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.
Population over time
3 figuresBarnstable 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 4,301 | |
| 2010 | 45,193 | |
| 2020 | 48,916 | +3,723 (+8%) |
Then and now
1888 to 1994The 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 sheets covering this place
34 sheetsMatched 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.
- 1888 USGS Barnstable quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Barnstable quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Barnstable quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Barnstable quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Barnstable quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Barnstable quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Barnstable quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Barnstable quadrangle1:62500
- 1893 USGS Barnstable quadrangle1:62500
- 1942 USGS Cape Cod Bay quadrangle1:125000
- 1942 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:31680
- 1942 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:31680
- 1942 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:31680
- 1942 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:31680
- 1947 USGS Providence quadrangle1:250000
- 1947 USGS Providence quadrangle1:250000
- 1947 USGS Providence quadrangle1:250000
- 1947 USGS Providence quadrangle1:250000
- 1947 USGS Providence quadrangle1:250000
- 1948 USGS Providence quadrangle1:250000
- 1950 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:31680
- 1950 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:24000
- 1950 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:24000
- 1950 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:24000
- 1957 USGS Providence quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Providence quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:24000
- 1961 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:24000
- 1963 USGS Providence quadrangle1:250000
- 1974 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:25000
- 1974 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:24000
- 1977 USGS Hyannis quadrangle1:25000
- 1986 USGS New Bedford quadrangle1:100000
- 1994 USGS New Bedford quadrangle1:100000
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.
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Fires nearby
151 since 2003The 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/undetermined | 77 |
| Debris and open burning | 43 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 9 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
| Natural | 6 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 7 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 7 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | 3126 |
| 6 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | 3119 |
| 6 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | 3117 |
| 5 September 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
| 5 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachussetts State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
| 3 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Specimens collected nearby
12 of 3,078 shownMuseums 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 | Species | Year | Collected by | Where, as recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Aecidium Pers. | 1900 | Seymour, Arthur Bliss | near Shoot-flying Hill [sic; Shootflying Hill], Hyannis, Mass. [Massachusetts] |
![]() | Uromyces lespedezae-procumbentis (Schwein.) Lagerh. | 1900 | A. B. Seymour | Hyannis |
![]() | Uromyces lineolatus (Desm.) J.Schröt. | 1900 | W. G. Farlow | |
![]() | Calidris alba (Pallas, 1764) | 1866 | not recorded | Cape Cod |
| Ceramium diaphanum (Lightf.) Roth | 1873 | Lusk | Cotuit Port | |
![]() | Ceramium rubrum C.Agardh | 1873 | Lusk | Cotuit Port |
![]() | Grinnellia americana (C.Agardh) Harv. | 1873 | Lusk | Cotuit Port |
![]() | Sphacelaria cirrosa (Roth) C.Agardh | 1873 | Lusk | Cotuit Port |
![]() | Colinus virginianus virginianus (Linnaeus, 1758) | 1874 | Collector(s): William Brewster | Osterville |
![]() | Amphitrite ornata (Leidy, 1855) | 1875 | Verrill, A. E.; Merriam, C. H. | Barnstable |
![]() | Ampithoe rubricata (Montagu, 1808) | 1875 | U.S. Fish Commission | Barnstable |
![]() | Aplidium constellatum (Verrill, 1871) | 1875 | Verrill, 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 milesThe 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyannis Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Hyannis Sand and Gravel Inc | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary |
Storms nearby
14 since 1998The 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2008 | Heavy Rain | Barnstable | $50,000 | The 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 2018 | Flood | Barnstable | $5,000 | At 5:06 PM EST, a car was reported trapped in flood waters on Commerce Road in Barnstable. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Barnstable | $5,000 | A tree was downed by thunderstorm winds blocking the intersection of Main Street and Old Mill Road. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Barnstable | $5,000 | Trees along Route 6A were downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Barnstable | $3,000 | In Barnstable, there were several reports of trees and wires down blocking the road on West Barnstable Rd in Osterville. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Barnstable | $1,000 | Ping pong ball size hail fell near Cotuit Bay in Barnstable, damaging a boat. |
| March 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Barnstable | $1,000 | Amateur radio spotters reported a 64 mph wind gust measured in the Marstons Mills section of Barnstable with 4 inch diameter tree limbs downed. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Barnstable | $500 | In Barnstable, there was a tree down along Rt 6 near exit 68. |
| January 2018 | Flood | West 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 2017 | Flash Flood | West 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 2008 | Hail | Barnstable | - | Quarter size hail fell in the Marstons Mills area of Barnstable. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Barnstable | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Heavy Rain | Barnstable | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Barnstable | - | no account filed |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cobbs Village | 0.7 miles | 34 | |
| Cummaquid | 1.4 miles | 34 | |
| Yarmouth Station | 2.2 miles | 34 | |
| Yarmouth Port | 2.7 miles | 31 | |
| Hyannis | 3.4 miles | 34 | |
| Yarmouth | 3.8 miles | 31 | |
| West Barnstable | 4.0 miles | 34 | |
| Hyannis Park | 4.1 miles | 34 |
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 Barnstable | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q808535 | The 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.












































