70-544: Cape Codder can denote: A resident or native of Cape Cod The Cape Codder (train) , a former Amtrak train The Cape Codder (NH train) , a former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad train Cape Codder (cocktail) , a cocktail The Cape Codders , a former hockey team See also [ edit ] Cape Cod (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
140-425: A hurricane brings damaging winds and storm surges to the region. Several Category 3 storms have struck Cape Cod since record-keeping began, such as a hurricane in 1869 , the 1938 New England hurricane , and Hurricane Carol in 1954. Strong Category 2 storms, such as the 1869 Saxby Gale , Hurricane Edna in 1954, and Hurricane Bob in 1991, also caused considerable damage. Notable Category 1 storms include
210-478: A colony in his new domain, carefully purchasing land ownership rights from the native inhabitants, and maintaining native governments to continue unimpeded. In 1665, Mayhew's lands were included in a grant to James, Duke of York (later King James II). In 1671, a settlement was arranged, allowing Mayhew to continue to rule while placing his territory under the jurisdiction of the Province of New York . Dukes County
280-404: A female householder with no husband present, 42.7% were non-families, and 33.4% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 45.3 years. The median household income was $ 62,407 and the median family income was $ 77,231. Males had a median income of $ 43,850 versus $ 41,994 for females. The per capita income for
350-400: A home, so they cleared most of Cape Cod of timber early on. They planted familiar crops, but these were unsuited to Cape Cod's thin, glacially derived soils. For instance, much of Eastham was planted with wheat. The settlers practiced the burning of woodlands to release nutrients into the soil. Improper and intensive farming led to erosion and the loss of topsoil. Farmers grazed their cattle on
420-521: A lack of significant waterpower in the area. The Cape developed as a large fishing and whaling center as a result, and also because of its geographic position. After 1860 and the opening of the American West , farmers abandoned agriculture on the Cape. By 1950, forests had recovered to an extent not seen since the 18th century. Cape Cod became a summer haven for city dwellers beginning at the end of
490-492: A light tower that was attached directly to – and centered on the roof of – the keeper's dwelling . A stairway to the lantern room was accessible only from the top floor of the house. This came to be known as a Cape Cod style lighthouse, yet today, the only fully intact specimens are on the west coast of the United States. Most of Cape Cod's lighthouses are operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, with some exceptions, such as
560-594: A maritime radio station communicating to ships at sea using the callsign WCC . WCC supported the communications of Amelia Earhart , Howard Hughes , Admiral Byrd , and the Hindenburg . Marconi chose Chatham due to its vantage point on the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded on three sides by water. Walter Cronkite narrated a 17-minute documentary in 2005 about the history of the Chatham Station. Much of
630-412: A number of villages; see Barnstable County for a complete list. Barnstable, the most populated municipality on Cape Cod, is the only one to have adopted a city form of government, whose legislative body is an elected 13-member council . However, like other smaller Massachusetts cities, Barnstable retained its "Town of Barnstable" moniker. All of the other towns elect a 5-member Board of Selectmen as
700-426: A result, the ocean temperatures on the eastern shore of Cape Cod rarely get above 60 °F (16 °C), while along the southern coast ( Nantucket Sound ), water temperatures can sometimes reach 70 °F (21 °C) or higher. The water surrounding Cape Cod moderates winter temperatures nearly enough to extend the humid subtropical climate zone to what could be its northernmost limit in eastern North America, as
770-571: A summer home in the Gray Gables section of Bourne. Other notable residents of Cape Cod have included actress Julie Harris , US Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis , figure skater Todd Eldredge , composer and radio personality Canary Burton , and novelists Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut . Influential natives included patriot James Otis , historian and writer Mercy Otis Warren , jurist Lemuel Shaw , and naval officer John Percival . "Lighthouses, from ancient times, have fascinated members of
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#1732782826921840-449: Is a spit consisting largely of deposited marine sediment that was eroded and transported from farther south along the shore. Those sediments that instead moved south created the islands and shoals of Monomoy. So while other parts of the Cape have dwindled from the action of the waves, these parts of the Cape have grown through the deposition of sediment in just the last 6,000 years. This process continues today. Due to their exposure to
910-578: Is a concern. In 2023, the state began a nitrogen pollution regulation scheme for Cape Cod and the Islands to address overgrowth of algae, cyanobacteria, and plants. Under the Köppen climate classification , the Cape Cod area has an oceanic climate . Locally, the Cape has a more moderate climate than inland locations in eastern New England. On occasion, it takes the brunt of extreme weather systems such as
980-518: Is a park encompassing the site of the first two-way transoceanic radio transmission from the United States. ( Theodore Roosevelt used Marconi's equipment for this transmission.) The Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port was President Kennedy's summer White House during his presidency, and the Kennedy family continues to maintain residences on the compound. President Grover Cleveland maintained
1050-545: Is also known for a delayed spring season due to the sea remaining cold from the winter; by the same token, the summer heat retained in the sea moderates fall temperatures in comparison to the adjacent inland area. The highest temperature yet recorded on the peninsula was 104 °F (40 °C) in Provincetown, the lowest temperature recorded was −12 °F (−24 °C) in Barnstable. Precipitation on Cape Cod and
1120-422: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts , in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The name Cape Cod, coined in 1602 by Bartholomew Gosnold ,
1190-402: Is no tangible support of the presence of Norse voyagers in Cape Cod, and the view is not generally accepted by archaeologists or historians. Giovanni da Verrazzano approached it from the south in 1524. He named Martha's Vineyard Claudia, after Claude of France , the wife of Francis I of France . In 1525, Portuguese explorer Estêvão Gomes called it Cabo de la Arenas while sailing under
1260-449: Is shown on Southack's map of 1717. The present Cape Cod Canal was slowly developed from 1870 to 1914. The federal government purchased it in 1928. Because of early colonial settlement and intensive land use, the Cape's vegetation was depauperate and trees were scarce by the time that Henry Thoreau saw Cape Cod during his four visits over 1849 to 1857,. The settlers heated by fires, and it took 10 to 20 cords (40 to 80 m ) of wood to heat
1330-505: Is the ninth oldest English place-name in the U.S. As defined by the Cape Cod Commission 's enabling legislation, Cape Cod is coextensive with Barnstable County, Massachusetts . It extends from Provincetown in the northeast to Woods Hole in the southwest, and is bordered by Plymouth to the northwest. The Cape is divided into fifteen towns , several of which are in turn made up of multiple named villages. Cape Cod forms
1400-508: Is to the east of Cape Cod, and to the southwest of the Cape is Buzzards Bay . The Cape Cod Canal, completed in 1916, connects Buzzards Bay to Cape Cod Bay; its creation shortened the trade route between New York and Boston by 62 miles (100 km). Cape Cod extends 65 miles (105 km) into the Atlantic Ocean, with a breadth of between 1–20 miles (1.6–32.2 km), and covers more than 400 miles (640 km) of shoreline. Its elevation ranges from 306 feet (93 m) at its highest point, at
1470-655: The 1944 Great Atlantic hurricane and Hurricane Donna in 1960. Other notable storms include the Gale of 1815 , which would likely have been rated a strong hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and the so-called " Perfect Storm " of October 31, 1991. The February 2013 nor'easter produced winds in excess of 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) and dropped over 24 inches (61 cm) of snow on some parts of Cape Cod. The storm knocked out power to tens of thousands of Cape Cod residents, some for up to two weeks. Cape Cod has been
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#17327828269211540-605: The Blizzard of 2005 and Hurricane Bob . Because of the influence of the Atlantic Ocean on three sides, temperatures are typically a few degrees lower in the summer and often several degrees higher in the winter than the adjacent mainland. Two ocean currents (the Gulf Stream , a warm ocean current from the south, and the Labrador Current , a cold ocean current from the north), meander and interact with each other. As
1610-635: The Delineator . Guglielmo Marconi made the first transatlantic wireless transmission originating in the United States from Cape Cod, at Wellfleet . The beach below the bluffs where his station was located is now called Marconi Beach . In 1914, he began construction of a new transatlantic wireless receiver station in Chatham and a companion transmitter station in Marion . In 1920, the stations were acquired by RCA and, in 1921, Chatham began operations as
1680-568: The Nauset Light , which has been owned since 1997 by the Cape Cod National Seashore (National Park Service) and operated since 2004 in partnership between that agency and the non-profit Nauset Light Preservation Society. In 1996, both Highland Light and Nauset Light were moved further from the shore because they were each at risk of being lost due to erosion by the sea. Highland Light, then 110 ft (34 m) from
1750-581: The Outer Lands , or more obscurely as the "Isles of Stirling". Geologically speaking, Cape Cod is quite young, having been laid down some 16,000 to 20,000 years ago. Most of Cape Cod's geological history involves the advance and retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in the late Pleistocene geological era and the subsequent changes in sea level. Using radiocarbon dating techniques, researchers have determined that around 23,000 years ago,
1820-640: The 19th century. Improved rail transportation made the towns of the Upper Cape, such as Bourne and Falmouth , accessible to Bostonians . At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Northeastern mercantile elite built many large, shingled "cottages" along Buzzards Bay . The relaxed summer environment offered by Cape Cod was highlighted by writers including Joseph C. Lincoln , who published novels and countless short stories about Cape Cod folks in popular magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post and
1890-405: The 6,421 households 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.40% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.00% were non-families. 32.00% of households were one person and 11.10% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.91. The age distribution was 22.70% under
1960-649: The Bourne Bridge to the west, and the Sagamore to the east. The bridges form a bottleneck, resulting in traffic backups of several miles during the tourist season - especially going on-cape at the beginning of the weekend and off-cape at the end of the weekend. The entire Cape is roughly bisected lengthwise by U.S. Route 6 , locally known as the Mid-Cape Highway and officially as the Grand Army of
2030-845: The Cape Cod Canal: the Sagamore Bridge and the Bourne Bridge . In addition, the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge carries railway freight and provides limited passenger service onto the Cape. Like Cape Cod itself, the islands south of the Cape have evolved from whaling and trading areas to become resort destinations, attracting wealthy families, celebrities, and tourists. These include the large nearby islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard . Both islands are also famous summer tourist destinations, commonly accessed by ferry from several locations on
2100-418: The Cape as an island with regard to disaster preparedness, groundwater management, and the like. Cape Codders tend to refer to the land on the mainland side of the canal as "off-Cape", though the legal delineation of Cape Cod, coincident to the boundaries of Barnstable County, includes portions of the towns of Bourne and Sandwich that are located north of the canal. Cape Cod Bay lies in between Cape Cod and
2170-525: The Northeast, yet they retain much of the early merchant trading and whaling culture. Cape Cod in particular is a popular retirement area; 31.8% of the population of Barnstable County is 65 years old or older., and the average age of residents is the highest of any area in New England . Cape Cod is majority Democrat , but by a smaller margin than the rest of Massachusetts. The bulk of the land in
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2240-595: The Republic Highway. Dukes County, Massachusetts Dukes County is a county in the U.S. state of Massachusetts . At the 2020 census , the population was 20,600, making it the second-least populous county in Massachusetts . Its county seat is Edgartown . Dukes County comprises the Vineyard Haven , MA Micropolitan Statistical Area . The county consists of 32 named islands,
2310-631: The Spanish crown. In 1602, Bartholomew Gosnold named the tip Cape Cod, the surviving term and the ninth oldest English place-name in the U.S. Samuel de Champlain charted its sand-silted harbors in 1606, and Henry Hudson landed there in 1609. Captain John Smith noted it on his map of 1614, and at last the Pilgrims entered the "Cape Harbor" and made their first landing near Provincetown on November 11, 1620. They had their first encounter with
2380-674: The Town of Provincetown. No longer in "official" use over the ensuing decades, the name came to mean all of the land east of the Manomet and Scusset rivers – essentially along the line that became the Cape Cod Canal. The creation of the canal separated the majority of the peninsula from the mainland. Most agencies, including the Cape Cod Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), treat
2450-564: The US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. At the 2010 census , there were 16,535 people, 7,368 households, and 4,221 families living in the county. The population density was 160.2 inhabitants per square mile (61.9/km ). There were 17,188 housing units at an average density of 166.5 per square mile (64.3/km ). The racial makeup of
2520-417: The age of 18, 5.50% from 18 to 24, 29.60% from 25 to 44, 27.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males. The median household income was $ 45,559 and the median family income was $ 55,018. Males had a median income of $ 38,945 versus $ 30,346 for females. The per capita income for
2590-528: The area is glacial terminal moraine and represents the southernmost extent of glacial coverage in southeast New England; similar glacial formations make up Long Island in New York and Block Island in Rhode Island. The name "Cape Cod", as it was first used in 1602, applied only to the very tip of the peninsula. It remained that way for 125 years until the "Precinct of Cape Cod" was incorporated as
2660-527: The cape. The phrases Cape Cod and the Islands and the Cape and Islands are often used to describe the whole region of Barnstable County, Dukes County (including Martha's Vineyard and the smaller Elizabeth Islands ), and Nantucket County. Several small islands right off Cape Cod, including Monomoy Island , Monomoscoy Island , Popponesset Island , and Seconsett Island , are also in Barnstable County. The Forbes family -owned Naushon Island
2730-474: The census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. As does the rest of the state of Massachusetts , Dukes County heavily supports the Democratic Party . The last Republican Party candidate to receive over 40% of the county's vote was Ronald Reagan in 1984, and the last Republican to win the county
2800-565: The coast with no obstruction. Consequently, the sediment and sand from the beaches are being washed away and deposited elsewhere. While this destroys land in some places, it creates land elsewhere, most noticeably in marshes where sediment is deposited by flowing water. Cape Cod's aquifer consists of six hydrologically independent lenses from which all the towns on the Cape obtain drinking water (except Falmouth, which, in 2015, drew 43.5% of its water from Long Pond). Contamination with industrial chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs from septic systems
2870-465: The county was $ 26,472. About 5.00% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the poverty line , including 10.40% of those under age 18 and 5.30% of those age 65 or over. As of the fourth quarter 2021, the median value of homes in Dukes County was $ 883,820, an increase of 22.3% from the prior year. The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective if
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2940-463: The county was $ 33,390. About 5.5% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over. At the 2000 census there were 14,987 people, 6,421 households, and 3,788 families living in the county. The population density was 144 inhabitants per square mile (56/km ). There were 14,836 housing units at an average density of 143 per square mile (55/km ). The racial makeup of
3010-419: The county was 87.6% white, 3.1% black or African American, 1.1% American Indian, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.9% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.3% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were: Of the 7,368 households, 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 8.9% had
3080-466: The county was 90.69% White, 2.40% Black or African American, 1.71% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other races, and 3.19% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.4% were of English , 13.3% Irish , 8.6% Portuguese , 6.4% Italian and 5.7% American ancestry, 93.1% spoke English , 3.7% Portuguese and 1.7% Spanish as their first language and 0.285% speak Irish at home. Of
3150-431: The early 20th century) is claimed by some to have been visited by Leif Eiriksson , and a stone wall discovered in Provincetown in 1805 is also claimed to have been built by his younger brother Thorvald Eiriksson around AD 1007, when the keel of his ship was repaired in the harbor, according to Norse sagas . He was killed later in the same journey and is said to have been returned to this spot for burial. However, there
3220-529: The east-facing Atlantic seacoast of Cape Cod consists of wide, sandy beaches. In 1961, a significant portion of this coastline, already slated for housing subdivisions, was made a part of the Cape Cod National Seashore by President John F. Kennedy . It was protected from private development and preserved for public use. Large portions are open to the public, including the Marconi Site in Wellfleet . This
3290-401: The executive policy-setting board and utilize Town Meetings as their legislative body. To the south of Cape Cod lie Nantucket Sound ; Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard , both large islands; and the mostly privately owned Elizabeth Islands . For most of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, Cape Cod was considered to consist of three sections (see map): "East of America, there stands in
3360-590: The federal government in 1975 and again in 1990 for official recognition of the Mashpee Wampanoag as a tribe. In May 2007, the Wampanoag tribe was federally recognized. Cape Cod was a landmark for early explorers. It may have been the "Promontory of Vinland " mentioned by the Norse voyagers (985–1025), although this is disputed. The Manomet River area (taken up by the western end of the Cape Cod Canal in
3430-643: The grassy dunes of coastal Massachusetts, only to watch "in horror as the denuded sands 'walked' over richer lands, burying cultivated fields and fences." Dunes on the outer Cape became more common, and many harbors filled in with eroded soils. By 1800, much of Cape Cod's firewood had to be transported by boat from Maine . The paucity of vegetation was worsened by the raising of merino sheep that reached its peak in New England around 1840. The early Industrial Revolution occurred through much of Massachusetts and Rhode Island , but it mostly bypassed Cape Cod due to
3500-438: The home of the indigenous Wampanoag for centuries prior to European colonization . They lived from the sea and were accomplished farmers. They understood the principles of sustainable forest management , and were known to light controlled fires to keep the underbrush in check. They helped the Pilgrims , who arrived in the fall of 1620, survive at their new Plymouth Colony . The Wampanoag gradually lost their lands during
3570-451: The human race. There is something about a lighted beacon that suggests hope and trust and appeals to the better instincts of mankind." Edward Rowe Snow Beginning in 1797, lighthouses were erected along Cape Cod to aid in navigation. Highland Light (or Cape Cod Light) is the oldest and tallest of these, and remains as one of a number of working lighthouses on Cape Cod and the Islands. Many of Cape Cod's earliest lighthouses featured
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#17327828269213640-420: The ice sheet reached its maximum southward advance over North America, and then started to retreat. Many kettle ponds – clear, cold lakes – were formed and remain on Cape Cod as a result of the receding glacier. By about 18,000 years ago, the ice sheet had retreated past Cape Cod. By roughly 15,000 years ago, it had retreated past southern New England. With so much of Earth's water locked up in massive ice sheets,
3710-407: The islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket is the lowest in the southern New England region, averaging slightly less than 40 inches (100 cm) a year (most parts of New England average 42 to 46 inches (110 to 120 cm)). This is due to the maritime influence inhibiting summertime thunderstorm development and maintenance. The region does not experience a greater number of sunny days, however, as
3780-689: The largest of which is Martha's Vineyard . It also includes Chappaquiddick Island (sometimes peninsula of the Vineyard), the Elizabeth Islands , including Cuttyhunk , and Nomans Land . The original inhabitants of the islands were Wampanoag , who had several villages. Political jurisdiction over the lands were granted by the English monarchy in overlapping claims to two different British nobles, from which Massachusetts Bay Company settler Thomas Mayhew purchased them in 1641. Mayhew established
3850-566: The mainland – bounded on the north by a line between Provincetown and Marshfield . North of Cape Cod Bay (and Provincetown) is Massachusetts Bay , which contains the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary , located 5 miles (8 km) north of Provincetown. Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay are both part of the Gulf of Maine, which includes the waters between the Cape and Nova Scotia. The Atlantic Ocean
3920-515: The native inhabitants in nearby Eastham . Cape Cod was among the first places settled by Puritan colonists in North America. The Cape's fifteen towns developed slowly, aside from Barnstable (1639), Sandwich (1637), and Yarmouth (1639). The final town to be established on the Cape was Bourne in 1884, breaking off from Sandwich. Provincetown was a group of huts until the 18th century. A channel from Massachusetts Bay to Buzzards Bay
3990-402: The number of cloudy days is the same as inland locales, in addition to increased fog. On average, roughly 27 inches (69 cm) of snow, which is about 17 inches (43 cm) less than Boston, falls in an average winter. Once every five or six years, a tropical storm , accompanied by very high and potentially damaging winds and heavy rain, will strike the region. About once every 11 or 12 years
4060-483: The ocean, was moved 450 ft (140 m) to the west, and Nauset Light, 37 ft (11 m) from the bluff, was moved 300 ft (91 m) west. The lighthouses of Cape Cod include: Cape Cod is connected to the mainland by a pair of canal-spanning highway bridges, the Bourne and Sagamore that were constructed in the 1930s (replacing a 1912 drawbridge). The two parallel road bridges are four miles apart, with
4130-611: The open Atlantic the last fragment of an ancient and vanished land. Worn by the breakers and the rains, and disintegrated by the wind, it still stands bold." Henry Beston , The Outermost House The bulk of the land on Cape Cod consists of glacial landforms , formed by terminal moraine and outwash plains . This represents the southernmost extent of glacial coverage in southeast New England; similar glacial formations make up Long Island in New York and Block Island in Rhode Island . Together, these formations are known as
4200-404: The open ocean, the Cape and islands are subject to considerable coastal erosion . Due to erosion, the Cape will be completely submerged by the sea within several thousand years. This erosion causes the washout of beaches and the destruction of the barrier islands; for example, the ocean broke through the barrier island at Chatham during Hurricane Bob in 1991, allowing waves and storm surge to hit
4270-485: The peninsula is split between USDA hardiness zones 7a (Upper and Mid Cape) and 7b (Lower and Outer Cape). Consequently, many subtropical indicator plant species typically found in more southerly latitudes are grown there, including Camellias , Ilex opaca , Magnolia grandiflora and Albizia julibrissin . However, Cape Cod falls below the 72 °F (22 °C) threshold, as the warmest month, July, averages around 68.25 °F (20.14 °C). Cape Cod's climate
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#17327828269214340-554: The period of European incursion through land cessions and violent conflict with white settlers. The documentary Natives of the Narrowland (1993), narrated by actress Julie Harris , shows the history of the Wampanoag people through Cape Cod archaeological sites. In 1974, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council was formed to articulate the concerns of those with Native American ancestry. They petitioned
4410-418: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Cape Codder . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_Codder&oldid=975144186 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
4480-402: The sea level was high enough to start eroding the glacial deposits that the vanished continental ice sheet had left on Cape Cod. The water transported the eroded deposits north and south along the outer Cape's shoreline through a process known as longshore drift . Those reworked sediments that moved north went to the tip of Cape Cod. The entire town of Provincetown, at the extreme tip of the Cape,
4550-473: The sea level was lower. Truro's bayside beaches used to be a petrified forest before it became a beach. As the ice began to melt, the sea began to rise. Initially, sea level rose quickly, about 15 metres (49 ft) per 1,000 years, but then the rate declined. On Cape Cod, sea level rose roughly 3 metres (9.8 ft) per millennium between 6,000 and 2,000 years ago. After that, it continued to rise at about 1 metre (3.3 ft) per millennium. By 6,000 years ago,
4620-512: The southern boundary of the Gulf of Maine , which extends north-eastward to Nova Scotia . Since 1914, most of Cape Cod has been separated from the mainland by the Cape Cod Canal . The canal cuts 7 miles (11 km) roughly across the base of the peninsula, though small portions of the Cape Cod towns of Bourne and Sandwich lie on the mainland side of the canal. Two highway bridges cross
4690-408: The standard form "the county of Dukes" which is the reason for the redundancy in the formal name, "County of Dukes County". According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 491 square miles (1,270 km ), of which 103 square miles (270 km ) is land and 388 square miles (1,000 km ) (79%) is water. It is the third-smallest county by land area in Massachusetts. Note:
4760-672: The top of Pine Hill , in the Bourne portion of Joint Base Cape Cod , down to sea level. Cape Cod and the Islands form part of a continuous archipelagic region consisting of a chain of islands running from Long Island to the tip of the Cape. This region is historically and collectively known by naturalists as the Outer Lands . Cape Cod incorporates all of Barnstable County, which comprises 15 towns: Bourne , Sandwich , Falmouth , Mashpee , Barnstable , Yarmouth , Harwich , Dennis , Brewster , Chatham , Orleans , Eastham , Wellfleet , Truro , and Provincetown . Each of these towns includes
4830-477: Was first purchased by John Murray Forbes . Naushon is one of the Elizabeth Islands, many of which are privately owned. One of the publicly accessible Elizabeths is the southernmost island in the chain, Cuttyhunk Island , with a year-round population of 52 people. Several prominent families have established compounds or estates on the larger islands, making these islands some of the wealthiest resorts in
4900-422: Was thus established as Dukes County, New York , on November 1, 1683, and included all of Mayhew's lands – Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands. The county was transferred to Massachusetts on October 7, 1691, and at the same time Nantucket Island was split into the separate Nantucket County, Massachusetts . The 1695 incorporation statute created a county "by the name of Dukes County," as opposed to
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