Provincetown


Region Type Maps & Charts (if available, no international)
North America, New England Seaport, City Provincetown

Resort town (1990 pop. 3,561), Barnstable co., SE Mass., on the tip of Cape Cod, with a harbor on Cape Cod Bay, and 24 miles NNE of Barnstable; 42º04'N 70º11'W. The principal industries are tourism and fishing. The Pilgrims landed here in 1620 and stayed about a month before moving on to Plymouth. Permanent Eur. settlement was not made until c.1700. Fishing was always the town’s staple industry, but whaling, salt making, rum running, and smuggling were also practiced. In the 20th cent. the town gained fame as a resort favored particularly by artists. Points of interest include the granite Pilgrim Monument and Mus. (1910); the Cape Cod Natl. Seashore’s visitor center; whale watching; and the Provincetown Playhouse. Inc. 1727.

Sources

Robert A. McCaughey

Compiler

Peter Richards

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