| Barnstable County, Massachusetts | ||
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Location in the state of Massachusetts |
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Massachusetts's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1685 | |
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| Seat | Barnstable | |
| Largest city | Barnstable | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,305.62 sq mi (3,382 km²) 395.51 sq mi (1,024 km²) 910.10 sq mi (2,357 km²), 69.71% |
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| Population - (2010) - Density |
216,902 545/sq mi (210.8/km²) |
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| Website | www.barnstablecounty.org | |
Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, consisting of Cape Cod and associated islands. (Some adjacent islands are in Dukes County and Nantucket County.) As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,902. Its county seat is Barnstable.[1]
Barnstable County was formed as part of the Plymouth Colony on 2 June 1685, including the towns of Falmouth, Sandwich and others lying to the east and north on Cape Cod. Plymouth Colony was merged into the Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1691.
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According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,305.62 square miles (3,381.5 km2), of which 395.51 square miles (1,024.4 km2) (or 30.29%) is land and 910.10 square miles (2,357.1 km2) (or 69.71%) is water.[2] It has 550 miles (890 km) of shoreline (778 miles if you include inland lakes). Barnstable County includes and consists mostly of Cape Cod.
Barnstable County borders Plymouth County to the northwest; off Barnstable County's southern shore are Dukes County and Nantucket.
The highest elevation in the county is 306 feet (93 m) on the summit of Pine Hill, located on the Massachusetts Military Reservation in Bourne. The lowest point is sea level.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 17,342 |
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| 1800 | 19,293 | 11.3% | |
| 1810 | 22,211 | 15.1% | |
| 1820 | 24,026 | 8.2% | |
| 1830 | 28,514 | 18.7% | |
| 1840 | 32,548 | 14.1% | |
| 1850 | 35,276 | 8.4% | |
| 1860 | 35,990 | 2.0% | |
| 1870 | 32,774 | −8.9% | |
| 1880 | 31,897 | −2.7% | |
| 1890 | 29,172 | −8.5% | |
| 1900 | 27,826 | −4.6% | |
| 1910 | 27,542 | −1.0% | |
| 1920 | 26,670 | −3.2% | |
| 1930 | 32,305 | 21.1% | |
| 1940 | 37,295 | 15.4% | |
| 1950 | 46,805 | 25.5% | |
| 1960 | 70,286 | 50.2% | |
| 1970 | 96,656 | 37.5% | |
| 1980 | 147,925 | 53.0% | |
| 1990 | 186,605 | 26.1% | |
| 2000 | 222,230 | 19.1% | |
| 2010 | 216,902 | −2.4% | |
| [3][4][5] | |||
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 222,230 people, 94,822 households, and 61,065 families residing in the county. The population density was 562 people per square mile (217/km²). There were 147,083 housing units at an average density of 372 per square mile (144/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.23% White, 1.79% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.11% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.0% were of Irish, 15.6% English, 9.4% Italian, 5.9% German and 5.0% "American" ancestry according to Census 2000. 3.6% spoke English, 1.7% Portuguese, 1.4% Spanish and 1.0% French as their first language.
There were 94,822 households out of which 24.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.60% were non-families. 29.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the county the population was spread out with 20.40% under the age of 18, 5.20% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 23.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 89.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,933, and the median income for a family was $54,728. Males had a median income of $41,033 versus $30,079 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,318. About 4.60% of families and 6.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.60% of those under age 18 and 5.00% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 13, 2010[7] | |||||
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| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 44,070 | 26.48% | |||
| Republican | 27,687 | 16.63% | |||
| Unaffiliated | 93,815 | 56.36% | |||
| Minor Parties | 881 | 0.53% | |||
| Total | 166,453 | 100% | |||
| Year | Democrat | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 56.1% 74,264 | 42.1% 55,694 |
| 2004 | 54.6% 72,156 | 44.3% 58,527 |
| 2000 | 51.5% 62,363 | 41.0% 49,686 |
* Villages are census divisions, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in. The City of Barnstable has five fire districts that cover the seven villages - each village has its own fire department except that Centerville, Osterville and Marstons Mills have combined their efforts into the COMM Fire Department.
The planning agency of Barnstable County is the Cape Cod Commission.
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| Plymouth County | Cape Cod Bay | Gulf of Maine | ||
| Cape Cod Canal | Atlantic Ocean | |||
| Cape Cod | ||||
| Buzzards Bay | Nantucket Sound | Atlantic Ocean |