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Wellfleet is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Located halfway between the "tip" and "elbow" of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the town of Wellfleet occupies 35.4 square miles (91.6 km²). It had a year-round population of 2,749 according to the 2000 US Census, which swells nearly sixfold during the summer. Nearly half of the land area of Wellfleet is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore and a total of 70% of the town's land area is in some form of protection, with land owned by the town, the conservation commission and the Audubon Society. Wellfleet is famous for its eponymous oysters and cranberries. Additionally the town has the second greatest concentration of art galleries on Cape Cod, right after Provincetown.
History Wellfleet was incorporated in 1763, but was discovered by Europeans as early as 1606, when the French explorer Samuel de Champlain explored and named it "Port Aux Huitres" (Oyster Port) for the bountiful oyster population resident to the area. Wellfleet originally developed as part of neighboring Eastham, achieving town status after nearly 30 years of petitioning. Despite Wellfleet's oyster riches, it was mainly a whaling town in the years before the American Revolution. This was primarily the result of unknown pathogens wiping out much of Wellfleet's oyster beds. During the Revolution, Wellfleet's harbor was blockaded, forcing the residents to take up commercial fishing. With the construction of the Chequesset Inn in the late 1800s, which has since been destoyed by ice, Wellfleet developed the tourist industry it enjoys today. Marconi built one of his first radio transmission sites in Wellfleet. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy created the Cape Cod National Seashore, which encompasses much of the eastern Cape's beaches, including those on the Atlantic side of Wellfleet. These beaches are available to the public, with parking at the Marconi Site. Wellfleet also has several town-owned beaches. Downtown Wellfleet is located on the inner side, near Wellfleet Harbor. It remains an active fishing and oystering center today. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 91.6 km² (35.4 mi²). 51.4 km² (19.8 mi²) of it is land and 40.2 km² (15.5 mi²) of it (43.89%) is water. At one time, Wellfleet had an island known as Billingsgate Island, to the south of what is now Jeremy Point on the bay side of the town. Once a flourishing small community with a light house, the island was destroyed by coastal erosion and now exists as a shoal that is sometimes exposed at low tide. Demographics As of the census2 of 2000, there were 2,749 people, 1,301 households, and 724 families residing in the town. The population density was 53.5/km² (138.6/mi²). There were 3,998 housing units at an average density of 77.8/km² (201.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.58% White, 0.95% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population. There were 1,301 households out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.3% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.75. In the town the population was spread out with 17.8% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $43,558, and the median income for a family was $50,990. Males had a median income of $38,100 versus $35,964 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,712. About 5.7% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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