Falmouth ( ) is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Barnstable County
Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 228,996. Its shire town is Barnstable. The county consists of Cape Cod and associated islands (some adjacent islands are in Duk ...
,
, United States. The population was 32,517 at the 2020 census,
making Falmouth the second-largest municipality on Cape Cod after
Barnstable. The terminal for the
Steamship Authority
The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, doing business as The Steamship Authority (''SSA''), is the statutory regulatory body for all ferry operations between mainland Massachusetts and The Islands (Massachusetts), the ...
ferries to
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...
is located in the village of
Woods Hole
Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The population was 781 at ...
in Falmouth. Woods Hole also contains several scientific organizations such as the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering.
Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it i ...
(WHOI), the
Marine Biological Laboratory
The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is an international center for research and education in biological and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution that was independent ...
(MBL), the
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Woodwell Climate Research Center, formerly known as the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) until August 2020, is a scientific research organization that studies climate change impacts and solutions. The International Center for Climate Governance n ...
, NOAA's
Woods Hole Science Aquarium
The Woods Hole Science Aquarium (WHSA) is a small public aquarium in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the US government and operated by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Marine Biological Laboratory.
Hi ...
, and the scientific institutions' various museums.
For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Falmouth, please see the articles on
East Falmouth
East Falmouth is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located at the base of Massachusetts' "fishhook" peninsula (''see map at right''). The population was 6,038 at the ...
,
Falmouth Village,
North Falmouth,
Teaticket,
West Falmouth, and
Woods Hole
Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The population was 781 at ...
. Falmouth also encompasses the villages of
Hatchville and
Waquoit
Waquoit (February 10, 1983–June 14, 2007) was an American Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse who won races at short and long distances en route to career earnings of more than United States dollar, $2.2 million.
Background
Standing close ...
, which are not
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
s and fall within the village of East Falmouth based on postal service.
History
Falmouth was first settled by English colonists in 1660 and was officially incorporated in 1686.
Bartholomew Gosnold
Bartholomew Gosnold (1571 – 22 August 1607) was an English barrister, explorer and privateer who was instrumental in founding the Virginia Company in London and Jamestown in colonial America. He led the first recorded European expedition to ...
named the settlement for
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth ( ; kw, Aberfala) is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,797 (2011 census).
Etymology
The name Falmouth is of English or ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, his home port. Early principal activities were farming, salt works, shipping, whaling, and
sheep husbandry
Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin a ...
, which was very popular due to the introduction of
Merino
The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...
sheep and the beginnings of water-powered mills that could process the wool. In 1837, Falmouth averaged about 50 sheep per square mile.
Falmouth saw brief action in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
, when the area around Falmouth Heights, on its southern coast, was bombarded by several British
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s and
ships of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colum ...
, and
Massachusetts militia
This is a list of militia units of the Colony and later Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
*Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts (1638)
*Cogswell's Regiment of Militia (April 19, 1775)
*Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia (April 20, ...
hastily entrenched themselves on the beaches to repulse a possible British landing which never came. By 1872, the train had come to Falmouth and Woods Hole, and some of the first summer homes were established. By the late 19th century,
cranberries
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus ''Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species ''Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranberry m ...
were being cultivated and
strawberries
The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...
were being raised for the Boston market. Large-scale dairying was tried in the early 20th century in interior regions. After the improvement in highways, and thanks in part to the heavy use of neighboring
Camp Edwards
Camp Edwards is a United States military training installation which is located in western Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Originally the Massachusetts Military Reservation (which was another name for it until 2013) acquired in Se ...
(now part of
Joint Base Cape Cod
The Joint Base Cape Cod is a state-designated joint base created by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States War Department in 1935. Governor James Curley signed the state bill to allocate and purchase land for a military facilit ...
) during World War II, population growth increased significantly. Large homebuilding booms occurred in the 1970s, followed by others in the 1980s and 1990s.
In the late 1800s, after railroad service was established between Boston and Cape Cod, James Madison Beebe bought over and built Highfield Hall, which is now a museum, and much of the land is preserved as Beebe Woods. In 1965,
Robert Manry
Robert Manry (June 2, 1918 – February 21, 1971) was a copy editor of the Cleveland ''Plain Dealer'' who in 1965 sailed from Falmouth, Massachusetts, to Falmouth, Cornwall, England, in a tiny sailboat (an Old Town "Whitecap" built by the Old ...
sailed from Falmouth aboard his sailboat and reached Falmouth, Great Britain, 78 days later.
Historic districts
The town of Falmouth has seven historic districts, including four on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
:
*
Falmouth Village Green
*
North Falmouth Village
*
Waquoit
Waquoit (February 10, 1983–June 14, 2007) was an American Thoroughbred Horse racing, racehorse who won races at short and long distances en route to career earnings of more than United States dollar, $2.2 million.
Background
Standing close ...
*
West Falmouth Village
The other three historic districts are in Woods Hole, Davisville, and Quissett.
In addition to the historic districts, Falmouth has ten individual sites on the National Register:
*
Central Fire Station
*
Crowell-Bourne Farm
*
Elnathan Nye House
*
Falmouth Pumping Station
The Falmouth Pumping Station is a historic water pumping station on Pumping Station Road in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The complex consists of an 1898 Queen Anne pumping station designed by Ernest N. Boyden, a low-lift pump and water treatment bui ...
*
Josiah Tobey House
*
Lawrence Academy
*
Nobska Light
Nobska Light, originally called Nobsque Light, also known as Nobska Point Light is a lighthouse located near the division between Buzzards Bay, Nantucket Sound, and Vineyard Sound in the settlement of Woods Hole, Massachusetts on the southwestern t ...
*
Poor House and Methodist Cemetery
The Poor House and Methodist Cemetery (also known as the "Methodist Society Burying Ground", "Falmouth Poor House Burial Ground", "Old Methodist Cemetery", "Falmouth Work House", "Poor Farm", "Town Infirmary", or "Falmouth Artist Colony") is an ...
*
Teaticket School
*
Woods Hole School
The Woods Hole School is a historic school building at 24 School Street in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States within the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It is a tw ...
Offshore Falmouth in
Buzzards Bay
Buzzards Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is approximately 28 miles (45 kilometers) long by 8 miles (12 kilometers) wide. It is a popular destination for fishing, boating, and tourism. Since ...
,
Cleveland East Ledge Light
Cleveland East Ledge Light is a historic lighthouse in Falmouth, Massachusetts. It sits on a man-made island in shallow water on the eastern of the two halves of Cleveland Ledge, which is said to have been named for President Grover Cleveland beca ...
is listed with the National Register.
Geography
![Falmouth - Woods Hole 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Falmouth_-_Woods_Hole_1.jpg)
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 19.04%, is water.
Most of Falmouth, like the rest of Cape Cod, sits on glacial sands composed of glacial
outwash
An outwash plain, also called a sandur (plural: ''sandurs''), sandr or sandar, is a plain formed of glaciofluvial deposits due to meltwater outwash at the terminus of a glacier. As it flows, the glacier grinds the underlying rock surface and ca ...
deposits. However, the soil in the southwestern part of the town, consisting of
moraine
A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...
deposits, is more rocky and dense, like the rest of
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
, and many
glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundred ...
s are scattered about, having been dropped by the retreating glaciers. The climate is temperate marine. There is no exposed bedrock. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year and averages 2 to 3 in (50–75 mm) per month.
Falmouth lies on the southwestern tip of Cape Cod. It is bordered by
Bourne
Bourne may refer to:
Places UK
* Bourne, Lincolnshire, a town
** Bourne Abbey
** Bourne railway station
* Bourne (electoral division), West Sussex
* Bourne SSSI, Avon, a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Burrington, North Somerset
* Bourne ...
and
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...
to the north,
Mashpee to the east,
Vineyard Sound
Vineyard Sound is the stretch of the Atlantic Ocean which separates the Elizabeth Islands and the southwestern part of Cape Cod from the island of Martha's Vineyard, located offshore from the state of Massachusetts in the United States. To the we ...
to the south, and
Buzzards Bay
Buzzards Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is approximately 28 miles (45 kilometers) long by 8 miles (12 kilometers) wide. It is a popular destination for fishing, boating, and tourism. Since ...
to the west. At its closest point, Falmouth is approximately from
Nonamesset Island
Nonamesset Island is the most easterly of the Elizabeth Islands of Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. The island has a land area of 1.398 km² (0.54 sq mi or 345.5 acres) and was uninhabited as of the United States Census, 2000, 2000 ...
, the easternmost island of the town of
Gosnold and the
Elizabeth Islands
The Elizabeth Islands are a chain of small islands extending southwest from the southern coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the United States. They are located at the outer edge of Buzzards Bay (bay), Buzzards Bay, north of Martha's Vineyard, ...
. It is approximately north-northwest of
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...
, the closest land to the island. Falmouth is approximately south of the
Bourne Bridge
The Bourne Bridge in Bourne, Massachusetts carries Route 28 across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the rest of Massachusetts. It won the American Institute of Steel Construction's Class "A" Award of Merit as the "Most Beautiful St ...
, west of
Barnstable, and south-southeast of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
.
Falmouth's topography is similar to the rest of Cape Cod's, with many small ponds, creeks, and
inlet
An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea.
Overview
In marine geogra ...
s surrounded by the
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
s and
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
s of the Cape and often rocky beachfront. Falmouth's southern shore is notable for a series of ponds and rivers spaced very closely together, all of which travel some distance into the town. These include, from west to east, Falmouth Inner Harbor, Little Pond, Great Pond (which leads to the Dexter and
Coonamesset rivers), Green Pond, Bourne's Pond, Eel Pond (which leads to the
Childs River
The Childs River, also known as Child's River, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river near Falmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod
Cape Cod is a penin ...
), and
Waquoit Bay
Waquoit Bay is a public national estuary, which is typically used as a research reserve. It is a part of Nantucket Sound and is located on the southern shore of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, USA. This bay forms the border of the towns of Falmouth a ...
, which lies along the Mashpee town line. The Buzzards Bay side of the town is primarily
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
s divided by necks, peninsulas connected to land by
isthmi. The largest inlet is Megansett Cove along the Bourne town line. The Buzzards Bay shore of Falmouth is punctuated by a number of hamlets, including, from north to south, Megansett,
New Silver Beach
New Silver Beach is a beach and village of the same name. It is primarily a summer colony and is the largest settlement at Wild Harbor, a natural bay on the north shore of Buzzards Bay.
It is located on Massachusetts's famous Cape Cod in the cen ...
, Old Silver, Chappaquoit, Sippewisset, Quissett, and
Woods Hole
Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The population was 781 at ...
.
Climate
According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Falmouth, Massachusetts has a warm-summer, wet all year,
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(''Dfb''). Dfb climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ 32.0 °F (≤ 0.0 °C), at least four months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0 °F (≥ 10.0 °C), all months with an average mean temperature ≤ 71.6 °F (≤ 22.0 °C), and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. The average seasonal (Nov–Apr) snowfall total is around 30 in (76 cm). The average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in
nor'easter
A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use o ...
activity. According to the
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...
, the
plant hardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 1.3 °F (–17.1 °C).
Ecology
According to the
A. W. Kuchler August William Kuchler (born ''August Wilhelm Küchler''; 1907–1999) was a German-born American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system in widespread use in the United States. Some of this database has beco ...
U.S.
Potential natural vegetation
In ecology, potential natural vegetation (PNV), also known as Kuchler potential vegetation, is the vegetation that would be expected given environmental constraints (climate, geomorphology, geology) without human intervention or a hazard event ...
Types, Falmouoth, Massachusetts would primarily contain a Northeastern
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
/
Pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
(''110'') vegetation type with a Southern
Mixed Forest
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest is a temperate climate terrestrial habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature, with broadleaf tree ecoregions, and with conifer and broadleaf tree mixed coniferous forest ecoregions.
These for ...
(''26'') vegetation form.
Transportation
![Steamship Authority, Woods Hole MA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Steamship_Authority%2C_Woods_Hole_MA.jpg)
Falmouth's main road is
Massachusetts Route 28
Route 28 is a nominally south–north state highway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, running from the town of Eastham via Boston to the New Hampshire state line in Methuen. Following the route from its nominally southern end, Route 28 ...
, which runs south from Bourne as a divided highway, then becomes a surface road and heads east through downtown as Main Street, then turns northeast through East Falmouth before crossing into Mashpee. As one of two major east–west routes on the Cape, Route 28 is regularly congested, and there is minimal room for widening opportunities.
Route 151
Route 151, or Highway 151, may refer to:
Canada
* Prince Edward Island Route 151
Costa Rica
* National Route 151
India
* National Highway 151 (India)
Ireland
* R151 road (Ireland)
Japan
* Japan National Route 151
Korea, South
* Seocheo ...
runs east–west through the northern section of the town, connecting North Falmouth and Hatchville with Mashpee.
Falmouth is home to
. Daily ferry service brings tourists, residents and supplies from Woods Hole to
Nantucket
Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...
and
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...
. It is the main ferry line between the Vineyard and the mainland (as Nantucket is further east, its main line leaves
Hyannis). A seasonal ferry, the ''Island Queen'', runs from Falmouth Harbor to Martha's Vineyard.
The
Massachusetts Coastal Railroad
The Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class III railroad serving south-eastern Massachusetts. The railroad maintains track from Hyannis to Framingham, with the railroad operating its own trains on the 97 miles of lines betwe ...
provides rail freight service to North Falmouth, where a spur runs into Otis Air Base to serve a trash transfer station. Also, as of a June 25, 2009 capecodonline.com article, the company plans to re-extend passenger railroad service to the town, complete with dinner and tourist trains, though this will also be only to North Falmouth, due to the fact that the other of railroad track had been replaced with the current
Shining Sea Bikeway
The Shining Sea Bikeway is a rail trail on Cape Cod in Falmouth, Massachusetts, United States. The path runs for from the
Steamship Authority ferry terminal in Woods Hole to North Falmouth.
History
The trail was built on the right-of-way o ...
. On November 21, 2009, North Falmouth saw its first passenger train in at least 12 years. The nearest inter-city (
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
) passenger rail stations are
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
and Boston's
South Station
South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan In ...
. The
Middleborough/Lakeville and
Kingston/Route 3 stations of the
MBTA's commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
system provide the closest service to Boston.
There is a private air park in East Falmouth, and the nearest national and international air service is at
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partially ...
in Boston and
T. F. Green Airport
Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport is a public international airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, south of the state's capital and largest city of Providence. Opened in 1931, the airport was named for former Rhode Islan ...
near Providence, both being about equidistant from Falmouth. There is a regional airport in nearby Hyannis.
Falmouth is also served by the
Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority
Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) operates a bus transit system of fixed and flexible routes, seasonal rail service to Boston, and a paratransit service in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts. The CCRTA was created under the provision ...
bus routes.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 32,660 people, 13,859 households, and 8,980 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 20,055 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.39%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 1.82%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.51%
Native American, 0.92%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1.44% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.91% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.28% of the population.
There were 13,859 households, out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $68,191, and the median income for a family was $97,422. Males had a median income of $61,797 versus $38,867 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $42,548. About 4.5% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government and Politics
Falmouth is represented in the
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 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
as a part of two districts, the Third Barnstable (which also includes portions of Barnstable, Bourne and Mashpee), and the Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket District, which includes all of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Gosnold. The town is represented in the
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 ...
as a part of the Plymouth and Barnstable district, which includes Bourne, Kingston, Pembroke, Plymouth, and Sandwich. The town is patrolled by the Seventh (Bourne) Barracks of Troop D of the
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) 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. As of 10/4/2022, it ...
.
On the national level, Falmouth is a part of
Massachusetts's 9th congressional district
Massachusetts's 9th congressional district is located in eastern Massachusetts. It is represented by Democrat William R. Keating. The 9th district is the least Democratic congressional district in Massachusetts, according to the Cook Partisan Vot ...
, and is currently represented by
Bill Keating.
Falmouth is governed by the
representative town meeting
A representative town meeting, also called "limited town meeting", is a form of municipal legislature particularly common in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and permitted in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Representative town meetings function ...
form of government with 9 precincts of 27 members each serving three-year terms and is led by a five-member
board of selectmen serving rotating three-year terms. The town operates its own police and fire departments, with a central police station and five fire stations. The fire department also operates the town's ambulance service with four-ambulances staffed 24/7. The town's central library is located downtown. There are branches in North and East Falmouth, and private libraries in West Falmouth and Woods Hole which are open to the public. There are seven post offices in town for the six
ZIP codes, although several overlap and the main office handles the majority of the work. Falmouth is also the site of Falmouth Hospital, which serves the Upper Cape region.
Education
Falmouth's public school system serves about 4,500 students yearly. There are four schools, East Falmouth, Mullen-Hall, North Falmouth, and Teaticket, which serve the elementary school population, from pre-kindergarten to fourth grade. The Morse Pond Middle School serves grades five and six, while the
Lawrence Junior High School
Falmouth ( ) is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 32,517 at the 2020 census, making Falmouth the second-largest municipality on Cape Cod after Barnstable. The terminal for the Steamship Authority ferri ...
serves grades seven and eight.
Falmouth High School covers grades 9–12. (Prior to 1974 the 9–12 grades were in the Lawrence building and known as Lawrence High School.) FHS's athletics teams are nicknamed the Clippers, and their colors are maroon and white. They compete in the Atlantic Coast League, having moved recently from the Old Colony League. Their chief rival is nearby Barnstable High School. The public schools are supported in part by the Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS), various PTO associations, the Falmouth Scholarship Association, the
Falmouth Education Foundation Falmouth may refer to:
Places Antigua
*Falmouth, Antigua and Barbuda
*Falmouth Harbour, Antigua
Australia
*Falmouth, Tasmania, a locality in North-east Tasmania
Canada
*Falmouth, Nova Scotia, a community in Hants County
* Upper Falmouth, Nova ...
(FEF), the
Falmouth STEM Boosters and the Woods Hole Science Technology Partnership.
Falmouth is also the home of a private school,
Falmouth Academy
Falmouth Academy is a non-profit, coed, independent, private college-preparatory day school serving students from grades 7–12. It is located in Falmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.
History
Falmouth Academy was founded in 1977 as a small and ...
, serving grades 7 through 12. Falmouth high school students may also choose to attend the
Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School (also known as Upper Cape Tech, UCT, or simply Upper Cape) is a public vocational-technical high school located in Bourne, Massachusetts, United States. Opened in 1966, it serves over 720 students in 15 vo ...
in Bourne free of charge. Resident students can also attend
Sturgis Charter Public School
The Sturgis Charter Public School is a dual-campus charter school located in the village of Hyannis, Massachusetts (Town of Barnstable, MA), United States. The school received its charter in February 1998 and opened in September for the 1998–1 ...
in
Hyannis also free of charge, pending acceptance through a lottery.
Sports and recreation
![JacobyEllsbury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/JacobyEllsbury.jpg)
Falmouth is home to the
Falmouth Commodores
The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie All ...
, an amateur
collegiate summer baseball
Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
team in the
Cape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...
. The team plays at
Arnie Allen Diamond at Guv Fuller Field, and has featured dozens of players who went on to careers in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
, such as
Tino Martinez
Constantino "Tino" Martinez (born December 7, 1967) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1990 t ...
,
Darin Erstad
Darin Charles Erstad (; born June 4, 1974) is an American former professional baseball player and the former head coach of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team. Erstad spent most of his playing career with the Los Angeles Angels o ...
, and
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ( ; born September 11, 1983) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2 ...
.
Falmouth is the home of its namesake
Falmouth Road Race
The Falmouth Road Race is an annual road race on Cape Cod from Woods Hole, a village in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts, to Falmouth Heights.
The race organizer is Falmouth Road Race, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization that puts on the race e ...
, an annual race started in 1973 that draws over 10,000 runners from all over the world. The race runs from the village of Woods Hole to Falmouth Heights Beach in downtown Falmouth.
Arts and entertainment
Falmouth is home to a vibrant theatre community. The
College Light Opera Company The College Light Opera Company (CLOC) is an educational summer stock theatre company based in Falmouth, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. It produces and performs 9 operettas and musicals during an eleven-week season each summer with performances taking ...
has performed at the Highfield Theatre every summer since 1969. Other institutions include the Falmouth Theatre Guild and the
Cape Cod Theatre Project
The Cape Cod Theatre Project is a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 by actors Andrew Polk and Jim Bracchitta, with the mission of collaborating with playwrights, actors, directors, and the public in developing new American plays. The perform ...
.
In addition to theatre, there is the Cape Cod Conservatory and the Falmouth Arts Guild.
Falmouth holds a yearly Christmas parade in the month of December that runs along Main Street in downtown Falmouth.
Notable people
*
Peter Abrahams
Peter Henry Abrahams Deras (3 March 1919 – 18 January 2017), commonly known as Peter Abrahams, was a South African-born novelist, journalist and political commentator who in 1956 settled in Jamaica, where he lived for the rest of his life. Hi ...
, author
*
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup.
Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educationa ...
, actor
*
Casey Affleck
Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt (born August 12, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award. He beg ...
, actor
*
Katharine Lee Bates
Katharine Lee Bates (August 12, 1859 – March 28, 1929) was an American author and poet, chiefly remembered for her anthem "America the Beautiful", but also for her many books and articles on social reform, on which she was a noted speaker.
Bat ...
, writer of "
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never m ...
"
*
Steve Cishek
Steven R. Cishek () (born June 18, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Cishek played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida / Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Chic ...
, relief pitcher for the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
*
Colleen Coyne
Colleen M. Coyne (born September 19, 1971) is an American ice hockey player. She won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Playing career
Coyne attended Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts for high school. She was a standout and all-lea ...
, 1998 Olympic gold medalist on the U.S. women's
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
team
*
Wesley Dennis (illustrator)
John Wesley Dennis (May 16, 1903 – September 3, 1966) was an American illustrator, known best for fifteen children's books about horses that he created in collaboration with writer Marguerite Henry. He illustrated over 150 books in his lifeti ...
, illustrator of children's books
*
Pete Doherty (wrestler)
Pete Doherty (born January 18, 1945) is a retired American professional wrestler and television commentator known by his ring name The Duke of Dorchester.
Professional wrestling career
Doherty began his career in the 1970s, wrestling for Vince ...
"The Duke of Dorchester"
*
Jessica Dubroff
Jessica Whitney Dubroff (May 5, 1988 – April 11, 1996) was a seven-year-old American trainee pilot who died while attempting to become the youngest person to fly a light aircraft across the United States. On day two of her quest, the Cessna 1 ...
, 7-year-old pilot trainee who died in a plane crash
*
Jacob Sloat Fassett
Jacob Sloat Fassett (November 13, 1853 – April 21, 1924) was a businessman, lawyer, and member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.
Early life
He was born on November 13, 1853, in Elmira, New York, the son of Newton Po ...
, U.S. congressman from Elmira, New York; Fassett's Point in West Falmouth and the town of
Fassett, Quebec
Fassett is a municipality and village in the Papineau Regional County Municipality in Quebec, Canada, located on the north shore of the Ottawa River east of Montebello.
Its main access roads are Route 148, which passes through the town, and A ...
, are named after him
*
Melissa Febos
Melissa Febos is an American writer and professor. She is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, ''Whip Smart'' (2010)'','' and the essay collections, ''Abandon Me'' (2017) and ''Girlhood'' (2021)''.''
Early life and education
Febos grew u ...
, writer
*
Paul Harney
Paul Harney (July 11, 1929 – August 24, 2011) was an American professional golfer and golf course owner who spent part of his career as a full-time PGA Tour player, but mostly was a club professional, part-time Tour player, and owner-operator o ...
, former professional
PGA PGA is an acronym or initialism that may stand for:
Aviation
* IATA code for Page Municipal Airport, Coconino County, Arizona
* ICAO designator for Portugália, regional airline based in Lisbon, Portugal
* Abbreviation for Prince George Airport ...
golfer, resided in Falmouth and owned the Paul Harney Golf Club in
Hatchville
*
Edward Hopkins Jenkins (1850–1931), agricultural chemist; director of the
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) is the Connecticut state government's agricultural experiment station, a state government component that engages in scientific research and public outreach in agriculture and related fields. I ...
(1900–1923); born in Falmouth
*
Frederick E. Olmsted, WPA muralist and sculptor then later scientist
*
Julia O'Malley-Keyes, fine artist
*
Joseph Rago
Joseph Rago (January 6, 1983 – July 20, 2017) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American political writer, best known for his work at ''The Wall Street Journal''.
Education
Rago attended Falmouth High School in Falmouth, Massachusetts, where ...
, journalist
*
Charles Bennett Ray
Charles Bennett Ray (December 25, 1807 – August 15, 1886) was a prominent African-American minister and abolitionist who owned and edited of the weekly newspaper '' The Colored American''. Born in Massachusetts, he had most of his career and li ...
Abolitionist journalist
*
Greg Dean Schmitz
Greg Dean Schmitz (born August 18, 1970) is an American online film critic known for his movie news website, ''Upcomingmovies.com'' (1997 to 2002), and its second version as ''Greg's Previews of Upcoming Movies'' as part of ''Yahoo! Movies'' (200 ...
, online film journalist (
Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies (formerly Upcoming Movies), provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yaho ...
,
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
)
*
Sunita Williams
Sunita Lyn Williams (born September 19, 1965) is an American astronaut and United States Navy officer who formerly held the records for most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and most spacewalk time for a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes). Williams was ...
, astronaut and United States Navy officer
Military installations
Camp Edwards
Camp Edwards is a United States military training installation which is located in western Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Originally the Massachusetts Military Reservation (which was another name for it until 2013) acquired in Se ...
, formerly named Camp Falmouth, is a US military training camp in western Barnstable County. It is the largest part of
Joint Base Cape Cod
The Joint Base Cape Cod is a state-designated joint base created by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States War Department in 1935. Governor James Curley signed the state bill to allocate and purchase land for a military facilit ...
, formerly named Massachusetts Military Reservation.
The installation is of economic and environmental importance.
Groundwater pollution
During the 1970s and 1980s, it was discovered that the
groundwater
Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...
in some areas of Falmouth had been contaminated by toxic chemicals linked to the disposal of jet fuel, solvents, industrial chemicals, and other substances on the Massachusetts Military Reservation, now known as
Joint Base Cape Cod
The Joint Base Cape Cod is a state-designated joint base created by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States War Department in 1935. Governor James Curley signed the state bill to allocate and purchase land for a military facilit ...
. Plumes of
groundwater pollution
Groundwater pollution (also called groundwater contamination) occurs when pollutants are released to the ground and make their way into groundwater. This type of water pollution can also occur naturally due to the presence of a minor and unwanted ...
that reached into Falmouth contaminated household
well water
A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
in some neighborhoods and forced the town to shut down a public well in 1975 that accounted for 25% of the town's public
water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...
. A major report was released on the contamination in 1986. In 1996, the
Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence
In the US, the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE) merged with the Air Force Real Property Agency and the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency to form the Air Force Civil Engineer Center on 1 October 2012. (now known as the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment) assumed responsibility for the cleanup, treating soils at several sites and installing pumping wells in an effort to contain the plumes of groundwater contamination.
In 2010, the
Silent Spring Institute
Silent Spring Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to studying and reporting primarily on breast cancer prevention, although its research covers other health-related topics as well.
Founding and purpose
The nonprofit organization was f ...
tested about 20 public water supplies, 40 percent of which had detectable levels of
perfluorinated compound
A perfluorinated compound (PFC) or perfluoro compound is an organofluorine compound containing only carbon-fluorines and C−C bonds, as well as potentially heteroatoms. Perfluorinated compounds have properties that result from the presence of flu ...
s (PFCs).
In 2015, the Air Force started testing private wells in the Currier Road area after water treatment plant samples showed elevated levels of
1,4-dioxane
1,4-Dioxane () is a heterocyclic organic compound, classified as an ether. It is a colorless liquid with a faint sweet odor similar to that of diethyl ether. The compound is often called simply dioxane because the other dioxane isomers ( 1,2- ...
.
Since May 2016, four houses in the Currier Road neighborhood have been receiving bottled water for elevated levels of PFCs after the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
established a national standard for PFCs, such as PFOS and PFOAs.
References
External links
Town of Falmouth Official WebsiteFalmouth Historical SocietyFalmouth Chamber of Commerce Tourist Information
{{authority control
1660 establishments in Massachusetts
Populated coastal places in Massachusetts
Populated places established in 1660
Towns in Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Towns in Massachusetts