View source for Cape Cod

{{short description|Peninsula in Massachusetts, United States}}
{{about|the area of Massachusetts}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{merge from|Barnstable County, Massachusetts|discuss=Talk:Cape Cod#Merge proposal|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox landform
| name         = Cape Cod
| other_name   = 
| type         = [[Cape (geography)|Cape]]
| map_image    = USA Mass Cape Cod location map.svg
| map_size     = 270
| map_caption  = Cape Cod ([[Barnstable County, Massachusetts|Barnstable County]]), in [[Massachusetts]]
| location     = [[Massachusetts]], United States
| water_bodies = {{unbulleted list|[[Cape Cod Bay]]|[[Buzzards Bay]]|[[Cape Cod Canal]]|[[Nantucket Sound]]}}
| coordinates  = {{coord|41.68|N|70.2|W|type:landmark_region:US-MA_scale:400000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| elevation    = {{convert|306|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| area         = {{convert|339|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}<ref name=USCG/>
| image        = White Crest Beach Wellfleet.jpg
| image_size   = 270px
| caption      = The outer beach of [[Cape Cod National Seashore]] near [[Wellfleet, Massachusetts| Wellfleet]]
| references   =
}}

'''Cape Cod''' is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of [[Massachusetts]], in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The name Cape Cod, coined in 1602 by [[Bartholomew Gosnold]], is the ninth-oldest English place-name in the U.S.<ref name="NamesOnTheLand" />

As defined by the [[Cape Cod Commission]]'s enabling legislation, Cape Cod is coextensive with [[Barnstable County, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.capecodcommission.org/index.php?id=15&maincatid=2 | title=The Cape Cod Commission Act | publisher=Cape Cod Commission |date=1989 | access-date=March 5, 2014}}</ref> It extends from [[Provincetown, Massachusetts|Provincetown]] in the northeast to [[Woods Hole, Massachusetts|Woods Hole]] in the southwest, and is bordered by [[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]] to the northwest. The Cape is divided into fifteen [[New England town|towns]], several of which are in turn made up of multiple named villages. Cape Cod forms the southern boundary of the [[Gulf of Maine]], which extends north-eastward to [[Nova Scotia]].

Since 1914, most of Cape Cod has been separated from the mainland by the [[Cape Cod Canal]]. The canal cuts {{convert|7|mi|km}} roughly across the base of the peninsula, though small portions of the Cape Cod towns of [[Bourne, Massachusetts|Bourne]] and [[Sandwich, Massachusetts|Sandwich]] lie on the mainland side of the canal. Two highway bridges cross the Cape Cod Canal: the [[Sagamore Bridge]] and the [[Bourne Bridge]]. In addition, the [[Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge]] carries [[Railway freight car|railway freight]] and provides limited passenger service onto the Cape.

==Region of Cape Cod and the Islands {{anchor|Region of Cape Cod and Islands}}==
[[File:Cape Cod 432 pan crop 15 (29361883383).jpg|thumb|right|The Cape and Islands]]

Like Cape Cod itself, the islands south of the Cape have evolved from whaling and trading areas to become resort destinations, attracting wealthy families, celebrities, and tourists. These include the large nearby islands of [[Nantucket]] and [[Martha's Vineyard]].
Both islands are also famous summer tourist destinations, commonly accessed by ferry from several locations on the cape. The phrases ''Cape Cod and the Islands'' and ''the Cape and Islands'' are often used to describe the whole region of Barnstable County, [[Dukes County, Massachusetts|Dukes County]] (including Martha's Vineyard and the smaller [[Elizabeth Islands]]), and Nantucket County.

Several small islands right off Cape Cod, including [[Monomoy Island]], [[Monomoscoy Island, Massachusetts|Monomoscoy Island]], [[Popponesset Island, Massachusetts|Popponesset Island]], and [[Seconsett Island, Massachusetts|Seconsett Island]], are also in Barnstable County.

The [[Forbes family]]-owned [[Naushon Island]] was first purchased by [[John Murray Forbes]]. Naushon is one of the Elizabeth Islands, many of which are privately owned. One of the publicly accessible Elizabeths is the southernmost island in the chain, [[Cuttyhunk Island]], with a year-round population of 52 people. Several prominent families have established compounds or estates on the larger islands, making these islands some of the wealthiest resorts in the Northeast, yet they retain much of the early merchant trading and whaling culture.

Cape Cod in particular is a popular retirement area; 31.8% of the population of Barnstable County is 65 years old or older.,<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Barnstable County, Massachusetts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/barnstablecountymassachusetts |website=www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=25 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> and the average age of residents is the highest of any area in [[New England]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Market Assessment for Cape Cod, Massachusetts |url=https://www.capecodcommission.org/resource-library/file/?url=/dept/commission/team/Website_Resources/economicdevelopment/Market_Assessment_for_Cape_Cod_FINAL.pdf}}</ref> Cape Cod is majority [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], but by a smaller margin than the rest of Massachusetts.<ref>See the tables on [[Politics of Massachusetts]], Barnstable County, Dukes County, and Nantucket</ref>

The bulk of the land in the area is [[glacial]] [[terminal moraine]] and represents the southernmost extent of glacial coverage in southeast New England; similar glacial formations make up [[Long Island#Geology|Long Island]] in New York and [[Block Island]] in Rhode Island.<ref>Fisher, J. J., & Leatherman, S. P. (1987). Glacial and coastal geology, Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts. Geological Society of America Centennial Field Guide—Northeastern Section, 213-220.</ref>

==Geography and political divisions==
[[File:SandyNeckDunes.JPG|thumb|The dunes on [[Sandy Neck Cultural Resources District|Sandy Neck]] are part of the [[Shoal|barrier beach]] that helps prevent [[coastal erosion]].]]

===Physical geography and boundaries===
[[File:CapeCod2022OSM.png|thumb|left|Detailed map of Cape Cod/Barnstable County]]
The name "Cape Cod", as it was first used in 1602, applied only to the very tip of the peninsula. It remained that way for 125 years until the "Precinct of Cape Cod" was incorporated as the Town of Provincetown. No longer in "official" use over the ensuing decades, the name came to mean all of the land east of the Manomet and Scusset rivers – essentially along the line that became the Cape Cod Canal. The creation of the canal separated the majority of the peninsula from the mainland. Many state and federal agencies, including the Cape Cod Commission and the [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA), treat the Cape as an island with regard to disaster preparedness, groundwater management, and other infrastructure factors.<ref name=USCG>{{cite web|url=http://www.uscg.mil/d1/airstaCapeCod/inboundpersonnel/area-overview.asp|title=Local Cape Cod Information|author=United States Coast Guard}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Vuilleumier |first=Marion R. |title=Sagamore Beach |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2003 |page=7 |isbn=9780738511832}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capecodcommission.org/econdevel/CEDS/CEDS2009/FINALCEDS09-5YEARUPDATE.doc |title=Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) |author=Cape Cod Commission |access-date=May 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326161203/http://www.capecodcommission.org/econdevel/CEDS/CEDS2009/FINALCEDS09-5YEARUPDATE.doc |archive-date=March 26, 2010 }}</ref> Cape Codders tend to refer to the land on the mainland side of the canal as "off-Cape", though the legal delineation of Cape Cod, coincident to the boundaries of Barnstable County, includes portions of the towns of Bourne and Sandwich that are located north of the canal.

[[Cape Cod Bay]] lies in between Cape Cod and the mainland – bounded on the north by a line between [[Provincetown]] and [[Marshfield, Massachusetts|Marshfield]]. North of Cape Cod Bay (and Provincetown) is [[Massachusetts Bay]], which contains the [[Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary]], located {{convert|5|mi|0}} north of Provincetown. Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay are both part of the Gulf of Maine, which includes the waters between the Cape and Nova Scotia. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east of Cape Cod, and to the southwest of the Cape is [[Buzzards Bay]]. The Cape Cod Canal, completed in 1916, connects Buzzards Bay to Cape Cod Bay; its creation shortened the trade route between New York and Boston by {{convert|62|mi}}.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Opening of the Cape Cod Canal|journal = Bulletin of the American Geographical Society|publisher=Bulletin of the [[American Geographical Society]]|volume=46|issue = 11|date=1914|pages=832–834|doi=10.2307/200951|jstor=200951}}</ref>

Cape Cod extends {{convert|65|mi|km}} into the Atlantic Ocean, with a breadth of between {{convert|1|–|20|mi|km}}, and covers more than {{convert|400|miles}} of shoreline.<ref>{{Britannica|123862}}.</ref> Its elevation ranges from {{convert|306|ft|m}} at its highest point, at the top of [[Pine Hill (Barnstable County, Massachusetts)|Pine Hill]], in the Bourne portion of [[Joint Base Cape Cod]], down to sea level.

Cape Cod and the Islands form part of a continuous [[archipelago|archipelagic region]] consisting of a chain of islands running from Long Island to the tip of the Cape. This region is historically and collectively known by naturalists as the [[Outer Lands]].

===Towns and villages===
[[File:Deyo-map.jpg|thumb|Barnstable County historical map, 1890]]

Cape Cod incorporates all of Barnstable County, which comprises 15 towns: [[Bourne, Massachusetts|Bourne]], [[Sandwich, Massachusetts|Sandwich]], [[Falmouth, Massachusetts|Falmouth]], [[Mashpee, Massachusetts|Mashpee]], [[Barnstable, Massachusetts|Barnstable]], [[Yarmouth, Massachusetts|Yarmouth]], [[Harwich, Massachusetts|Harwich]], [[Dennis, Massachusetts|Dennis]], [[Brewster, Massachusetts|Brewster]], [[Chatham, Massachusetts|Chatham]], [[Orleans, Massachusetts|Orleans]], [[Eastham, Massachusetts|Eastham]], [[Wellfleet, Massachusetts|Wellfleet]], [[Truro, Massachusetts|Truro]], and [[Provincetown, Massachusetts|Provincetown]]. Each of these towns includes a number of villages; see [[Barnstable County]] for a complete list.

Barnstable, the most populated municipality on Cape Cod, is the only one to have adopted a city form of government, whose legislative body is an elected 13-member [[city council|council]].<ref name="FormsOfGov">{{cite web |title=Forms of Municipal Government for each community in Massachusetts |url=http://www.mma.org/resources-mainmenu-182/doc_download/26-form-of-government-for-each-community-in-massachusetts |publisher=Massachusetts Municipal Association |date=July 2011 |access-date=May 6, 2013 |format=PDF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615165415/http://www.mma.org/resources-mainmenu-182/doc_download/26-form-of-government-for-each-community-in-massachusetts |archive-date=June 15, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="CityDates">{{cite web|url=http://www.mma.org/resources-mainmenu-182/doc_download/97-establishment-dates-and-forms-of-city-governments|title=Dates of Incorporation and/or Establishing City Form of Government|date=November 13, 2008|publisher=Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development|access-date=May 6, 2013|format=PDF|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004235907/http://www.mma.org/resources-mainmenu-182/doc_download/97-establishment-dates-and-forms-of-city-governments|archive-date=October 4, 2013}}</ref> However, like other smaller Massachusetts cities, Barnstable retained its "Town of Barnstable" moniker. All of the other towns elect a 5-member [[Board of Selectmen]] as the executive policy-setting board and utilize [[Town Meeting]]s as their legislative body.<ref name="FormsOfGov" />

===Cape Cod and the Islands===
To the south of Cape Cod lie [[Nantucket Sound]]; [[Nantucket]] and [[Martha's Vineyard]], both large islands; and the mostly privately owned [[Elizabeth Islands]].

===Sections===

{{Cape Cod overlay map|width=275|columns=3}}
[[File:Old Harbor Life Saving Station, Sunset.JPG|thumb|Old Harbor Life Saving Station, in the [[Cape Cod National Seashore]]]]

For most of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, Cape Cod was considered to consist of three sections (see map):
* The '''Upper Cape''' is the part of Cape Cod closest to the mainland, comprising the towns of [[Bourne, Massachusetts|Bourne]], Sandwich, Falmouth, and Mashpee. Falmouth is the home of the famous [[Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]] and [[Marine Biological Laboratory]] as well as several other research organizations, and is also the most-used ferry connection to Martha's Vineyard. Falmouth is composed of several separate villages, including [[East Falmouth, Massachusetts|East Falmouth]], [[Falmouth (CDP), Massachusetts|Falmouth Village]], [[Hatchville, Massachusetts|Hatchville]], [[North Falmouth, Massachusetts|North Falmouth]], [[Teaticket, Massachusetts|Teaticket]], Waquoit, [[West Falmouth, Massachusetts|West Falmouth]], and [[Woods Hole, Massachusetts|Woods Hole]], as well as several smaller hamlets that are incorporated into their larger neighbors (e.g., Davisville, Hatchville, Falmouth Heights, Quissett, Sippewissett, and others).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falmouthchamber.com/documents/FalmouthVillages.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=www.falmouthchamber.com |access-date=14 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512012921/http://www.falmouthchamber.com/documents/FalmouthVillages.pdf |archive-date=12 May 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Bourne, Massachusetts|Bourne]] is home to the [[Massachusetts Maritime Academy]], in the village of [[Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts|Buzzards Bay]], along the canal, [[Joint Base Cape Cod]], [[Aptucxet Trading Post]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bournehistoricalsociety.org/aptucxettradingpost.html |title=Aptucxet Trading Post Museum {{pipe}} |website=Bournehistoricalsociety.org |access-date=May 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831172223/http://bournehistoricalsociety.org/aptucxettradingpost.html |archive-date=August 31, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the annual [[Bourne Scallop Festival]] in September, and, until 1884, was part of Sandwich. Sandwich, the oldest town on Cape Cod, founded in 1637, is home to the [[Dexter Grist Mill]], the historic [[Hoxie House]], [[Heritage Museums and Gardens]], and the [[Sandwich Glass Museum]]. [[Mashpee, Massachusetts|Mashpee]] is the home of the [[Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe]] of Native Americans.
* The '''Mid-Cape''' area includes the towns of Barnstable, Yarmouth and Dennis. The area features many beaches, including warm-water beaches along [[Nantucket Sound]], e.g., Kalmus Beach in Hyannis, which gets its name from one of the inventors of [[Technicolor]], Herbert Kalmus. This popular windsurfing destination was bequeathed to the town of Barnstable by Dr. Kalmus on condition that it not be developed, possibly{{clarify|date=June 2024}} one of the first instances of open-space preservation in the US. The Mid-Cape is also the commercial and industrial center of the region. There are seven villages in Barnstable, including [[Barnstable (village), Massachusetts|Barnstable Village]], [[Centerville, Massachusetts|Centerville]], [[Cotuit, Massachusetts|Cotuit]], [[Hyannis, Massachusetts|Hyannis]], [[Marstons Mills, Massachusetts|Marstons Mills]], [[Osterville, Massachusetts|Osterville]], and [[West Barnstable, Massachusetts|West Barnstable]], as well as several smaller hamlets that are incorporated into their larger neighbors (e.g., [[Craigville, Massachusetts|Craigville]], [[Cummaquid, Massachusetts|Cummaquid]], [[Hyannis Port, Massachusetts|Hyannis Port]], Santuit, Wianno, and others).<ref>[http://www.town.barnstable.ma.us/InformationSystems/GIS/VILLAGES.PDF Barnstable, Massachusetts GIS Maps (Retrieved December 21, 2006 E911 Map – Town of Barnstable]. Town.barnstable.ma.us.</ref> The villages of Yarmouth are [[South Yarmouth, Massachusetts|South Yarmouth]], [[West Yarmouth, Massachusetts|West Yarmouth]] and [[Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts|Yarmouth Port]]. There are five villages in Dennis, including [[North Dennis, Massachusetts|North Dennis]], [[East Dennis, Massachusetts|East Dennis]], [[West Dennis, Massachusetts|West Dennis]], [[Dennis Port, Massachusetts|Dennis Port]], and [[South Dennis, Massachusetts|South Dennis]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.town.dennis.ma.us/aboutus.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324134318/http://www.town.dennis.ma.us/aboutus.htm|url-status=dead |title=Dennis town website (Accessed: May 3, 2009)|archive-date=March 24, 2010}}</ref>
* The '''Lower Cape & Outer Cape''' traditionally includes all of the rest of the Cape, or the towns of [[Harwich, Massachusetts|Harwich]], [[Brewster, Massachusetts|Brewster]], [[Chatham, Massachusetts|Chatham]], [[Orleans, Massachusetts|Orleans]], [[Eastham, Massachusetts|Eastham]], [[Wellfleet, Massachusetts|Wellfleet]], [[Truro, Massachusetts|Truro]], and [[Provincetown, Massachusetts|Provincetown]]. In the present day, the four outermost towns (Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, and Eastham) are more commonly and collectively known as the '''Lower Cape'''. This area is home to the [[Cape Cod National Seashore]], a national park that encompasses much of the Lower Cape, including the entire east-facing coast from Orleans to Provincetown. The Lower Cape is home to popular beaches such as Nauset Light Beach and Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, Race Point Beach in Provincetown, Ballston Beach in Truro, and Skaket Beach in Orleans. This area is less populated than the rest of Cape Cod, though Provincetown can have a crowded, city-like atmosphere during the summer season. Provincetown has become a major gay & lesbian resort destination &ndash; the town is regarded as one of the largest [[LGBT]] resort communities in the United States. Provincetown is also renowned for its historic fishing fleets and [[Stellwagen Bank]], a popular fishing ground and [[whale watching]] destination, is located a few miles north of Race Point.

==Geology==
{{Quote box |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=center |halign=center
| fontsize = 100%
| quote    = '''''"East of America, there stands in the open Atlantic the last fragment of an ancient and vanished land. Worn by the breakers and the rains, and disintegrated by the wind, it still stands bold."'''''
| source   = {{small|[[Henry Beston]], ''[[The Outermost House]]''}}
| width    = 250px
| align  = right
}}
[[File:Cape Cod Landsat 7.jpg|thumb|left|Cape Cod was formed by retreating glaciers<ref>{{cite web|url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17067 |title=Provincetown Spit, Cape Cod, Massachusetts |publisher=[[NASA Earth Observatory]] |access-date=May 2, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060930230755/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17067 |archive-date=September 30, 2006 }}</ref>]]
[[File:Geologic Map of Cape Cod.jpg|thumb|Geologic makeup of Cape Cod]]

The bulk of the land on Cape Cod consists of [[glacial landform]]s, formed by [[terminal moraine]] and [[outwash plain]]s. This represents the southernmost extent of glacial coverage in southeast New England; similar glacial formations make up [[Long Island]] in New York and [[Block Island]] in [[Rhode Island]]. Together, these formations are known as the [[Outer Lands]], or more obscurely as the "Isles of Stirling". Geologically speaking, Cape Cod is quite young, having been laid down some 16,000 to 20,000 years ago.

Most of Cape Cod's geological history involves the advance and retreat of the [[Laurentide Ice Sheet]] in the late [[Pleistocene]] geological era and the subsequent changes in sea level.<ref name="conway">{{cite book |last1=Conway |first1=J. North |title=The Cape Cod Canal: Breaking Through the Bared and Bended Arm |date=2008 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing Incorporated |isbn=9781625843821}}</ref>{{rp|28}} Using [[radiocarbon dating]] techniques, researchers have determined that around 23,000 years ago, the ice sheet reached its maximum southward advance over North America, and then started to retreat. Many [[Kettle (landform)|kettle ponds]] – clear, cold lakes – were formed and remain on Cape Cod as a result of the receding glacier. By about 18,000 years ago, the ice sheet had retreated past Cape Cod. By roughly 15,000 years ago, it had retreated past southern New England. With so much of Earth's water locked up in massive ice sheets, the sea level was lower. Truro's bayside beaches used to be a petrified forest before it became a beach.

[[File:Deposition erosion.jpg|thumb|[[Coastal erosion]] by wave action (colored buff in this map) brings growth elsewhere by [[Deposition (geology)|deposition]] of transported sediment (shown in blue).]]
As the ice began to melt, the sea began to rise. Initially, sea level rose quickly, about {{convert|15|m|ft}} per 1,000 years, but then the rate declined. On Cape Cod, sea level rose roughly {{convert|3|m|ft}} per millennium between 6,000 and 2,000 years ago. After that, it continued to rise at about {{convert|1|m|ft}} per millennium. By 6,000 years ago, the sea level was high enough to start eroding the glacial deposits that the vanished continental ice sheet had left on Cape Cod. The water transported the eroded deposits north and south along the outer Cape's shoreline through a process known as [[longshore drift]]. Those reworked sediments that moved north went to the tip of Cape Cod. The entire town of Provincetown, at the extreme tip of the Cape, is a [[Spit (landform)|spit]] consisting largely of deposited [[marine sediment]] that was eroded and transported from farther south along the shore. Those sediments that instead moved south created the islands and shoals of Monomoy. So while other parts of the Cape have dwindled from the action of the waves, these parts of the Cape have grown through the [[Deposition (geology)|deposition]] of sediment in just the last 6,000 years.

This process continues today. Due to their exposure to the open ocean, the Cape and islands are subject to considerable [[coastal erosion]]. Due to erosion, the Cape will be completely submerged by the sea within several thousand years.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/staffpages/boldale/capecod/quest.html| title=Coastal Erosion on Cape Cod: Some Questions and Answers| author=Oldale, Robert N| access-date=November 30, 2007| publisher=WoodsHole.er.usgs.gov}}</ref> This erosion causes the washout of beaches and the destruction of the barrier islands; for example, the ocean broke through the barrier island at Chatham during [[Hurricane Bob]] in 1991, allowing waves and storm surge to hit the coast with no obstruction. Consequently, the sediment and sand from the beaches are being washed away and deposited elsewhere. While this destroys land in some places, it creates land elsewhere, most noticeably in marshes where sediment is deposited by flowing water.

Cape Cod's aquifer consists of six hydrologically independent [[Lens (hydrology)|lenses]] from which all the towns on the Cape obtain drinking water (except Falmouth, which, in 2015, drew 43.5% of its water from Long Pond).<ref>[http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/eea/water/assess-rpt-capecod.pdf "Cape Cod Watershed Assessment"], www.mass.gov</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.falmouthmass.us/depart.php?depkey=water |title=Town of Falmouth - Water Department |access-date=August 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160720213407/http://www.falmouthmass.us/depart.php?depkey=water |archive-date=July 20, 2016 }}</ref> Contamination with industrial chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs from septic systems is a concern.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.silentspring.org/research-area/water-research|title=Water Research|date=July 30, 2013}}</ref> In 2023, the state began a nitrogen pollution regulation scheme for Cape Cod and the Islands to address overgrowth of algae, cyanobacteria, and plants.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/06/21/science/healey-administration-unveils-new-permit-system-address-cape-water-pollution/ |title=Healey administration unveils new permit system to address Cape water pollution
|author1=Michael P. Norton |author2=Sam Drysdale |website=[[The Boston Globe]]
|agency=State House News |date=June 21, 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Cape Cod ISS.JPG|thumb|View of Cape Cod from the [[International Space Station|ISS]]]]

==Climate==
Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], the Cape Cod area has an [[oceanic climate]]. Locally, the Cape has a more moderate climate than inland locations in eastern New England. On occasion, it takes the brunt of extreme weather systems such as the [[Blizzard of 2005]] and [[Hurricane Bob]]. Because of the influence of the Atlantic Ocean on three sides, temperatures are typically a few degrees lower in the summer and often several degrees higher in the winter than the adjacent mainland. Two ocean currents (the [[Gulf Stream]], a warm ocean current from the south, and the [[Labrador Current]], a cold ocean current from the north), meander and interact with each other. As a result, the ocean temperatures on the eastern shore of Cape Cod rarely get above {{convert|60|F|C}}, while along the southern coast ([[Nantucket Sound]]), water temperatures can sometimes reach {{convert|70|F|C}} or higher.

The water surrounding Cape Cod moderates winter temperatures nearly enough to extend the [[humid subtropical]] climate zone to what could be its northernmost limit in eastern North America, as the peninsula is split between USDA [[hardiness zones]] 7a (Upper and Mid Cape) and 7b (Lower and Outer Cape).<ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map Massachusetts |url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/system/files/MA300_HS.png |access-date=November 18, 2023 |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture}}</ref> Consequently, many subtropical indicator plant species typically found in more southerly latitudes are grown there, including ''[[Camellias]]'', ''[[Ilex opaca]]'', ''[[Magnolia grandiflora]]'' and ''[[Albizia julibrissin]]''. However, Cape Cod falls below the {{convert|72|F|C}} threshold, as the warmest month, July, averages around {{convert|68.25|F|C}}.

Cape Cod's climate is also known for a delayed spring season due to the sea remaining cold from the winter; by the same token, the summer heat retained in the sea moderates fall temperatures in comparison to the adjacent inland area. The highest temperature yet recorded on the peninsula was {{convert|104|F|C}} in Provincetown,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=006937&refer= |title=Provincetown, Massachusetts Travel Weather Averages |publisher=Weatherbase |access-date=May 13, 2016}}</ref> the lowest temperature recorded was {{convert|-12|F|C}} in Barnstable.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=083937&refer= |title=Yarmouth, Massachusetts Travel Weather Averages |publisher=Weatherbase |access-date=May 13, 2016}}</ref>

Precipitation on Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket is the lowest in the southern New England region, averaging slightly less than {{convert|40|in|cm}} a year (most parts of New England average {{convert|42|to|46|in|cm}}). This is due to the maritime influence inhibiting summertime thunderstorm development and maintenance. The region does not experience a greater number of sunny days, however, as the number of cloudy days is the same as inland locales, in addition to increased fog. On average, roughly {{convert|27|in|cm}} of snow, which is about {{convert|17|in|cm}} less than Boston, falls in an average winter.

Once every five or six years, a [[tropical storm]], accompanied by very high and potentially damaging winds and heavy rain, will strike the region. About once every 11 or 12 years a [[hurricane]] brings damaging winds and [[storm surge]]s to the region. Several [[Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale|Category 3]] storms have struck Cape Cod since record-keeping began, such as a [[1869 Atlantic hurricane season#Hurricane Six|hurricane in 1869]], the [[1938 New England hurricane]], and [[Hurricane Carol]] in 1954. Strong [[Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale|Category 2]] storms, such as the [[1869 Saxby Gale]], [[Hurricane Edna]] in 1954, and [[Hurricane Bob]] in 1991, also caused considerable damage. Notable [[Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale|Category 1]] storms include the [[1944 Great Atlantic hurricane]] and [[Hurricane Donna]] in 1960. Other notable storms include the [[Great September Gale of 1815|Gale of 1815]], which would likely have been rated a strong hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, and the so-called "[[1991 Perfect Storm|Perfect Storm]]" of October 31, 1991. The [[February 2013 nor'easter]] produced winds in excess of {{Convert|80|mph}} and dropped over {{convert|24|in|cm}} of snow on some parts of Cape Cod. The storm knocked out power to tens of thousands of Cape Cod residents, some for up to two weeks.

{{Weather box
|location = Cape Cod ([[Chatham, Massachusetts]]) 
|single line = Y
|collapsed = y
|Jan record high F = 61
|Feb record high F = 57
|Mar record high F = 77
|Apr record high F = 81
|May record high F = 88
|Jun record high F = 90
|Jul record high F = 95
|Aug record high F = 93
|Sep record high F = 85
|Oct record high F = 82
|Nov record high F = 68
|Dec record high F = 69
|year record high F =95
|Jan high F = 37.6
|Feb high F = 38.3
|Mar high F = 42.8
|Apr high F = 50.5
|May high F = 59.0
|Jun high F = 68.4
|Jul high F = 74.9
|Aug high F = 74.7
|Sep high F = 69.4
|Oct high F = 60.0
|Nov high F = 51.7
|Dec high F = 42.8
|year high F =55.9
|Jan mean F = 30.9
|Feb mean F = 31.7
|Mar mean F = 36.7
|Apr mean F = 45.1
|May mean F = 53.6
|Jun mean F = 62.6
|Jul mean F = 68.8
|Aug mean F = 68.7
|Sep mean F = 63.6
|Oct mean F = 53.9
|Nov mean F = 45.6
|Dec mean F = 36.5
|year mean F = 49.9
|Jan low F = 24.1
|Feb low F = 25.0
|Mar low F = 30.7
|Apr low F = 39.6
|May low F = 48.1
|Jun low F = 56.7
|Jul low F = 62.7
|Aug low F = 62.6
|Sep low F = 57.7
|Oct low F = 47.8
|Nov low F = 39.6
|Dec low F = 30.2
|year low F =43.8
|Jan record low F = &minus;6
|Feb record low F = &minus;4
|Mar record low F =  7
|Apr record low F = 19
|May record low F = 33
|Jun record low F = 44
|Jul record low F = 51
|Aug record low F = 47
|Sep record low F = 40
|Oct record low F = 31
|Nov record low F = 19
|Dec record low F =  0
|year record low F= &minus;6
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.83
|Feb precipitation inch = 4.24
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.85
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.14
|May precipitation inch = 3.81
|Jun precipitation inch = 3.41
|Jul precipitation inch = 3.28
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.20
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.83
|Oct precipitation inch = 4.04
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.03
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.38
|year precipitation inch=47.04
|Jan snow inch =  8.2
|Feb snow inch = 10.3
|Mar snow inch =  3.5
|Apr snow inch =  0.6
|May snow inch =    0
|Jun snow inch =    0
|Jul snow inch =    0
|Aug snow inch =    0
|Sep snow inch =    0
|Oct snow inch =    0
|Nov snow inch =  0.4
|Dec snow inch =  3.6
|year snow inch =26.6
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 12
|Feb precipitation days = 10
|Mar precipitation days = 12
|Apr precipitation days = 11
|May precipitation days = 11
|Jun precipitation days =  9
|Jul precipitation days =  8
|Aug precipitation days =  8
|Sep precipitation days =  9
|Oct precipitation days = 10
|Nov precipitation days = 11
|Dec precipitation days = 13
|year precipitation days=125
|source 1 = Western Regional Climate Center (normals 1981–2010, extremes and snow 1972–present)<ref name = WRCC >
{{cite web
  |url = http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ma1386
  |title = General Climate Summary Tables
  |publisher= Western Regional Climate Center
  |access-date = February 19, 2013
}}</ref>
|source 2 = NOAA<ref name= NOAA>
{{cite web
  | url = http://www.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=box
  | title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data
  | publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
  | access-date = February 19, 2015}}</ref>
|date=February 2016 }}

== History ==

=== Wampanoag peoples ===
Cape Cod has been the home of the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous]] [[Wampanoag]] for centuries prior to [[European colonization of the Americas|European colonization]]. They lived from the sea and were accomplished farmers. They understood the principles of [[sustainable forest management]],{{citation needed|date=September 2021}} and were known to light [[Controlled burn|controlled fires]] to keep the underbrush in check. They helped the [[Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrims]], who arrived in the fall of 1620, survive at their new [[Plymouth Colony]].

The Wampanoag gradually lost their lands during the period of European incursion through land cessions and violent conflict with white settlers. The documentary ''Natives of the Narrowland'' (1993), narrated by actress [[Julie Harris]], shows the history of the Wampanoag people through Cape Cod archaeological sites.

In 1974, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council was formed to articulate the concerns of those with Native American ancestry. They petitioned the federal government in 1975 and again in 1990 for official recognition of the Mashpee Wampanoag as a tribe. In May 2007, the Wampanoag tribe was federally recognized.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wampanoag tribe wins recognition |url=http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070525/NEWS/705250325 |author=Stephanie Vosk |publisher=Cape Cod Times |date=May 25, 2007 |access-date=June 5, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928040619/http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20070525%2FNEWS%2F705250325 |archive-date=September 28, 2007 }}</ref>

===European exploration===
Cape Cod was a landmark for early explorers. It may have been the "Promontory of [[Vinland]]" mentioned by the [[Norsemen|Norse]] voyagers (985–1025), although this is disputed. The Manomet River area (taken up by the western end of the Cape Cod Canal in the early 20th century) is claimed by some to have been visited by [[Leif Eiriksson]],<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bournehistoricalsociety.org/aptucxettradingpost.html| publisher=Bourne Historical Society| access-date=February 27, 2011| title=Aptucxet Trading Post, Bourne Historical Society, Bourne, Cape Cod, MA| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319100259/http://bournehistoricalsociety.org/aptucxettradingpost.html| archive-date=March 19, 2011| url-status=dead| df=mdy-all}}</ref> and a stone wall<ref name="Wikimapia link">{{cite web| url=http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=42044397&x=-70193120&z=16&l=0&m=h&v=2| title=The Norse Wall House on Wikimapia| access-date=February 13, 2007}}</ref> discovered in Provincetown in 1805 is also claimed to have been built by his younger brother [[Thorvald Eiriksson]] around AD 1007,<ref name="Norse Wall Cape Links">{{cite web| url=http://www.capelinks.com/cape-cod/main/entry/the-norse-wall/| title=The Norse Wall| access-date=February 13, 2007| publisher=capelinks.com}}</ref> when the keel of his ship was repaired in the harbor, according to [[Norse saga]]s. He was killed later in the same journey and is said to have been returned to this spot for burial.<ref>{{cite book| last=Jennings |first=Herman A. |title=Provincetown, or, odds and ends from the tip end |year=1890 |publisher=F. Hallett, Printer |location=Yarmouthport, Massachusetts |pages=9–14 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VXdHAAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA9}}</ref> However, there is no tangible support of the presence of Norse voyagers on Cape Cod,<ref>{{cite book|title=Massachusetts Encyclopedia|author=Tager, Jack and Jennifer L. Herman|publisher=North American Book Dist LLC|year=2008|isbn=9781878592651|page=280}}</ref> and the view is not generally accepted by archaeologists or historians.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Coast of Summer: Sailing New England Waters from Shelter Island to Cape Cod|last=Bailey|first=Anthony|publisher=Sheridan House, Inc|year=1999|isbn=9781574090741|page=[https://archive.org/details/coastofsummersai00bail_0/page/154 154]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/coastofsummersai00bail_0/page/154}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=A Journey Through Maine|last=Stockwell|first=Mary|publisher=Gibbs Smith|year=2006|isbn=9781423624165|page=48}}</ref>

[[Giovanni da Verrazzano]] approached it from the south in 1524. He named [[Martha's Vineyard]] Claudia, after [[Claude of France]], the wife of [[Francis I of France]].<ref name="History">{{cite web| url=http://history.vineyard.net/hfnorton/history.htm| title=HISTORY OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD| last=Baer| first=Chris| publisher=Historical Records of Dukes County, Massachusetts| access-date=June 27, 2009}}</ref> In 1525, Portuguese explorer [[Estêvão Gomes]] called it Cabo de la Arenas while sailing under the Spanish crown.<ref name="Weber1992">{{cite book| author=David J. Weber| title=The Spanish frontier in North America| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KOPdX2qaVrkC| access-date=March 18, 2012| year=1992| publisher=Yale University Press| isbn=978-0-300-05917-5| page=36}}</ref>

In 1602, [[Bartholomew Gosnold]] named the tip Cape Cod, the surviving term and the ninth oldest English place-name in the U.S.<ref name="NamesOnTheLand">{{cite book |title=Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States |url=https://archive.org/details/namesofland0000unse |url-access=registration |last= Stewart| first=George |author-link=George R. Stewart| year=1945 |publisher= Random House| location=New York |page= [https://archive.org/details/namesofland0000unse/page/27 27]}}</ref> [[Samuel de Champlain]] charted its sand-silted harbors in 1606, and [[Henry Hudson]] landed there in 1609. Captain [[John Smith (explorer)|John Smith]] noted it on his map of 1614, and at last the [[Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrims]] entered the "Cape Harbor" and made their first landing near [[Provincetown, Massachusetts|Provincetown]]{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} on November 11, 1620. They had their first encounter with the native inhabitants in nearby [[Eastham, Massachusetts|Eastham]].

===European settlement===
Cape Cod was among the first places settled by [[History of the Puritans in North America|Puritan colonists]] in North America. The Cape's fifteen towns developed slowly, aside from [[Barnstable, Massachusetts|Barnstable]] (1639), [[Sandwich, Massachusetts|Sandwich]] (1637), and [[Yarmouth, Massachusetts|Yarmouth]] (1639). The final town to be established on the Cape was [[Bourne, Massachusetts|Bourne]] in 1884, breaking off from Sandwich.<ref>[http://www.plymouthcolony.net/barnstable/barnhist.html Deyo, Simeon, ''The History of Barnstable County, NY, 1890'', Retrieved May 3, 2009]. Plymouthcolony.net (August 6, 1996).</ref> Provincetown was a group of huts until the 18th century. A channel from [[Massachusetts Bay]] to [[Buzzards Bay]] is shown on Southack's map of 1717. The present Cape Cod Canal was slowly developed from 1870 to 1914. The federal government purchased it in 1928.

Because of early colonial settlement and intensive land use, the Cape's vegetation was [[depauperate]] and trees were scarce by the time that [[Henry Thoreau]] saw Cape Cod during his four visits over 1849 to 1857.<ref>{{cite web|last=Thoreau|first= Henry David|title= Cape Cod |year=1865|url= http://thoreau.eserver.org/capecd00.html |access-date= May 3, 2009}}</ref> The settlers heated by fires, and it took 10 to 20 cords (40 to 80 m<sup>3</sup>) of wood to heat a home, so they cleared most of Cape Cod of timber early on. They planted familiar crops, but these were unsuited to Cape Cod's thin, glacially derived soils. For instance, much of Eastham was planted with wheat. The settlers practiced the burning of woodlands to release nutrients into the soil. Improper and [[intensive farming]] led to erosion and the loss of topsoil. Farmers grazed their cattle on the grassy dunes of coastal Massachusetts, only to watch "in horror as the denuded sands 'walked' over richer lands, burying cultivated fields and fences." Dunes on the outer Cape became more common, and many harbors filled in with eroded soils.<ref>[http://www.dianamuir.com/default/BPConservation.html "Reflections in Bullough's Pond", ''Conservation Matters''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004004757/http://www.dianamuir.com/default/BPConservation.html |date=October 4, 2011 }}, Summer 2000</ref>

By 1800, much of Cape Cod's firewood had to be transported by boat from [[Maine]]. The paucity of vegetation was worsened by the raising of [[merino]] sheep that reached its peak in New England around 1840. The early [[Industrial Revolution]] occurred through much of Massachusetts and [[Rhode Island]], but it mostly bypassed Cape Cod due to a lack of significant waterpower in the area. The Cape developed as a large fishing and [[whaling]] center as a result, and also because of its geographic position. After 1860 and the opening of the [[American West]], farmers abandoned agriculture on the Cape. By 1950, forests had recovered to an extent not seen since the 18th century.

===Modern era===
[[File:Cranberry Picking on Cape Cod.jpg|thumb|[[Cranberry]] picking in 1906]]

Cape Cod became a summer haven for city dwellers beginning at the end of the 19th century. Improved rail transportation made the towns of the Upper Cape, such as [[Bourne, Massachusetts|Bourne]] and [[Falmouth, Massachusetts|Falmouth]], accessible to [[Boston]]ians. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Northeastern mercantile elite built many large, shingled "cottages" along [[Buzzards Bay]]. The relaxed summer environment offered by Cape Cod was highlighted by writers including [[Joseph C. Lincoln]], who published novels and countless short stories about Cape Cod folks in popular magazines such as ''[[The Saturday Evening Post]]'' and the ''Delineator''.

[[Guglielmo Marconi]] made the first transatlantic [[wireless]] transmission originating in the United States from Cape Cod, at [[Wellfleet, Massachusetts|Wellfleet]]. The beach below the bluffs where his station was located is now called [[Marconi Beach]]. In 1914, he began construction of a new transatlantic wireless receiver station in [[Chatham, Massachusetts|Chatham]] and a companion transmitter station in [[Marion, Massachusetts|Marion]]. In 1920, the stations were acquired by RCA and, in 1921, Chatham began operations as a maritime radio station communicating to ships at sea using the callsign [[WCC (radio station)|WCC]]. WCC supported the communications of [[Amelia Earhart]], [[Howard Hughes]], [[Richard E. Byrd|Admiral Byrd]], and the ''[[LZ 129 Hindenburg|Hindenburg]]''. Marconi chose Chatham due to its vantage point on the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded on three sides by water. [[Walter Cronkite]] narrated a 17-minute documentary in 2005 about the history of the Chatham Station.

Much of the east-facing Atlantic seacoast of Cape Cod consists of wide, sandy beaches. In 1961, a significant portion of this coastline, already slated for housing subdivisions, was made a part of the Cape Cod National Seashore by President [[John F. Kennedy]]. It was protected from private development and preserved for public use. Large portions are open to the public, including the Marconi Site in [[Wellfleet, Massachusetts|Wellfleet]]. This is a park encompassing the site of the first two-way transoceanic radio transmission from the United States. ([[Theodore Roosevelt]] used Marconi's equipment for this transmission.)

The [[Kennedy Compound]] in [[Hyannis Port, Massachusetts|Hyannis Port]] was President Kennedy's [[summer White House]] during his presidency, and the Kennedy family continues to maintain residences on the compound. President [[Grover Cleveland]] maintained a summer home in the Gray Gables section of Bourne. Other notable residents of Cape Cod have included actress [[Julie Harris]], US Supreme Court justice [[Louis Brandeis]], figure skater [[Todd Eldredge]], composer and radio personality [[Canary Burton]], and novelists [[Norman Mailer]] and [[Kurt Vonnegut]]. Influential natives included patriot [[James Otis, Sr.|James Otis]], historian and writer [[Mercy Otis Warren]], jurist [[Lemuel Shaw]], and naval officer [[John Percival]].

==Lighthouses==
[[File:Race Point Lighthouse 1876 MA.JPG|thumb|left|[[Race Point Lighthouse]] in [[Provincetown, Massachusetts|Provincetown]] (1876)]]
{{Cape Cod Lighthouses}}
{{Quote box
| bgcolor = #FFFFF0
| salign = center
| halign = center
| fontsize = 100%
| quote = "Lighthouses, from ancient times, have fascinated members of the human race. There is something about a lighted beacon that suggests hope and trust and appeals to the better instincts of mankind."
| source = {{small|[[Edward Rowe Snow]]}}
| width = 320px
| align = right
}}

Beginning in 1797, [[lighthouse]]s were erected along Cape Cod to aid in navigation. [[Highland Light]] (or Cape Cod Light) is the oldest and tallest of these, and remains as one of a number of working lighthouses on Cape Cod and the Islands. Many of Cape Cod's earliest lighthouses featured a light tower that was attached directly to – and centered on the roof of – the [[Lighthouse keeper|keeper's dwelling]]. A stairway to the lantern room was accessible only from the top floor of the house. This came to be known as a [[Cape Cod style]] lighthouse, yet today, the only fully intact specimens are on the west coast of the United States.<ref name=lighthousefriends>{{cite web|title=Long Point, MA|url=http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=490|publisher=LighthouseFriends.com|access-date=February 15, 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Nauset Light, Eastham, MA, Cape Cod.jpg|thumb|Nauset Light, erected here in 1923 and moved to a safer location in 1996, is on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].]]
Most of Cape Cod's lighthouses are operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, with some exceptions, such as the [[Nauset Light]], which has been owned since 1997 by the Cape Cod National Seashore (National Park Service) and operated since 2004 in partnership between that agency and the non-profit Nauset Light Preservation Society.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.nausetlight.org/NLPSpage.htm |title=Nauset Light Preservation Society |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Nauset Light |publisher=Nauset Light Preservation Society |access-date=March 29, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710174635/http://www.nausetlight.org/NLPSpage.htm |archive-date=July 10, 2016 }}</ref>

In 1996, both Highland Light and Nauset Light were moved further from the shore because they were each at risk of being lost due to erosion by the sea. Highland Light, then {{convert|110|ft|m|abbr=on}} from the ocean, was moved {{convert|450|ft|m|abbr=on}} to the west, and Nauset Light, {{convert|37|ft|m|abbr=on}} from the bluff, was moved {{convert|300|ft|m|abbr=on}} west.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lighthouse Moves – Cape Cod National Seashore |url=http://www.nps.gov/caco/historyculture/lighthouse-moves.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031235628/http://www.nps.gov/caco/historyculture/lighthouse-moves.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 31, 2007 |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=January 30, 2013}}</ref>

The lighthouses of Cape Cod include:
* Upper Cape: [[Nobska Light]], [[Wing's Neck Light]] (privately owned), and [[Cleveland Ledge Light]] (also private).
* Mid Cape: [[Sandy Neck Light]], [[Hyannis Harbor Light]], Lewis Bay Light (or Hyannis Inner Harbor Light, also private), [[Bishop and Clerks Light]], [[Lighthouse Inn (West Dennis, Massachusetts)|West Dennis Light]] (formerly the Bass River Light)
* Lower Cape: [[Chatham Light]], [[Monomoy Point Light]], [[Stage Harbor Light]]
* Outer Cape: [[Long Point Light]], [[Wood End Light]], [[Race Point Light]], [[Highland Light]], [[Nauset Light]], [[Three Sisters of Nauset]], [[Mayo Beach Light]], [[Billingsgate Island Light]]

==Transportation==
[[File:Cape Cod Bourne Bridge and Railroad Bridge.jpg|thumb|The [[Bourne Bridge]] over the Cape Cod Canal, with the [[Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge]] in the background]]

===Road===
Cape Cod is accessible via [[Route 3 (Massachusetts)|Route 3]] to the [[Sagamore Bridge]] via [[Boston]]. [[U.S. Route 6 in Massachusetts|Route 6]] runs throughout the length of Cape Cod. It is also accessible via [[Interstate 95|I-95]] through Providence and then from [[Interstate 195 (Rhode Island–Massachusetts)|I-195]] to the [[Bourne Bridge]]. These two bridges are the lifeline of Cape Cod. The traffic on Cape Cod peaks during the peak season and slows down in the off-season.

As of August 2025, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was planning a $2.4 billion project to build a new bridge from the mainland onto Cape Cod, replacing the Sagamore and Bourne bridges, which would be the state's largest public works project in decades.<ref>{{Cite web |last=WSJ |first=E. B. Solomont {{!}} Video and photographs by Bob O’Connor for |title=A $2.4 Billion Bridge Is Coming to Cape Cod. Their Homes Will Be Seized to Build It. |url=https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/cape-cod-sagamore-bridge-eminent-domain-3da747b9 |access-date=2025-08-15 |website=WSJ |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Air===
[[Cape Cod Gateway Airport]] is the largest airport on Cape Cod. [[Cape Air]] has year-round service there, while other airlines like [[American Airlines]] and [[JetBlue]] run seasonally. [[Provincetown Municipal Airport]] has seasonal Cape Air service in the summer.

There is one military airport at [[Otis Air National Guard Base]].

The closest major airports to Cape Cod are [[Logan International Airport]] and [[Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport]].

=== Ferry service ===
Boston Harbor City Cruises and Bay State Cruise Company run seasonal 90-minute fast ferries between Boston and Provincetown.

===Bus===
The [[Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority]] runs year-round buses throughout Cape Cod.

Long-distance bus service is available through [[Plymouth & Brockton]] and [[Peter Pan Bus]], connecting Cape Cod to [[South Station]] and [[Logan International Airport]].

===Rail service===
{{Main|Cape Cod Railroad}}
The third bridge over the Cape Cod Canal is a [[vertical-lift bridge|vertical-lift]] [[Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge|railroad bridge]], providing an alternative land transport option. After the bridge, the track splits in two directions, heading towards Hyannis in one direction and North Falmouth in the other. The track to Hyannis is used for both freight and passenger services, while the Falmouth track is used mostly for freight with very limited passenger service.

====Passenger====
The [[CapeFlyer]] is a seasonal passenger rail service between Boston and Hyannis that operates on summer weekends from [[Memorial Day]] through Labor Day.

The [[Cape Cod Central Railroad]] is a [[heritage railroad]] on Cape Cod. The service is primarily tourist-oriented and includes a dinner train over a scenic route between Hyannis and the Cape Cod Canal lasting about 2{{frac|1|2}} hours round trip. Select trains feature stops at [[West Barnstable station|West Barnstable]] and [[Sandwich railway station|Sandwich]]. Additional service is also provided from the Buzzards Bay station, and a small number of trains also depart from North Falmouth.

====Freight====
Active freight service remains in the Upper Cape, both along the main line from Bourne to Hyannis and on the spur to North Falmouth. One of the more frequent operations is the transport of municipal waste to a waste-to-energy plant in [[Rochester, Massachusetts|Rochester]], as well as the removal of debris and refuse from [[Joint Base Cape Cod]] in Falmouth. [[Massachusetts Coastal Railroad]] is currently the sole operator of freight rail on the Cape, taking over from [[Bay Colony Railroad]] in 2007.

====Historic====
Daily passenger rail service by the [[New Haven Railroad]] from Boston to Cape Cod ended in June 1959. Summertime ''[[Day Cape Codder]]'' service by the New Haven from New York City to the Cape ended in 1964. In 1978, the tracks east of South Dennis were abandoned and replaced with the [[Cape Cod Rail Trail]]. Another bike path, the [[Shining Sea Bikeway]], was built over abandoned tracks between Woods Hole and Falmouth in 1975, and in 2008 the {{convert|7.4|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} rail line between Falmouth and North Falmouth was removed and the right-of-way converted into an extension of the Shining Sea Bikeway.

In 1986, [[Amtrak]] operated a seasonal service in the summer from New York City to Hyannis called the ''[[Cape Codder (train)|Cape Codder]]''. From 1988, Amtrak and the [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]] increased service to a daily frequency,<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael |last=Kolleth |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 29, 1988 |title=Daily Rail Service to Cape is Returning |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/29/us/daily-rail-service-to-cape-is-returning.html?sq=%22cape+cod%22+railroad&scp=8&st=nyt }}</ref> until service ended in 1996, leaving a gap until the current [[CapeFlyer]] service began in 2013.

===Bicycle===
[[File:Old Colony Rail Trail.jpg|thumb|Old Colony Rail Trail in [[Harwich, Massachusetts|Harwich]]]]
Bicycle and pedestrian access to the Cape is possible via a sidewalk on the southbound side of the [[Bourne Bridge]]. There are a number of dedicated bike trails and paths around the Cape, including:
* [[Cape Cod Rail Trail]] - South Dennis to Wellfleet
* [[Old Colony Rail Trail]] - Harwich and Chatham, connecting with the Cape Cod Rail Trail
* Various trails in the Cape Cod National Seashore<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/upload/2012biketraillweb.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/upload/2012biketraillweb.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=dead |title=Cape Cod : Bike trails, safety tips, and guidelines |website=Nps.gov |access-date=May 13, 2016}}</ref>
* Various trails in [[Nickerson State Park]], connecting with the Cape Cod Rail Trail
* [[Shining Sea Bikeway]] - Woods Hole to North Falmouth
* Cape Cod Canal path on both sides of the canal
* Various unpaved Mid-Cape trails<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capecodbikeguide.com/trails.asp |title=Road Cycling, Off Road Riding, ATB, MTB, Biking, Bicycle Trails On-road and Off-road |publisher=Cape Cod Bike Guide |access-date=May 13, 2016}}</ref>

For long-distance biking, the mostly on-road [[Claire Saltonstall Bikeway]] connects Cape Cod to the [[Charles River Bike Path]] in Boston.

== Tourism ==
[[File:Sum04-115.jpg|thumb|left|[[Hyannis, Massachusetts|Hyannis Harbor]] on [[Nantucket Sound]]]]
Cape Cod has a year-round population of about 220,000, and it experiences a tourist season during the warmer months, the beginning and end of which can be roughly approximated as [[Memorial Day]] and [[Columbus Day]], respectively. Many businesses specifically target summer visitors, although the "on season" has been expanding somewhat in recent years due to [[Indian summer|Indian Summer]], reduced lodging rates, the number of people visiting the Cape after Labor Day who have no school-age children, and the elderly—reducing the true "off-season" to six or seven months. In the late 20th century, tourists and owners of second homes began visiting the Cape more and more in the spring and fall, softening the definition of the high season and expanding it somewhat.

[[Provincetown, Massachusetts|Provincetown]] berths the original East Coast [[whale watching]] fleet (Dolphin Fleet) who patrol the [[Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary]]. The fleet guarantees a whale sighting (mostly [[humpback whale]], [[fin whale]], [[minke whale]], [[sei whale]], and the critically endangered [[North Atlantic right whale]]) and is the only federally certified operation qualified to rescue whales. Provincetown has also long been known as an art colony, attracting writers and artists. The town is home to the Cape's most attended art museum, the [[Provincetown Art Association and Museum]].
[[File:Cape Cod Beach.png|thumb|138x138px|A beach on Cape Cod]]
Cape Cod is a popular destination for beachgoers from all over, with {{convert|559.6|mi|km}} of coastline. Beaches—both public and private—are easily accessible. The Cape has upwards of sixty public beaches, many of which offer parking for non-residents for a daily fee (in summer). The Cape Cod National Seashore has {{convert|40|mi|km}} of sandy beach and many walking paths.

Cape Cod is also popular for its outdoor activities, such as beach walking, biking, boating, fishing, go-karts, golfing, kayaking, miniature golf, and unique shopping. There are 27 public, daily-fee golf courses and 15 private courses on Cape Cod.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capecodchamber.org/Cape_Cod_Golf.asp |title=Find Cape Cod Golf Courses, Golf Packages and Golf Resorts &#124; Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce |access-date=February 6, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704075920/http://www.capecodchamber.org/Cape_Cod_Golf.asp |archive-date=July 4, 2008 }}</ref> [[Bed and breakfast]]s or vacation houses are often used for lodging.

Each summer, the Naukabout Music Festival is held at the Barnstable County Fair Grounds located in [[East Falmouth, Massachusetts|East Falmouth]], typically during the first weekend of August. The festival features local, regional, and national talent, along with food, arts, and family-friendly activities. Some particularly well-known Cape products and industries include [[cranberry|cranberries]], [[shellfish]] (particularly [[oyster]]s and clams), and [[lobster fishing|lobstering]].

=== Sport fishing ===
Cape Cod is known around the world as a spring-to-fall destination for sport anglers. Among the species most widely pursued are [[striped bass]], [[bluefish]], [[Atlantic bluefin tuna|bluefin tuna]], false albacore ([[little tunny]]), [[bonito]], [[tautog]], [[flounder]] and [[Summer flounder|fluke]]. The Cape Cod Bay side of the Cape, from Sandwich to Provincetown, has numerous harbors, saltwater creeks, and shoals that hold bait fish and attract the larger game fish, such as striped bass, bluefish and bluefin tuna.

The outer edge of the Cape, from Provincetown to Falmouth, faces the open Atlantic from Provincetown to Chatham, and then the more protected water of Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds, from Chatham to Falmouth. The bays, harbors and shoals along this coastline also provide a robust habitat for game species, and during the late summer months warm-water species such as [[mahi-mahi]] and [[marlin]] will also appear on the southern edge of Cape Cod's waters. Nearly every harbor on Cape Cod hosts sport fishing charter boats, which run from May through October.<ref name="test">{{cite web|url=http://www.gofishn.com/content/massachusetts-provincetown-to-falmouth |title=Cape Cod Provincetown to Falmouth fishing - GoFISHn, Where anglers connect |access-date=January 18, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116160204/http://www.gofishn.com/content/massachusetts-provincetown-to-falmouth |archive-date=January 16, 2010 }}</ref>

One of the most popular fishing spots on the East Coast is the Cape Cod Canal. Striped bass, especially, in season attract anglers from far and wide. A large part of the attraction involves ease of access. Ample free parking exists all along the waterway, and the banks are a short walk from one's vehicle. This reduces fishing to the basics – a pole and a few lures.

==Sports==
[[File:Veterans Field, Chatham MA (345015947).jpg|thumb|[[Veteran's Field]] in [[Chatham, Massachusetts]], home of the [[Chatham Anglers]]]]
The Cape has nine amateur baseball franchises playing within Barnstable County in the [[Cape Cod Baseball League]]. The [[Wareham Gatemen]] also play in the Cape Cod Baseball League in nearby [[Wareham, Massachusetts|Wareham]] in [[Plymouth County, Massachusetts|Plymouth County]]. The league's beginning is unsettled, even fanciful. Without any basis whatsoever, some claim a start date of 1875. However, the first Cape Cod League was formed in Sandwich in 1910. It did not last. Three years later - in 1913 - another Cape Cod Baseball League was organized. This venture lasted two years. In 1916, a third attempt at league play barely got off the ground. Then, in 1923, an initial four teams met in Hyannis and started a successful federation along the lines of the present league. Outstanding players from throughout the region competed until the war effort led to a shutdown in 1940. In 1946, the local town teams from the prewar County Twilight League and Lower Cape Cod League organized under the Cape Cod Baseball League banner. As the years passed, local players were moved aside by outside college stars. Finally, in 1963, the league became a wholly summer collegiate circuit sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association with some Major League financial support.<ref>Ellis, James H. "Cape Cod League a Talent Showcase." ''The Baseball Research Journal'' 15 (1986): 56-59.</ref> The current teams in the league are the [[Bourne Braves]], [[Brewster Whitecaps]], [[Chatham Anglers]] (formerly the Chatham Athletics), [[Cotuit Kettleers]], [[Falmouth Commodores]], [[Harwich Mariners]], [[Hyannis Harbor Hawks]] (formerly the Hyannis Mets), [[Orleans Firebirds]] (formerly the Orleans Cardinals), [[Wareham Gatemen]] and the [[Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox]]. [[Major League Baseball|MLB scouts]] frequent the games in the summer, looking for stars of the future.

Along with the [[Cape Cod Baseball League]] and the former [[junior hockey]] team, the [[Cape Cod Islanders]], many high school players are being recruited as well. Barnstable and Harwich have each sent multiple players to Division 1 colleges for baseball. Harwich has also won three state titles since 1996 (1996, 2006, 2007). Bourne and Sandwich, rivals in hockey, have each won state championships recently, Bourne in 2004 and Sandwich in 2007. Nauset won their first state championship in hockey in 2025. Barnstable and Martha's Vineyard are also considered state hockey powerhouses. Barnstable and Falmouth hold the title of having [[List of high school football rivalries (100 years+)|one of the longest Thanksgiving football rivalries in the country]]. The teams have played each other every year on Thanksgiving since 1895. High school football teams on the Cape have also recently become successful and the region has also become a hot spot for college recruiting. In 2011, four high school football teams from the Cape won state championships in their respective divisions; Dennis-Yarmouth (Division 2A), Bourne (Division 3A), Mashpee (Division 4), as well as Nantucket and Upper Cape Cod Tech (Division 5). Also, numerous other Cape schools have made appearances in the football state championship game recently, including Barnstable in 2012, Martha's Vineyard in 2008, Cape Cod Tech in 2006, and Dennis-Yarmouth in 2013. The Bourne and Barnstable girls' volleyball teams are two of the best teams in the state and Barnstable is considered one of the best programs in the country. Bourne won the state title in 2003 and 2007, and Barnstable has won 12 Division 1 state titles in the past 13 years and has won the state title three consecutive seasons (2011 to 2013). In the 2010 cross-country season, Sturgis Charter Public School's Division 4 cross-country team remained virtually unbeaten throughout their running season.

The end of each summer is marked with the running of the [[Falmouth Road Race]], held on the third Saturday in August. It draws about 10,000 runners to the Cape and showcases the finest runners in the world (mainly for the large purse that the race is able to offer). The race is {{convert|7.0|mi|km}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/certification/measurement_news/MN121Sept03.pdf|title=Measurement News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924002510/http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/certification/measurement_news/MN121Sept03.pdf|archive-date=September 24, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> long, which is a non-standard distance. The reason for the unusual distance is that the man who thought the race up (Tommy Leonard) was a bartender who wanted a race along the coast from one bar (The Cap'n Kidd in Woods Hole) to another (The Brothers Four in Falmouth Heights). While the bar in Falmouth Heights is now the British Beer Company, the race still starts at the front door of the Cap'n Kidd in Woods Hole and now finishes at the beach in Falmouth Heights. Prior to the Falmouth race is an annual {{convert|5|mi|km|adj=on}} race through Brewster called the Brew Run, held early in August.

==Education==
Every town on the Cape has access to elementary, middle, and high school education, although some schools service several towns. These schools include [[Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School]], located in Yarmouth, which serves Yarmouth and Dennis; [[Monomoy Regional High School]], located in Harwich, which serves Harwich and Chatham; and [[Nauset Regional High School]] in Eastham, which serves the towns of Brewster, Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown.

[[Barnstable High School]] is the Cape's largest. [[Sturgis Charter Public School]], a public charter school in Hyannis, is open to students from the Cape and surrounding regions, extending as far as [[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]]. The Cape also has two vocational high schools. One is the [[Cape Cod Regional Technical High School]] in Harwich, and the other is [[Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School]] in Bourne.

In 1976 the Cape schools and districts petitioned the Massachusetts Legislature to create an educational collaborative, the Cape Cod Collaborative, to facilitate cooperation and efficiency in providing gifted and talented, and special needs programs. With locations in Osterville and Bourne the Cape Cod Collaborative provides transportation services, professional development, autism support, developmental training, itinerant services and an alternative education program. Each summer, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, it operates a science-based program for gifted and talented students from around the Cape.

[[Mashpee High School]] is home to the Mashpee Chapter of SMPTE, the [[Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers]]. This chapter is the first and only high-school chapter in the world to be a part of this organization and has received much recognition within the Los Angeles broadcasting industry as a result.

In addition to public schools, Cape Cod has a wide range of private schools. The town of Barnstable has Trinity Christian Academy, [[Cape Cod Academy]], St Francis Xavier Preparatory School, and [[Pope John Paul II High School (Massachusetts)|Saint John Paul II High School]]. Sandwich offers the Waldorf School of Cape Cod, Harwich offers the Lighthouse Charter School for elementary and middle-school students, and Falmouth offers [[Falmouth Academy]]. [[Riverview School]] is located in East Sandwich and is a special co-ed boarding school that serves students as old as 22 who have learning disabilities.

Cape Cod contains three institutions of higher education. One is the [[Cape Cod Community College]] located in West Barnstable. The second is [[Massachusetts Maritime Academy]] in the village of [[Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts|Buzzards Bay]]. Massachusetts Maritime Academy is the oldest continuously operating maritime college in the United States. The third is [[Bridgewater State University]], which opened a satellite campus in [[South Yarmouth, Massachusetts|South Yarmouth]] in January 2015. The school will provide 40 undergraduate and graduate courses leading to the completion of bachelor's degree and master's degree programs in Early Childhood Education, Educational Leadership, Secondary Education, Reading, and Special Education. The campus will also offer Certificate Programs in Business and Social Work. Undergraduate credit courses in History are also available.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capecodonline.com/article/20141113/News/141119791 |title=Bridgewater gets ready to open Cape campus on Jan. 21 - News - capecodonline.com - Hyannis, MA |access-date=December 13, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216041628/http://www.capecodonline.com/article/20141113/News/141119791 |archive-date=December 16, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bridgew.edu/bridgewater-cape-cod |title=BSU Cape Cod {{pipe}} Bridgewater State University |website=Bridgew.edu |access-date=May 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207124732/http://www.bridgew.edu/bridgewater-cape-cod |archive-date=December 7, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==In popular culture and art==

* The book ''Cape Cod'', written by naturalist [[Henry David Thoreau]] about his 1849 travels there, was published posthumously in 1865.

* The [[Cape Codder (cocktail)|Cape Codder cocktail]] is named after the peninsula; both are notable for [[cranberry]]. Cape Cod also generated a distinctive [[Cape Cod (house)|Cape style house]] and [[Cape Cod style|Cape lighthouse]].

[[File:Cape Cod Auto Map (62797).jpg|thumb|Cape Cod Auto Map, 1930s–40s postcard by [[Tichnor Bros.]] of Boston]]

* [[Edward Hopper]] owned a summer house in Truro and painted numerous Cape scenes including: ''Corn Hill'' (1930), ''Highland Light, North Truro'' (1930), ''Rich's House'' (1930), ''High Road'' (1931), ''House on Dune Edge'' (1931), ''Cold Storage Plant'' (1933), and ''Cottages at North Truro'' (1936).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dicum|first1=Gregory|title=Cape Cod, in Edward Hopper's Light|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/travel/10cultured.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 10, 2008}}</ref>

* The popular record "[[Old Cape Cod]]," sung by [[Patti Page]], published in 1957 praises the destination of Cape Cod.

* In 1996, Massachusetts began issuing a "Cape & Islands" specialty [[Vehicle registration plates of Massachusetts|registration plate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wickedlocal.com/photogallery/WL/20171102/PHOTOGALLERY/110209988/PH/1|title=Massachusetts speciality plates (see photo #4 for Cape and Islands plate)|website=Wicked Local.com|access-date=July 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://capeandislandsplate.com/ |title=Keep the sand in your shoes all year long |website=Capeandislandsplate.com |access-date=May 13, 2016}}</ref>
* In 2001, the film [[Summer Catch|''Summer Catch'']] was released. It is a romantic comedy about a baseball player, portrayed by [[Freddie Prinze Jr.]], in the [[Cape Cod Baseball League]] and his love interest, played by [[Jessica Biel]].
* In 2015, [[HBO]] released a documentary, ''Heroin: Cape Cod'', about the drug epidemic in the Cape''.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Myers |first=K. C. |title=Heroin's impact, right here at home |url=https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/drugs/2015/12/11/heroin-s-impact-right-here/26094452007/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=Cape Cod Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
* In 2020, [[Allie X]] released an album ''[[Cape God]]'', which was inspired by the documentary.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Torres |first=Eric |title=Allie X: Cape God |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/allie-x-cape-god/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States}}
* ''[[Mayflower]]''
* [[Wildfire history of Cape Cod]]

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
*{{Cite book |title=Cape Cod and the Old Colony |first=Albert Perry |last=Brigham |publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons |location=New York |year=1920 |url=https://archive.org/details/capecodandoldco02briggoog }}
*[https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/capecod/ Geologic History of Cape Cod, Massachusetts], by the [[United States Geological Survey]] (USGS)

==Further reading==
* Cumbler, John T. ''Cape Cod: An Environmental History of a Fragile Ecosystem.'' Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2014.
* Finch, Robert (1981) ''Common Ground: A Naturalist's Cape Cod''. W. W. Norton. {{ISBN|9780393311792}}.
* Freeman, Frederick. (1860). [https://books.google.com/books?id=D9uEQbPZB9YC ''The History of Cape Cod: The Annals of Barnstable County and of Its Several Towns (Vol. 1)'']. Harvard University.
* Freeman, Frederick. (1862). [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_vIzF-SN29ksC ''The History of Cape Cod: The Annals of Barnstable County and of Its Several Towns (Vol. 2)'']. Harvard University. 
* LeBlanc, D.R. (1986). ''Ground-water resources of Cape Cod, Massachusetts'' [Hydrologic Investigations Atlas HA-692]. Reston, Va.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
* Massey, A.J., C.S. Carlson, and D.R. LeBlanc. (2006). ''Ground-water levels near the top of the water-table mound, western Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2002–04'' [Scientific Investigations Report 2006-5054]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
* Masterson, J.P. and J.W. Portnoy. (2005). ''Potential changes in ground-water flow and their effects on the ecology and water resources of the Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts'' [General Information Product 13]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
* Sargent, William (1981) ''Shallow Waters: A Year on Cape Cod’s Pleasant Bay''. Houghton Mifflin. 
* Walter, D.A. and A.T. Whealan. (2005). ''Simulated water sources and effects of pumping on surface and ground water, Sagamore and Monomoy flow lenses, Cape Cod, Massachusetts'' [Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5181]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
*{{cite book |last=Cape Cod Commission Transportation Staff |date=May 20, 2013 |title=Cape Cod 2012 Regional Transportation Plan |publisher=Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization |url=http://www.capecodcommission.org/resources/transportation/rtp/CapeCodRTP_Revised_05202013.pdf |access-date=April 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170124131254/http://www.capecodcommission.org/resources/transportation/rtp/CapeCodRTP_Revised_05202013.pdf |archive-date=January 24, 2017 |url-status=dead |ref=none}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Cape Cod|voy=Cape Cod |n=no |q=yes |s=no |b=no |v=no}}
*[http://www.capecodchamber.org Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce]
*[https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/capecod/ "Geologic History of Cape Cod, Massachusetts"], U.S. Geological Survey
*{{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Cape Cod|ref=none}}

{{Barnstable County, Massachusetts|state=uncollapsed}}
{{Massachusetts|state=collapsed}}
{{Islands and Peninsulas of Massachusetts}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Barrier islands of Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Cape Cod and the Islands|Cape Cod and the Islands]]
[[Category:Geology of Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Headlands of Massachusetts|Cod, Cape]]
[[Category:Islands of Barnstable County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Moraines of the United States]]
[[Category:New England]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Regions of Massachusetts]]