Orleans, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Orleans is a town
in Barnstable County
, Massachusetts
, United States
. Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod
. The population was 5,890 at the 2010 census.
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place
Orleans, please see the article Orleans (CDP), Massachusetts
.
who were dissatisfied with the poor soil and small tracts of land granted to them. Originally the southern parish of neighboring Eastham, Orleans was officially incorporated in 1797. Orleans was named in honor of Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
, in recognition of France's support for the 13 colonies during the American Revolution
, and because the town did not want an English name, as they had been captured twice by the British during the war.
Early history, like much of the Cape, revolved around fishing, whaling and agriculture. As the fishing industry grew, salt works sprang up in the town to help preserve the catches. However, the town's growth helped deplete the town of lumber, a situation that did not begin to be remedied until the railroad came and brought lumber from the mainland in the mid-to-late-19th century. The rail also helped bring tourism to the town. In 1898, the French Cable Company built a 3200 mile long transatlantic cable to Orleans, which operated from the French Cable Station
. The town's tourism industry was helped in 1961 with the creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore
by President John F. Kennedy
.
, the town has a total area of 21.1 square miles (54.6 km²), of which 14.2 square miles (36.7 km²) is land and 6.9 square miles (17.9 km², 32.73%) is water. Orleans is bordered by Eastham
to the north, the Atlantic Ocean
to the east, Pleasant Bay and the town of Chatham
to the south, Harwich
to the southwest, Brewster
to the west, and Cape Cod Bay
to the northwest. Orleans is twenty-seven miles south of Provincetown
, twenty-two miles east of Barnstable
, thirty-six miles east of the Sagamore Bridge
, and ninety miles southeast of Boston.
Orleans is located on the inner "elbow" section of Cape Cod. The town is dotted with bogs and ponds in the western part of town, with many inlets, islands and harbors along the eastern coast of the town, including Town Cove, Nauset Harbor, Pleasant Bay
, and Little Pleasant Bay. Rock Harbor, bounded by and shared with the Town of Eastham, is located in the "crease" of the inner elbow and provides boating access to Cape Cod Bay. Cape Cod National Seashore
lies along the coast as well.
and 28. The two routes join together south of the town line and end at a rotary with Route 6 at the Eastham town line. Route 39
, which traces a portion of the Brewster town line, ends in the southern part of the town at Route 28. Other than two small non-outleted lanes, only Route 6 and Bridge Road pass northward into Eastham.
Orleans has no rail or air service in town. The nearest regional air service can be reached in nearby Chatham, and the nearest national and international airport is Logan International Airport
in Boston.
of 2000, there were 6,341 people, 3,087 households, and 1,771 families residing in the town. The population density
was 447.3 people per square mile (172.8/km²). There were 5,073 housing units at an average density of 357.9 per square mile (138.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.57% White, 0.58% Black or African American
, 0.17% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.14% from other races
, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.
There were 3,087 households out of which 14.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples
living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.6% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.55.
In the town the population was spread out with 13.8% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 17.3% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 36.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,594, and the median income for a family was $62,909. Males had a median income of $44,246 versus $30,017 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $29,553. About 2.7% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
as a part of the Fourth Barnstable district, which includes (with the exception of Brewster) all the towns east and north of Harwich on the Cape. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate
as a part of the Cape and Islands District, which includes all of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket except the towns of Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich and a portion of Barnstable. The town is patrolled by the Second (Yarmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police
.
On the national level, Orleans is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional district
, and is currently represented by Bill Delahunt
. The state's senior (Class II) member of the United States Senate
, re-elected in 2008, is John Kerry
. The junior (Class I) member, elected in the 2010 special election is Scott Brown
.
Orleans is governed by the open town meeting
form of government, and is led by a town secretary and a board of selectmen
. The town has its own police and fire departments, both headquartered south of the Route 6A-Route 28 intersection. There are three post offices, in East Orleans, Orleans Center and South Orleans. The Snow Library, named for the original benefactor of the library, is located in Orleans Center, and is supported by the Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing
library network. The town also operates several beaches, boat landings, and small parks, and has a historical commission which meets in the town's original meeting house (across the street from the current Town Hall). Orleans is also the site of a county courthouse, which serves much of the lower Cape.
, and thus an exposed portion of the coast, has been a target in wartime despite its lack of strategic significance. In 1814 its residents repelled an invasion of British marines from the HMS Newcastle
. Nauset Beach was also the only US site hit by foreign munitions during World War I
, although these shells were apparently aimed at barges close off shore. This was the first time a foreign entity fired upon American soil since the War of 1812
.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Barnstable County
Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, consisting of Cape Cod and associated islands. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,902...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. The population was 5,890 at the 2010 census.
For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
Orleans, please see the article Orleans (CDP), Massachusetts
Orleans (CDP), Massachusetts
Orleans is a census-designated place in the town of Orleans in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,716 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Orleans is located at ....
.
History
Orleans was first settled in 1693 by Pilgrims from the Plymouth ColonyPlymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
who were dissatisfied with the poor soil and small tracts of land granted to them. Originally the southern parish of neighboring Eastham, Orleans was officially incorporated in 1797. Orleans was named in honor of Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Louis Philippe Joseph d'Orléans commonly known as Philippe, was a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the ruling dynasty of France. He actively supported the French Revolution and adopted the name Philippe Égalité, but was nonetheless guillotined during the Reign of Terror...
, in recognition of France's support for the 13 colonies during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and because the town did not want an English name, as they had been captured twice by the British during the war.
Early history, like much of the Cape, revolved around fishing, whaling and agriculture. As the fishing industry grew, salt works sprang up in the town to help preserve the catches. However, the town's growth helped deplete the town of lumber, a situation that did not begin to be remedied until the railroad came and brought lumber from the mainland in the mid-to-late-19th century. The rail also helped bring tourism to the town. In 1898, the French Cable Company built a 3200 mile long transatlantic cable to Orleans, which operated from the French Cable Station
French Cable Station
French Cable Station is a historic station on the southeast corner of Cove Rd. and MA 28 in Orleans, Massachusetts.It was built in 1891 by the French Cable Company, which was installing numerous cables in Cape Cod throughout the late-19th Century...
. The town's tourism industry was helped in 1961 with the creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore
Cape Cod National Seashore
The Cape Cod National Seashore , created on August 7, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, encompasses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It includes ponds, woods and beachfront of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion...
by President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 21.1 square miles (54.6 km²), of which 14.2 square miles (36.7 km²) is land and 6.9 square miles (17.9 km², 32.73%) is water. Orleans is bordered by Eastham
Eastham, Massachusetts
Eastham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 5,453 at the 2000 census....
to the north, the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to the east, Pleasant Bay and the town of Chatham
Chatham, Massachusetts
Chatham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 6,625 at the 2000 census...
to the south, Harwich
Harwich, Massachusetts
Harwich is a New England town on Cape Cod, in Barnstable County in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The town is a popular vacation spot, located near the Cape Cod National Seashore. Harwich's beaches are on "the Sound side" of Cape...
to the southwest, Brewster
Brewster, Massachusetts
Brewster is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population of Brewster was 9,820 at the 2010 census.Brewster is twinned with the town of Budleigh Salterton in the United Kingdom....
to the west, and Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay is a large bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Measuring below a line drawn from Brant Rock in Marshfield to Race Point in Provincetown, Massachusetts, it is enclosed by Cape Cod to the south and east, and Plymouth County, Massachusetts, to the west....
to the northwest. Orleans is twenty-seven miles south of Provincetown
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
, twenty-two miles east of Barnstable
Barnstable, Massachusetts
Barnstable is a city, referred to as the Town of Barnstable, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the county seat of Barnstable County. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod. The town contains seven villages within its boundaries...
, thirty-six miles east of the Sagamore Bridge
Sagamore Bridge
The Sagamore Bridge in Sagamore, Massachusetts carries U.S. Route 6 across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the rest of Massachusetts, USA....
, and ninety miles southeast of Boston.
Orleans is located on the inner "elbow" section of Cape Cod. The town is dotted with bogs and ponds in the western part of town, with many inlets, islands and harbors along the eastern coast of the town, including Town Cove, Nauset Harbor, Pleasant Bay
Pleasant Bay, Cape Cod
Pleasant Bay, Cape Cod is a section of beach located in Orleans, Massachusetts. It is located at Route 28 and harbors of saltwater when the tide is in.- History :...
, and Little Pleasant Bay. Rock Harbor, bounded by and shared with the Town of Eastham, is located in the "crease" of the inner elbow and provides boating access to Cape Cod Bay. Cape Cod National Seashore
Cape Cod National Seashore
The Cape Cod National Seashore , created on August 7, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, encompasses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It includes ponds, woods and beachfront of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion...
lies along the coast as well.
Transportation
The town line between Eastham and Orleans is the site of the termini of Routes 6ARoute 6A (Massachusetts)
Route 6A is the name for parts of former U.S. Route 6 on Cape Cod. Most of "6A", as the locals call it, is also known as the Old King's Highway...
and 28. The two routes join together south of the town line and end at a rotary with Route 6 at the Eastham town line. Route 39
Route 39 (Massachusetts)
Route 39 is a southwest-northeast route through the towns of Harwich, Brewster and Orleans, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It begins and ends at Route 28, acting as a bypass route for those not wishing to follow the Highway through Harwich Port and Chatham....
, which traces a portion of the Brewster town line, ends in the southern part of the town at Route 28. Other than two small non-outleted lanes, only Route 6 and Bridge Road pass northward into Eastham.
Orleans has no rail or air service in town. The nearest regional air service can be reached in nearby Chatham, and the nearest national and international airport is Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
in Boston.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,341 people, 3,087 households, and 1,771 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 447.3 people per square mile (172.8/km²). There were 5,073 housing units at an average density of 357.9 per square mile (138.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.57% White, 0.58% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.17% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.14% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.
There were 3,087 households out of which 14.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.6% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.55.
In the town the population was spread out with 13.8% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 17.3% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 36.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,594, and the median income for a family was $62,909. Males had a median income of $44,246 versus $30,017 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $29,553. About 2.7% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Orleans is represented in the Massachusetts House of RepresentativesMassachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
as a part of the Fourth Barnstable district, which includes (with the exception of Brewster) all the towns east and north of Harwich on the Cape. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
as a part of the Cape and Islands District, which includes all of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket except the towns of Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich and a portion of Barnstable. The town is patrolled by the Second (Yarmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
.
On the national level, Orleans is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional district
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district is a political constituency that includes parts of the South Shore of Massachusetts, and all of Cape Cod and the islands. With a population of 635,901 and a land area of , it is the most populous of Massachusetts's ten congressional districts and the...
, and is currently represented by Bill Delahunt
Bill Delahunt
William D. Delahunt is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1997 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Delahunt did not seek re-election in 2010, and left Congress in January 2011. He was replaced by Norfolk County District Attorney Bill Keating...
. The state's senior (Class II) member of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, re-elected in 2008, is John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
. The junior (Class I) member, elected in the 2010 special election is Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
.
Orleans is governed by the open town meeting
Open town meeting
An open town meeting is a form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town may vote . This form of government is typical of smaller municipalities in the New England region of the United States....
form of government, and is led by a town secretary and a board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
. The town has its own police and fire departments, both headquartered south of the Route 6A-Route 28 intersection. There are three post offices, in East Orleans, Orleans Center and South Orleans. The Snow Library, named for the original benefactor of the library, is located in Orleans Center, and is supported by the Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing
Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing
The Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing network is a non-profit, cooperative association of thirty-two member libraries and thirty-five locations located throughout Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket...
library network. The town also operates several beaches, boat landings, and small parks, and has a historical commission which meets in the town's original meeting house (across the street from the current Town Hall). Orleans is also the site of a county courthouse, which serves much of the lower Cape.
Education
Orleans, along with Brewster, Eastham and Wellfleet, belongs to the Nauset Regional School District. Each town provides schooling for their own elementary students, and collectively send their middle and high school students to regional schools. Orleans operates the Orleans Elementary School for students from kindergarten through fifth grade. The town is home to Nauset Regional Middle School, which serves students from sixth through eighth grade for the district. High school students attend Nauset Regional High School in North Eastham, but also have the option of attending Cape Cod Regional Technical School in Harwich free of charge. Orleans is also the home of the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School, which serves grades six through eight.Attacks in Wartime
Orleans, being on Cape CodCape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
, and thus an exposed portion of the coast, has been a target in wartime despite its lack of strategic significance. In 1814 its residents repelled an invasion of British marines from the HMS Newcastle
HMS Newcastle
Eight ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Newcastle, after the English city of Newcastle upon Tyne:*HMS Newcastle was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship launched in 1653. She was rebuilt in 1692 and wrecked in 1703....
. Nauset Beach was also the only US site hit by foreign munitions during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, although these shells were apparently aimed at barges close off shore. This was the first time a foreign entity fired upon American soil since the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.