seashore
Cape Cod National Seashore
The Cape Cod National Seashore , created on August 7, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, encompasses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It includes ponds, woods and beachfront of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion...
. To the north lie the "Province Lands", the area of dunes and small ponds extending from Mount Ararat in the east to Race Point in the west, along the Massachusetts Bay shore. The Cape Cod Bay shoreline extends from Race Point to the far west to the Wood End in the south, eastward to Long Point, which points inward towards the Cape, and providing a natural barrier for Provincetown Harbor. All three points are marked by lighthouses. The town's population center extends along the harbor, south of the Seashore's lands.
Transportation
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...
, both in the state and in the nation. Although the terminus is directed east officially, geographically speaking, the road, having curved around Cape Cod, is facing west-southwest at the point, and is marked only by its junction with Route 6A. The state-controlled portion ends with a "STATE HIGHWAY ENDS" sign as the road enters the Cape Cod National Seashore, after which the road is under federal maintenance. Route 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...
passes through the town as well, mostly following Bradford Street (whereas US 6 originally followed Commercial Street before the bypass was built and Commercial Street was switched to one-way westbound), and ending just south of the Herring Cove Beach.
Provincetown is served by seasonal ferries to Boston and to Plymouth that charge their passengers up to $51 for a one-way trip, up to $83 for a round-trip ticket. Both dock at MacMillan Pier, located just east of the Town Hall. The town has no rail service (the town's only railway having been abandoned by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968 which served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts...
in the early 1960s and a large portion of the "road" later converted into roads Harry Kemp Way and Rear Howiand, plus a pedestrian path), but is the home of Provincetown Municipal Airport
Provincetown Municipal Airport
Provincetown Municipal Airport is a public airport located at the end of Cape Cod, two miles northwest of the central business district of Provincetown, a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. This airport is operated by the Town of Provincetown on land leased from the National...
, located just east of Race Point.
The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority offers flex route buses between MacMillan Pier and Harwich and a shuttle to Truro. Provincetown is also served by Mercedes Cab & Livery taxis and Ptown Pedicabs.
The airport is mostly for General Aviation, but does receive regular scheduled service from Cape Air
Cape Air
Hyannis Air Service, Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast, Florida, the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic States, Midwest, and Micronesia...
which also operates code-share flights for JetBlue. It is a well-equipped, if small, general-aviation airport with a single 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) runway, an ILS approach, and full lighting. The nearest national and international service is from 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.
Demographics
United States census information
According to the U.S. census of 2000, there were 3,431 people, 1,837 households, and 464 families residing in the town. The population density was 355.2 PD/sqmi. There were 3,890 housing units at an average density of 402.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 87.55% White, 7.52% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 1.08% from other racesRace (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 3.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.16% of the population.
The top reported ancestries were Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
(22.6%), Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
(13.9%), English (10.4%), and Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
(8.7%).
There were 1,837 households out of which 9.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 17.7% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 74.7% were non-families. 53.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.69 and the average family size was 2.65.
In the town the age distribution of the population shows 8.0% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 115.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.2 males.
The median income for a year-round household in the town was $32,716, and the median income for a family was $39,679. Males had a median income of $30,556 versus $25,298 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,109. About 8.5% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.
Provincetown's zip code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
has the highest concentration of same-sex couple households of any zip code in the United States.
Demographics in a resort town
Traditional sources such as the United States Census, municipal voting rolls and property records may not accurately portray the demography of resort towns. While Provincetown's year-round population is small and has been declining, the summer population has been estimated at 60,000.And economic statistics based on federal census figures may be deceptive. For example, the census counts 3,890 housing units in Provincetown, but only 1,837 "households." And there is an apparent disparity between the census figures for median household income ($32,716) and median home value ($323,600).
Part-time residents are not counted in the census. These people may own a second home in the town or pay rent for up to six months each year. Many of them pay property and other taxes, hold jobs in the community and even own businesses.
Government
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 Fourth Barnstable district, which includes (with the exception of Brewster) all the towns east and north of Harwich on the Cape. The seat is held by Democrat Sarah Peake
Sarah Peake
Sarah K. Peake is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 2007. She represents the Fourth Barnstable district, a Cape Cod district that includes her hometown of Provincetown. She previously served...
, a former Provincetown selectman. 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 Cape and Islands District, which includes all of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket except the towns of Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich and a portion of Barnstable. The Senate seat is held by Democrat Dan Wolf
Dan Wolf
Daniel A. Wolf is a Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate representing the Cape and Islands district. Wolf is a resident of Harwich and has served in the Senate since January 2011...
, President of Cape Air
Cape Air
Hyannis Air Service, Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast, Florida, the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic States, Midwest, and Micronesia...
. Provincetown is patrolled by its own Police Department as well as 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, Provincetown 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 Keating
William R. Keating
William Richard "Bill" Keating is the U.S. Representative for . From 1999 to 2011 he was District Attorney of Norfolk County. He is a member of the Democratic Party and a former Massachusetts state representative and state senator....
. Following the death of 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...
, the state's senior (Class I) 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...
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...
(re-elected in 2008); the junior (Class II) senate seat is held 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 victor in the special Senate election on January 19, 2010.
Provincetown is governed by the open town meeting
Open town meeting
An open town meeting is a form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town may vote . This form of government is typical of smaller municipalities in the New England region of the United States....
form of government, and is led by a town manager and a board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
. The town has its own police and fire departments, both of which are stationed on Shankpainter Road. The town's post office is located along Commercial Street, near the town's Fourth Wharf. The town's Provincetown Public Library is a member of the Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing
Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing
The Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing network is a non-profit, cooperative association of thirty-two member libraries and thirty-five locations located throughout Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket...
library network and is also located along Commercial Street, in the former Center Methodist Episcopal Church building since 2005.
Education
Provincetown operates its own schools for the approximately 200 school-aged children in town. The Veterans Memorial Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grades, and the Provincetown High SchoolProvincetown High School
Provincetown High School is a public high school located in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The school serves 32 students in grades 10-12. There are no students enrolled in grades 8 or 9. Provincetown has one of the smallest high school enrollments in the country as of 2008-2009, and the school...
serves students from seventh through twelfth grades (and also accepts students from Truro). Provincetown High School is recognized as one of the smallest high schools in the country with a student population of 32 students in grades 10-12. PHS's sports teams are known as the Fishermen, and the school colors are black and orange. There are no private schools in Provincetown; students may attend Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, also known as Cape Tech and Lower Cape Tech and sometimes abbreviated as CCT, is a public vocational and technical high school located in Harwich, Massachusetts....
in Harwich or Nauset Regional High School
Nauset Regional High School
Nauset Regional High School an NEASC accredited High School located in North Eastham, Massachusetts. Nauset is the only high school on the East Coast located within a National Park. . The open campus is situated about a half-mile from Nauset Lighthouse...
in North Eastham free of charge.
In 2009, the school board elected to shutdown Provincetown High School
Provincetown High School
Provincetown High School is a public high school located in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The school serves 32 students in grades 10-12. There are no students enrolled in grades 8 or 9. Provincetown has one of the smallest high school enrollments in the country as of 2008-2009, and the school...
at the end of the 2012–2013 school year, and elected to merge with nearby Nauset Regional High School
Nauset Regional High School
Nauset Regional High School an NEASC accredited High School located in North Eastham, Massachusetts. Nauset is the only high school on the East Coast located within a National Park. . The open campus is situated about a half-mile from Nauset Lighthouse...
in North Eastham. This merge will become effective in the 2013–2014 academic year.
In June 2010, the Provincetown school board decided to make condoms available to students if they requested them from a school nurse or school counselor. Because the board did not specify a lower age limit, this resulted in extensive media coverage with exaggerated claims that the school was "passing out condoms" to children as young as five. School Superintendent Beth Singer clarified the decision, stating that "If an early elementary school pupil asks for a condom, the nurse would ask the pupil a series of questions and almost certainly deny them."
Culture
In 2003, Provincetown received a $1.95 million low interest loanLoan
A loan is a type of debt. Like all debt instruments, a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower....
from the Rural Development program
Rural Development
USDA Office of Rural Development is an agency with the United States Department of Agriculture which runs programs intended to improve the economy and quality of life in rural America....
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
to help rebuild the town's MacMillan Pier
Provincetown Harbor
Provincetown Harbor is a large natural harbor located in the town of Provincetown, Massachusetts. The harbor is mostly 30 to deep and stretches roughly one mile from northwest to southeast and two miles from northeast to southwest, i.e., one large, deep bowl with no dredged channel necessary for...
. It primarily serves tourists and high-speed ferries that charge their passengers up to $45 per one-way trip. Between 2004 and 2007, the Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
The Provincetown Art Association and Museum is located at 460 Commercial Street in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is the most attended art museum on Cape Cod. The museum's permanent collection includes over 2,500 objects, a number which...
received four Rural Development grants and loans totalling $3 million to increase the museum's space, add climate-controlled facilities, renovate a historic sea captain's house (the Hargood House) and cover cost overruns. As the mission of the Rural Development program is "To increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
for all rural Americans", the USDA considered Provincetown's residents in the 2000s to still be rural and to still require such federal assistance.
The Atlantic House
Atlantic House
The Atlantic House in Provincetown, Massachusetts is a drinking establishment that has been in continual operation on the tip of Cape Cod for over two centuries....
in Provincetown is a contender for the oldest gay bar in the US and Frommer's
Frommer's
Frommer's is a travel guidebook series and one of the bestselling travel guides in America. The series began in 1957 with the publication of Arthur Frommer's book, Europe on $5 a Day. Frommer's has expanded to include over 350 guidebooks across 14 series, as well as other media including the award...
calls it "the nation's premier gay bar".
The Art House provides a venue for numerous entertainers and shows during the summer season, in particular Varla Jean Merman, Miss Richfield 1981, Ms. CoCo Peru, and other town favorites. In off season, the Art House remains open providing nightly entertainment that includes a Wii Bowling League, Trivia Night, and similar events.
Other notable festivals during the year include the Christmas-themed "Holly Folly", "Bear Week", "Mate's Leather Weekend", "Women's Week", "Family Week", "Single Men's Weekend", "Provincetown International Film Festival", "Provincetown Rocks: The Festival!" and the "Provincetown Jazz Festival
Provincetown Jazz Festival
The Annual Provincetown Jazz Festivalwas founded by Bart Weismanin 2005 and is the first three-day Jazz Festival on Cape Cod.The festival is held in Provincetown, which is the Oldest Continuous Arts Colony in the United States, and a portion of the proceeds are donated to worthy causes on Cape...
". In October, Provincetown sees the arrival of transvestite, transgender and transsexual people for the annual Fantasia Fair. Started in 1975, it is the longest running event of its kind in the USA.
The Provincetown International Film Festival
Provincetown International Film Festival
The Provincetown International Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1999 and held in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The festival presents a wide array of American and international narrative features, documentaries and short films for five days in June of each year.With panel...
, held each June, honors the best in independent and avante garde film. Among the honorees for 2011 were actress Vera Farmiga
Vera Farmiga
Vera Ann Farmiga is an American actress and director. Farmiga made her film debut in the 1998 drama thriller Return to Paradise. This was followed by supporting roles in the 2000 romantic film Autumn in New York and the 2001 television series UC: Undercover...
and director Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University to study film theory and the American Film Institute to study both live-action and animation filmmaking...
. Prior honorees have included Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
, Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
, Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
, Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton
Katherine Mathilda "Tilda" Swinton is a British actress known for both arthouse and mainstream films. She has appeared in a number of films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, The Beach, We Need to Talk About Kevin and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her...
, Kathleen Turner
Kathleen Turner
Mary Kathleen Turner is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, The War of the Roses, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Prizzi's Honor...
, Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch
James R. "Jim" Jarmusch is an American independent film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor and composer. Jarmusch has been a major proponent of independent cinema, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:...
, Todd Haynes
Todd Haynes
Todd Haynes is an American independent film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his feature films Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, Poison, Velvet Goldmine, Safe, and the Academy Award-nominated Far from Heaven and I'm Not There.- Style and themes :The writes that "Haynes is...
, Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
, and John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
. Waters, a summer resident, is a major participant in the festival.
Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
's novel Tough Guys Don't Dance and Annie Dillard
Annie Dillard
Annie Dillard is an American author, best known for her narrative prose in both fiction and non-fiction. She has published works of poetry, essays, prose, and literary criticism, as well as two novels and one memoir. Her 1974 work Pilgrim at Tinker Creek won the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for General...
's novel The Maytrees
The Maytrees (novel)
The Maytrees is American author Annie Dillard's second novel, a fictional account of the lives of Toby and Lou Maytree in Provincetown, MA, from the time of courting to old age.-Plot introduction:...
are primarily based in Provincetown.
Provincetown is mentioned, along with various other Cape Cod locations, in the Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...
song 'Walcott', included on their 2008 debut album Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend (album)
-Japanese Bonus Tracks:-Personnel:*Ezra Koenig – lead vocals, guitar, piano, hand drum*Rostam Batmanglij – organ, chamberlin, piano, harpsichord, guitar, vocal harmonies, drum and synth programming, shaker, producer, string arrangements, engineering, mixing...
.
In November, 2011, the Provincetown Theater Company became the first theater company in New England to stage a live-action dramatic theatrical presentation of horror-fantasy author H.P. Lovecraft. The story was Lovecraft's 1919 classic, "The Picture in the House," and was described as "...the macabre come to life." The adaptation was produced for the 22nd Fall Playwright's Festival.
Notable residents
- Playwrights Tennessee WilliamsTennessee WilliamsThomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
, Eugene O'NeillEugene O'NeillEugene Gladstone O'Neill was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish...
, and Susan GlaspellSusan GlaspellSusan Keating Glaspell was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, actress, director, novelist, biographer and poet. She was a founding member of the Provincetown Players, one of the most important collaboratives in the development of modern drama in the United States... - Former United States Poet LaureatePoet LaureateA poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
Stanley KunitzStanley KunitzStanley Jasspon Kunitz was an American poet. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress twice, first in 1974 and then again in 2000.-Biography:... - International journalists Mary Heaton VorseMary Heaton VorseMary Heaton Vorse or Mary Heaton Vorse O'Brien was an American journalist, labor activist, and novelist. Vorse was outspoken and active in peace and social justice causes, such as women's suffrage, civil rights, pacifism , socialism, child labor, infant mortality, labor disputes, and affordable...
, John Reed, and Louise BryantLouise BryantLouise Bryant was an American journalist and writer. She was best known for her Marxist and anarchist beliefs and her essays on radical political and feminist themes. Bryant published articles in several radical left journals during her life, including Alexander Berkman's The Blast... - Visual artists Charles Hawthorne, Marsden HartleyMarsden HartleyMarsden Hartley was an American Modernist painter, poet, and essayist.-Early life and education:Hartley was born in Lewiston, Maine, where his English parents had settled. He was the youngest of nine children. His mother died when he was eight, and his father remarried four years later to Martha...
, Robert MotherwellRobert MotherwellRobert Motherwell American painter, printmaker and editor. He was one of the youngest of the New York School , which also included Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and Philip Guston....
, Hans HofmannHans HofmannHans Hofmann was a German-born American abstract expressionist painter.-Biography:Hofmann was born in Weißenburg, Bavaria on March 21, 1880, the son of Theodor and Franziska Hofmann. When he was six he moved with his family to Munich...
, Franz KlineFranz KlineFranz Jozef Kline was an American painter mainly associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement centered around New York in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and attended Girard College, an academy in Philadelphia for fatherless boys...
, Willem de KooningWillem de KooningWillem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands....
, Jackson PollockJackson PollockPaul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
, Henry HenscheHenry HenscheHenry Hensche was an American painter and teacher. Born in Germany, Henry Hensche came to the United States by way of Antwerp, Belgium. He was ten years old when he arrived at Ellis Island aboard the British steamship S.S. Kroonland, along with his sister Erna, and his father Fred. His mother died...
, and George MorrisonGeorge Morrison (artist)George Morrison was an American landscape painter and sculptor. His Indian name was Wah Wah Teh Go Nay Ga Bo .-Early life and education:...
. - Photographer Joel MeyerowitzJoel MeyerowitzJoel Meyerowitz is a street photographer who began photographing in color in 1962 and was an early advocate of the use of color during a time when there was significant resistance to the idea of color photography as serious art...
- Arctic explorer Donald B. MacMillanDonald B. MacMillanDonald Baxter MacMillan was an American explorer, sailor, researcher and lecturer who made over 30 expeditions to the Arctic during his 46-year career...
- Norman MailerNorman MailerNorman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
, author, winner of the Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
, and co-founder of the Village Voice - Mary OliverMary OliverMary Oliver is an American poet who has won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. The New York Times described her as "far and away, this country's [America's] best-selling poet".-Early life:...
, poet and winner of the Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City... - John WatersJohn Waters (filmmaker)John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
, filmmaker - Harry KempHarry Kempthumb|rightHarry Hibbard Kemp was an American poet and prose writer of the twentieth century. He was known as "the "Vagabond Poet, the Villon of America, the Hobo Poet, or the Tramp Poet," and was a well-known popular literary figure of his era, the "hero of adolescent Americans."-Life and...
poet of the dunes and author ""Tramping on Life" and "More Miles" - Michael CunninghamMichael CunninghamMichael Cunningham is an American writer, best known for his 1998 novel The Hours, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1999.-Early life and education:...
, author of the Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning The HoursThe Hours (novel)The Hours is a 1998 novel written by Michael Cunningham. It won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the 1999 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and was later made into an Oscar-winning 2002 movie of the same name starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore.-Plot introduction:The book... - David DrakeDavid Drake (actor)David Drake is an American playwright, stage director, actor and author. He is best-known as the author and original performer of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, for which he received a Village Voice Obie Award, a 1994 Drama-Logue Award for "Outstanding Solo Performance," and a Robbie Stevens...
, Obie AwardObie AwardThe Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
-winning playwright, stage director, actor and author. - Andrew SullivanAndrew SullivanAndrew Michael Sullivan is an English author, editor, political commentator and blogger. He describes himself as a political conservative. He has focused on American political life....
, author, columnist for the Daily Beast, and blogger - Andy TowleAndy TowleAndy Towle is an American blogger and media commentator based in New York City. Towle, who is openly gay, started his blog Towleroad in 2003 while he was in Los Angeles. The blog focuses on LGBT and pop culture, photography, politics, media, entertainment, technology, and travel...
, poet and founder of Towleroad.com - Al JaffeeAl JaffeeAbraham Jaffee , known as Al Jaffee, is an American cartoonist. He is notable for his work in the satirical magazine Mad, including his trademark feature, the Mad Fold-in. As of 2010, Jaffee remains a regular in the magazine after 55 years and is its longest-running contributor...
, cartoonist for MAD Magazine - Mark DotyMark DotyMark Doty is an American poet and memoirist.-Biography:He was born in Maryville, Tennessee, earned his Bachelor of Arts from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and received his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Goddard College in Vermont.In 1989, his partner Wally Roberts tested...
, poet and author - Cookie MuellerCookie MuellerDorothy Karen "Cookie" Mueller was an underground American actress, writer and Dreamlander, who starred in many of filmmaker John Waters' early films, including Multiple Maniacs,...
, writer and performer - William J. MannWilliam J. MannWilliam J. Mann is an American novelist, biographer, and Hollywood historian best known for his 2006 biography of Katharine Hepburn, Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn...
, author and historian - Kate ClintonKate ClintonKate Clinton is a American comedian specializing in political commentary from a gay/lesbian point of view.-Early life:...
, comedian and writer - Prescott TownsendPrescott TownsendPrescott Townsend, was an American gay rights activist.-Early life and detention:He was born in 1894 in Roxbury, Massachusetts, the son of Kate Wendell and Edward Britton Townsend; his mother was a descendant of both Myles Standish and the great-granddaughter of the American founding father Roger...
, early LGBT activist - Sarah PeakeSarah PeakeSarah K. Peake is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 2007. She represents the Fourth Barnstable district, a Cape Cod district that includes her hometown of Provincetown. She previously served...
, state representative, 4th Barnstable District - Mark ProtosevichMark ProtosevichMark Protosevich is an American screenwriter currently under contract with Warner Bros.Protosevich was born in Chicago, Illinois.-Filmography:*The Cell *Poseidon*I Am Legend*Thor...
, screenwriter of The CellThe CellThe Cell is a 2000 science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Tarsem Singh, and starring Jennifer Lopez in the lead role.-Plot:...
, PoseidonPoseidonPoseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
and more recently, the 2007 adaptation of I Am LegendI Am Legend (film)I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It is the third feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, following 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man. Smith plays virologist Robert... - Herman MarilHerman MarilHerman Maril was an artist and emeritus professor of painting at the University of Maryland.-Biography:Maril was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1908 and studied at the Maryland Institute of Fine Arts. He had 40 one-man exhibitions in his career with his first in 1935 at the Howard University...
, artist - Alan EmtageAlan EmtageAlan Emtage conceived and implemented the first version of Archie, a pre-Web internet search engine for locating material in public FTP archives....
, Internet pioneer and photographer - Howard MitchamHoward MitchamJames Howard Mitcham was an American artist, poet, and cook best known for his books on Louisiana's Creole and Cajun cuisines and that of New England, with an emphasis on seafood....
, artist, poet, cook - Frank X. GasparFrank X. GasparFrank Xavier Gaspar is a Portuguese American poet, novelist and professor. His most recent novel is Stealing Fatima . His most recent collection of poetry, Night of a Thousand Blossoms was one of 12 books honored as the "Best Poetry of 2004" by Library Journal...
, poet and author - Alice Brock, subject of Arlo GuthrieArlo GuthrieArlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
's 1966 song "Alice's Restaurant", owns an art gallery in town - Ryan Landry, actor, playwright
- Kurt VonnegutKurt VonnegutKurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
, writer - John Krakauer, neuroscientist