BlockBefore
Decorative drawing: a small American settlement seen from a low hill. Not a photograph of this place.

Barnstable, Massachusetts

34 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1994. It stands in Barnstable Town City. It lies in ZIP code area 02630. It stands on Cobbs Hill. The Survey maps it on the Hyannis quadrangle. 48,916 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 36 feet above sea level.

Barnstable within Barnstable County

Population over time

3 figures

Barnstable grew from 4,301 to 48,916 between 1840 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
18404,301
201045,193
202048,916+3,723 (+8%)

Then and now

1888 to 1994

The same ground, surveyed 106 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Barnstable, surveyed 1994
Topographic sheet of Barnstable, surveyed 1888

Topographic sheets covering this place

34 sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Photographs

8 photographs,

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Henry Grey House, Pamet Point Road, Wellfleet, Barnstable County, MA
Henry Grey House, Pamet Point Road, Wellfleet, Barnstable County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
First Congregational Church, Truro Center, Truro, Barnstable County, MA
First Congregational Church, Truro Center, Truro, Barnstable County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Atwood-Higgins House, Bound Brook Island Road, Wellfleet, Barnstable County, MA
Atwood-Higgins House, Bound Brook Island Road, Wellfleet, Barnstable County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Edmund Freeman Woodhouse, Truro Road, Truro, Barnstable County, MA
Edmund Freeman Woodhouse, Truro Road, Truro, Barnstable County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
David Stocker House, Holsberry Lane, Truro, Barnstable County, MA
David Stocker House, Holsberry Lane, Truro, Barnstable County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Lombard Farm, House, Prospect Street (State Route 149), Barnstable, Barnstable County, MA
Lombard Farm, House, Prospect Street (State Route 149), Barnstable, Barnstable County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Christopher Ryder House, Ryder's Cove vicinity, Chatham Port, Barnstable County, MA
Christopher Ryder House, Ryder's Cove vicinity, Chatham Port, Barnstable County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Martha Hoxie House, Old King's Highway, Sandwich, Barnstable County, MA
Martha Hoxie House, Old King's Highway, Sandwich, Barnstable County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress

Fires nearby

151 since 2003

The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 151 fires within 5 miles of Barnstable between 2003 and 2020, burning about 51 acres in total. 6 started naturally. 9 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined77
Debris and open burning43
Arson/incendiarism9
Equipment and vehicle use7
Natural6
Recreation and ceremony4
Smoking4
Misuse of fire by a minor1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
7 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
7 September 2015Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control3126
6 September 2015Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control3119
6 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control3117
5 September 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
5 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachussetts State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
3 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Barnstable County

Specimens collected nearby

12 of 3,078 shown

Museums hold 3,078 specimens collected within 10 miles of Barnstable between 1866 and 1975: 2,153 Animalia, 663 Plantae, 139 Fungi, 113 Chromista, 8 Protozoa, 1 Bacteria, 1 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. B. Seymour, A. R. Hodgdon, A. R. Hodgdon; E. J. Hehre and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Aecidium Pers.Aecidium Pers.1900Seymour, Arthur Blissnear Shoot-flying Hill [sic; Shootflying Hill], Hyannis, Mass. [Massachusetts]
Specimen of Uromyces lespedezae-procumbentis (Schwein.) Lagerh.Uromyces lespedezae-procumbentis (Schwein.) Lagerh.1900A. B. SeymourHyannis
Specimen of Uromyces lineolatus (Desm.) J.Schröt.Uromyces lineolatus (Desm.) J.Schröt.1900W. G. Farlow
A photograph of the species Calidris alba, not of this specimenCalidris alba (Pallas, 1764)1866not recordedCape Cod
Ceramium diaphanum (Lightf.) Roth1873LuskCotuit Port
A photograph of the species Ceramium rubrum, not of this specimenCeramium rubrum C.Agardh1873LuskCotuit Port
A photograph of the species Grinnellia americana, not of this specimenGrinnellia americana (C.Agardh) Harv.1873LuskCotuit Port
A photograph of the species Sphacelaria cirrosa, not of this specimenSphacelaria cirrosa (Roth) C.Agardh1873LuskCotuit Port
A photograph of the species Colinus virginianus, not of this specimenColinus virginianus virginianus (Linnaeus, 1758)1874Collector(s): William BrewsterOsterville
A photograph of the species Amphitrite ornata, not of this specimenAmphitrite ornata (Leidy, 1855)1875Verrill, A. E.; Merriam, C. H.Barnstable
A photograph of the species Ampithoe rubricata, not of this specimenAmpithoe rubricata (Montagu, 1808)1875U.S. Fish CommissionBarnstable
A photograph of the species Aplidium constellatum, not of this specimenAplidium constellatum (Verrill, 1871)1875Verrill, A. E.; Merriam, C. H.Barnstable

All 3,078 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries nearby

2 within 5 miles

The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Barnstable: 1 past producer, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Hyannis PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Hyannis Sand and Gravel IncSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary

Every working recorded in Barnstable County

Storms nearby

14 since 1998

The National Weather Service names Barnstable in 14 storm reports between 1998 and 2023: 5 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 2 heavy rain, 2 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
March 2008Heavy RainBarnstable$50,000The Cape Cod Times reported a twenty five foot section of a retaining wall at Barnstable Harbor collapsed. Heavy rainfall throughout the day, combined with strong winds and heavy surf, all contributed to the collapse of the wooden structure.
August 2018FloodBarnstable$5,000At 5:06 PM EST, a car was reported trapped in flood waters on Commerce Road in Barnstable.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindBarnstable$5,000A tree was downed by thunderstorm winds blocking the intersection of Main Street and Old Mill Road.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindWest Barnstable$5,000Trees along Route 6A were downed by thunderstorm winds.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindBarnstable$3,000In Barnstable, there were several reports of trees and wires down blocking the road on West Barnstable Rd in Osterville.
July 2009HailBarnstable$1,000Ping pong ball size hail fell near Cotuit Bay in Barnstable, damaging a boat.
March 2008Thunderstorm WindBarnstable$1,000Amateur radio spotters reported a 64 mph wind gust measured in the Marstons Mills section of Barnstable with 4 inch diameter tree limbs downed.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindWest Barnstable$500In Barnstable, there was a tree down along Rt 6 near exit 68.
January 2018FloodWest Barnstable-At 430 PM EST, an amateur radio operator reported ten-inch flooding on the westbound ramp at Exit 5 on the Mid-Cape Highway.
July 2017Flash FloodWest Barnstable-At 117 PM EST, half of Cedar Street in West Barnstable was reported flooded and washed out. West Barnstable Emergency Management reported 4.74 inches of rain.
June 2008HailBarnstable-Quarter size hail fell in the Marstons Mills area of Barnstable.
June 2008HailBarnstable-no account filed
April 2003Heavy RainBarnstable-no account filed
June 1998HailBarnstable-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Barnstable County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Cobbs Village0.7 miles34
Cummaquid1.4 miles34
Yarmouth Station2.2 miles34
Yarmouth Port2.7 miles31
Hyannis3.4 miles34
Yarmouth3.8 miles31
West Barnstable4.0 miles34
Hyannis Park4.1 miles34

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on BarnstableAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q808535The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 615671. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.