Barnstable, Administrative center of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, United States
Barnstable is an administrative center on Cape Cod in Massachusetts that spans the northern and southern coastlines of the peninsula. Seven separate villages form the municipal area together, with multiple harbors, beaches, and inland pine forests.
A group of Puritans from the London area founded the settlement in the first half of the seventeenth century. The place later grew through fishing, shipbuilding, and farming into an important community on the peninsula.
The town carries a name from Devon in England, where the first settlers originated. Several villages still display colonial architecture and local craft traditions on their historic commons.
Most visitors arrive during the summer months when all harbors and beaches remain open. Anyone wanting to explore the villages needs a vehicle, as individual settlements lie several miles apart.
The town hall sits in Hyannis village, not in the namesake village of Barnstable. This arrangement arose from historical reasons and occasionally confuses visitors looking for the administration.
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