|
| |
VFMH Virtual Falmouth ( Massachusetts)
Falmouth is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, Barnstable County being
coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 32,660 at the 2000 census. Today
Falmouth is well known as the terminal for the Steamship Authority ferries to
Martha's Vineyard and as the home of several scientific organizations such as
the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, WHOI, The Marine Biological Laboratory
(MBL) and the Woods Hole Research Center, WHRC.
The Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League play at Arnie Allen
Diamond at Guv Fuller Field from mid-June to early August.
Falmouth is the home of its namesake Falmouth Road Race, an annual race started
in 1973 that draws over 10,000 runners from all over the world.
For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of
Falmouth, please see the articles on East Falmouth, Falmouth Village, North
Falmouth, Teaticket, West Falmouth, and Woods Hole. There are also the villages
of Hatchville and Waquoit, which are not census-designated places.
History
Falmouth was first settled in 1660 and was officially incorporated in 1686, and
named by Bartholomew Gosnold for Falmouth, Cornwall, England, his home port.
Early principal activities were farming, salt works, whaling and shipping, and
sheep. Sheep husbandry was very popular due to the introduction of Merino sheep
and the beginnings of water-powered mills that could process the wool. In 1837,
Falmouth averaged about 50 sheep per sq. mile.
Falmouth saw brief action in the War of 1812 when it was bombarded by several
British frigates and ships of the line, and Massachusetts militia 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 1800s cranberries were
being cultivated and strawberries were being raised for the Boston market. Large
scale dairying was tried in the early 1900s in interior regions. After the
improvement in highways, and thanks in part to the heavy use of neighboring Camp
Edwards during WWII, population growth increased significantly. There were large
home building booms in the 1970s followed by others in the 1980s and 1990s.
It is the birthplace in 1859 of Katharine Lee Bates, lyricist of America the
Beautiful.
Geography
Juniper Point, the eastern point of Wood's Hole in Falmouth.According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 141.0 km2 (54.4 mi2).
114.6 km2 (44.2 mi2) of it is land and 26.4 km2 (10.2 mi2) of it (18.70%) is
water. Falmouth, like all Cape Cod, sits on glacial sands composed of glacial
outwash and morainal deposits. The climate is temperate marine. There is no
exposed bedrock. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year and averages
2 to 3 inches per month.
Falmouth lies on the southwestern tip of Cape Cod. It is bordered by Bourne and
Sandwich to the north, Mashpee to the east, Vineyard Sound to the south, and
Buzzards Bay to the west. At its closest point, Falmouth is approximately 560
yards from Nonamesset Island, the easternmost island of the town of Gosnold and
the Elizabeth Islands. It is also approximately 3-1/3 miles north-northwest of
Martha's Vineyard, the closest land to the island. Falmouth is approximately
fourteen miles south of the Bourne Bridge, twenty miles east of Barnstable, and
seventy miles south-southeast of Boston.
Falmouth's topography is similar to the rest of Cape Cod's, with many small
ponds, creeks and inlets surrounded by the pines and oaks of the Cape and
oftentimes 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 Childs River), and Waquit
Bay, which lies along the Mashpee town line. The Buzzards Bay side of the town
is similar, with the largest inlet being Megansett Cove along the Bourne town
line.
Transportation
Falmouth's main route is Route 28, which arcs through the town from the
northwest corner to the southeast. From the Bourne town line until just south of
its junction with Route 28A (which until that point runs parallel), Route 28 is
a divided, limited-access highway. For the rest of its distance, it is a surface
road, snaking its way through the town. As it is one of the two major east-west
routes on the Cape, Route 28 is extremely busy. However, due to its passage
through congested and built-up parts of town, it would be impossible to expand
the route.
Also important is Route 151, which runs from a point near the northwest corner
of the town (where it connects with 28, which is still limited-access), and
follows just south of the town line until crossing the eastern line into Mashpee
(where it ends in a junction with 28).
Falmouth is also home to The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
Steamship Authority. Daily ferry service brings tourists, residents and
businesses alike from the mainland to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. It is the
main ferry line between the Vineyard and the mainland (as Nantucket is further
west, its main line leaves Hyannis). There is no rail service to the town. There
is a private air park in East Falmouth, and the nearest national and
international air service can be reached at Logan International Airport in
Boston.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 32,660 people, 13,859 households, and
8,980 families residing in the town. The population density was 285.0/km2
(738.2/mi2). There were 20,055 housing units at an average density of 175.0/km2
(453.3/mi2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.39% White, 1.82% Black or
African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander,
1.44% from other races, and 1.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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 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 $48,191, and the median income
for a family was $57,422. Males had a median income of $41,797 versus $28,867
for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,548. About 4.5% of
families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8%
of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Falmouth is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives 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 and Nantucket. The town is
represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Barnstable
district, which includes Bourne, Kingston, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton,
Sandwich and portions of Barnstable. The town is patrolled by the Seventh
(Bourne) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police.
On the national level, Falmouth is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional
district, and is currently represented by Bill Delahunt. The state's senior
(Class I) member of the United States Senate, re-elected in 2006, is Ted
Kennedy. The junior (Class II) Senator, up for re-election in 2008, is John
Kerry.
Falmouth is governed by the representative town meeting form of government, led
by a board of selectmen. The town operates its own police and fire departments,
with a central police station and five fire stations. The town's central
library, currently (3/2007) closed and under repair, is located downtown, and
there are also four branches located throughout town. There are seven post
offices in town for the seven 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 serves grades seven and eight. High School covers grades
9-12. 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 newly created Falmouth Education Foundation(FEF), and the Woods Hole Science
Technology Partnership.
Falmouth is also the home of two private schools: Falmouth Academy, a private
school which serves grades 7 through 12; and Heritage Christian Academy, a
pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school which is affiliated with the
Assemblies of God. Falmouth high school students may also choose to attend the
Upper Cape Regional Technical School in Bourne free of charge, or Sturgis
Charter Public School in Hyannis, also free of charge.
Notable residents
Casey Affleck, Actor
Katherine Lee Bates, Songwriter of America the Beautiful
| |
|