Hyannis is the largest of the seven villages in the town of

Barnstable, Massachusetts The Town of Barnstable ( ) is a town 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, and is one of thirteen Massachusetts municipalit ...

, in the United States. It is the commercial and transportation hub of

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

and was designated an

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

at the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape". It contains a majority of the Barnstable Town offices and two important shopping districts: the historic downtown Main Street and the Route 132 Commercial District, including

Cape Cod Mall Cape Cod Mall is a shopping mall in the Hyannis village of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The mall opened in 1970 and was renovated and expanded in the late 1990s, bringing the property to of gross leasable area. It is currently managed and partia ...

and Independence Park, headquarters of

Cape Cod Potato Chips Cape Cod Potato Chips is an American snack food company best known for their brand of kettle-cooked potato chips. The company is headquartered in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Cape Cod Potato Chips is a brand owned by Campbell Soup Compan ...

Cape Cod Hospital Cape Cod Hospital is a not-for-profit regional medical center located in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, as of 2011 it is the largest hospital on Cape Cod. The administration is headed by CEO Michael K. Lauf. The hospital has 283 bed ...

in Hyannis is the largest on Cape Cod. Hyannis is a major

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

destination and the primary

ferry boat A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

and

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

link for passengers and freight to

Nantucket Island 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 ...

. Hyannis also provides secondary passenger access to the island 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 ...

, with the primary passenger access to Martha's Vineyard being located in

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 ...

, a village in the nearby town of Falmouth. Due to its large natural

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

, Hyannis is the largest

recreational boating Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasu ...

and second largest

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often ...

port on Cape Cod, behind only

Provincetown Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Province ...

. The village is the namesake of the former United States Naval ship .

History

The village was named after

Iyannough Iyannough (also Iyanough) was an American Indian sachem and leader of the Mattachiest ( Mattakeese, a sub-group of the Wampanoag people) tribe of Cummaquid in the area of what is now Barnstable, Massachusetts. The village of Hyannis, the Wianno s ...

, a

sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Al ...

of the Cummaquid tribe.

Climate

Hyannis has an ocean-moderated

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'' under

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

), which is close to an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(''Cfb).'' Summers are even closer to ''Dfa'', or ''Cfa'', a

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

climate, under 1991 to 2020 normals.

Drinking water

In 2007, the city water was found to contain

perchlorate A perchlorate is a chemical compound containing the perchlorate ion, . The majority of perchlorates are commercially produced salts. They are mainly used as oxidizers for pyrotechnic devices and to control static electricity in food packaging. Per ...

. In 2009, Barnstable public works requested that the fire academy cease their operations. In 2010, Well MD2 had been shut down "until contamination issues caused by the Fire Training Academy ereaddressed". In April 2015, the town's Mary Dunn wellfield near a fire training academy was found to be contaminated with

perfluorooctane sulfonate Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) (conjugate base perfluorooctanesulfonate) is a chemical compound having an eight- carbon fluorocarbon chain and a sulfonic acid functional group and thus a perfluorosulfonic acid. It is an anthropogenic (man-m ...

, and well use was suspended until costly emergency filtration with two carbon treatment units could be started. Two wells, at Hyannisport and West Hyannisport, were closed. A six-month overland interconnection with Yarmouth's water system was suggested in May and constructed in June 2015. In November 2015, the county suspended the Barnstable County Fire and Rescue Training Academy which is up gradient of the wells. but in February 2016, it still remained open. In May 2016, the City of Barnstable issued a drinking water health advisory, for PFOS and

perfluorooctanoic acid Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; conjugate base perfluorooctanoate; also known colloquially as C8, for its 8 carbon chain structure) is a perfluorinated carboxylic acid produced and used worldwide as an industrial surfactant in chemical processes a ...

(PFOA) of 0.18 parts per billion in the Mary Dunn #3 well, which was taken offline.

Demographics

In 2010, Hyannis had a total population of 14,089, living in 8,406 households. 19.80% of Hyannis' total 10,922 housing units were seasonally vacant. Hyannis had relatively more multi-family properties in comparison to the town and the county. Hyannis had an owner-occupancy rate of 58.3%, which was nearly 20 percentage points lower than the town or the county. This difference is associated primarily with the number of apartment properties in the village. A decline in younger, family formation households was attributed to the lack of suitable employment opportunities and "affordable" housing. The median value of owner-occupied housing units in Hyannis in 2000 was $149,720. The gross median rent in Hyannis was $718/month. In 2002, the median price for a single family home in Hyannis was $196,000. Median head of household income was $38,467. 15.9% of households earned more than $75,000. 14.6% of Hyannis population lived below the poverty line. 18.74% were over 65 years old. Unemployment in Hyannis was 3.8% of the labor force. Hyannis is growing at the upper end and the lower end of the age cohorts, and although there has been an increase in persons 25 to 44 years of age, this has not necessarily been reflected in income change, as Hyannis witnessed an increase in the number of households earning $10,000 to $15,000 and an increase in the number of persons and families below the poverty level.

Education

Hyannis is home to

Barnstable High School Barnstable High School is a public high school (grades 8–12) in the village of Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States, Town of Barnstable. The school is part of the Barnstable Public School District. Barnstable High School was founded in the ...

, the largest high school on Cape Cod. The school serves students in grades 8-12 and has an approximate enrollment of 2,400. Other high schools include Sturgis Charter Public School, a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...

featuring the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

program, and Pope John Paul II High School, the first and only college preparatory Catholic high school on Cape Cod. It is a part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River The Diocese of Fall River ( la, Dioecesis Riverormensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church spanning Barnstable County, Bristol County, Dukes County, Nantucket County, and the towns of Marion, Mattapoise ...

. Trinity Christian Academy, which recently opened a high school, is also located in Hyannis. Saint Francis Xavier Preparatory School is a

prep PowerPC Reference Platform (PReP) was a standard system architecture for PowerPC-based computer systems (as well as a reference implementation) developed at the same time as the PowerPC processor architecture. Published by IBM in 1994, it allo ...

middle school. Cape Cod Community College, in nearby

West Barnstable West Barnstable is a seaside village in the northwest part of the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Once devoted to agricultural pursuits, West Barnstable now is largely residential and historic. Originally founded in 1639 as part of its neighbori ...

, is a two-year community college, known locally as "4-C's".

Transportation

Hyannis is the main point of origin for

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

service to Nantucket. The Steamship Authority runs a year-round two and a half hour auto ferry service to Nantucket. The island can also be reached by a passenger-only, one-hour

catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...

trip run by the Steamship Authority (seasonal) and

Hy-Line Cruises Hy-Line Cruises (colloquially referred to as Hy-Line, and legally Hyannis Harbor Tours Inc.) is a family owned and operated Massachusetts ferry and cruise company. The company currently operates the second largest passenger ferry service betwee ...

(year-round). Hy-Line also runs a catamaran to

in season. One of the world's first Roll-On and Roll-Off ferries, the ''Searoad of Hyannis'' operated in 1956 from Hyannis to Nantucket, with the capability to transport three loaded semi-trailers in any weather."Roll-On Roll-Off Ship"
''Popular Mechanics'', April 1956, p. 87

Barnstable Municipal Airport Cape Cod Gateway Airport , also known as Boardman/Polando Field and formerly known as Barnstable Municipal Airport, is a public airport located on Cape Cod, north of the central business district of Hyannis, in Barnstable County, Massachusetts ...

(Airport code HYA) is the main air transportation hub for Cape Cod, with daily flights to Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket,

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 ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The airport is served by

Cape Air Hyannis Air Service Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast, the Caribbean, Midwest, and Eas ...

(year-round) and

JetBlue JetBlue Airways Corporation (stylized as jetBlue) is a major American low cost airline, and the seventh largest airline in North America by passengers carried. The airline is headquartered in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York C ...

(in-season). The

Hyannis Transportation Center The Hyannis Transportation Center (HTC) is an intermodal transportation center in Hyannis, Massachusetts, operated by the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA). It is the terminus for several CCRTA bus lines and its '' CapeFLYER'' passenger ...

(HTC) is the main bus and rail terminal on Cape Cod. The HTC services is a terminal station for

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 ...

, the operator of the Cape-wide public bus network on Cape Cod, intercity buses operated by the Plymouth & Brockton and

Peter Pan bus lines Peter Pan Bus Lines operates an intercity bus service in the Northeastern United States. It is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. It operates service to/from to Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hamps ...

, and the seasonal CapeFlyer passenger rail service which operates between Boston and Hyannis Friday-Sunday in-season. The

Cape Cod Central Railroad The Cape Cod Central Railroad is a heritage railroad located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It operates on a rail line known as the Cape Main Line which is owned by Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The line was previously owned and ope ...

operates seasonal tourist excursions from Hyannis to

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 ...

and Sagamore, with some scheduled weekend stops at

. Freight rail service is provided by the

Massachusetts Coastal Railroad The Massachusetts Coastal Railroad is a 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 between Hyannis and Fa ...

Points of interest

Hyannis Harbor Hyannis Harbor is a small natural harbor located in the village of Hyannis in the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.h ...

Kennedy Compound The Kennedy Compound consists of three houses on of waterfront property on Cape Cod along Nantucket Sound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, in the United States. It was once the home of Joseph P. Kennedy, an American businessman, investor, poli ...

* John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum * JFK Memorial in Hyannis * Massachusetts Air and Space Museum

Sports

Hyannis is home to the

Hyannis Harbor Hawks The Hyannis Harbor Hawks, formerly the Hyannis Mets, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Harbor Hawks play ...

, 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 team plays at McKeon Park, 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

Robin Ventura Robin Mark Ventura (born July 14, 1967) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager. Ventura played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Do ...

, Jackie Bradley Jr., and

Jason Varitek Jason Andrew Varitek (; born April 11, 1972), nicknamed Tek, is an American professional baseball coach and former catcher. He is currently the game planning coordinator, a uniformed coaching position, for the Boston Red Sox. After being traded ...

In popular culture

Hyannis Port Hyannis Port (or Hyannisport) is a small residential village located in Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. It is an affluent summer community on Hyannis Harbor, 1.4 miles (2.3 km) to the south-southwest of Hyannis. Community It has ...

features in the song "Walcott" by

Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson ...

, as part of the band's pleading with the eponymous Walcott to get out of Cape Cod: "Hyannis Port is a ghetto, out of Cape Cod tonight". Hyannis is mentioned in the song "

Rock and Roll Band "Rock & Roll Band" is a song by American rock band Boston written by main songwriter and guitarist Tom Scholz and helped out by lead vocalist Brad Delp. The song appears on the band's 1976 self-titled debut. It is one of many songs Scholz worke ...

" by

: "Dancin' in the streets of Hyannis, we were getting pretty good at the game..." Hyannis Port is the setting for the short story ''

Welcome to the Monkey House ''Welcome to the Monkey House'' is a collection of 25 short stories written by Kurt Vonnegut, published by Delacorte in August 1968. The stories range from wartime epics to futuristic thrillers, given with satire and Vonnegut's unique edge. The s ...

'' by

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

Notable people

* John Alvin, cinematic artist and painter who illustrated some of the world's most recognizable movie posters *

Raymond Arsenault Raymond Ostby Arsenault (born January 6, 1948) is an American historian and academic in Florida, United States of America. He has taught at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg campus since 1980 and is the John Hope Franklin Professor ...

, specialist in the political, social, and environmental history of the American South * Henry Askeli, journalist, labor activist and therapist *

Demetrius Atsalis Demetrius J. Atsalis (born March 31, 1964, in Hyannis, Massachusetts) is a Democratic Party politician who represented the 2nd Barnstable District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1999 to 2013. His district included precinct ...

, member of Massachusetts House of Representatives *

Zered Bassett Zered Bassett (born February 6, 1984) is a regular-footed professional skateboarder, living and working in New York City. Early life Born in Hyannis, Massachusetts, Bassett grew up in Chatham, Massachusetts. Skateboarding career Zered Bassett' ...

, professional skateboarder * Mike Gilmartin, football player * Edward Gleason, Olympic gold medal winner *

Jim Hallet James Oliver Hallet (born March 30, 1960) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. Amateur career Hallet was born in Hyannis, Massachusetts and was raised in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. He attended Dennis ...

, golfer who at the 1983 Masters Tournament opened with a 68, then the second-lowest amateur round in Masters history * Greg Jerman, NFL player *

Amy Jo Johnson Amy Jo Johnson (born October 6, 1970) is an American actress, musician and filmmaker. As an actress, Johnson is known for her roles as Kimberly Hart on ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', Julie Emrick on '' Felicity'', and Jules Callaghan on ' ...

, Actress * John C. Klimm, member of Massachusetts House of Representatives * Dan LaCouture, professional hockey player * Harriet Bacon MacDonald, pianist, music educator, concert promoter * Peter McDowell, member of Massachusetts House of Representatives * Eric Nickulas, NHL player *

Paul Pena Paul Jerrod Pena (January 26, 1950 – October 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist of Cape Verdean descent. His music from the first half of his career touched on Delta blues, jazz, morna, flamenco, folk and rock and r ...

, wrote the song "

Jet Airliner A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (passenger jet aircraft). Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly clas ...

", a 1977 hit for the

Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles t ...

* Robert Richardson, won the

Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture. History In its first film season, 1927–28, this award (like others such as the acting awards) w ...

three times for his work on ''

JFK John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

'', '' The Aviator'', and ''

Hugo Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...

'' *

Casey Sherman Casey Sherman is a ''New York Times'', USA Today, and ''Wall Street Journal'' Bestselling American author, journalist and screenwriter most famous for his 2009 book ''The Finest Hours'', which was adapted into the big budget Walt Disney Studios ( ...

, true crime author and journalist * Douglas Whynott, writer * Johnny Wright, manager of

New Kids on the Block New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoy ...

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...

, *NSYNC,

Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel television network. They consist of three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in W ...

, Menudo,

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

, Stevie Brock, and

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

* Kevin Wylie, professional soccer player

References

External links

*
Hyannis Area Chamber of Commerce

Hyannis Library
{{Authority control Populated coastal places in Massachusetts Villages in Barnstable, Massachusetts Villages in Massachusetts