Formed June 2, 1685 (5th county)
Barnstable County (229,004), Barnstable (48,912)
The stone courthouse was built in 1831 and remodeled in 1879, 1893, 1906, and 1972. It is on Main Street east of Railroad Street. United States Highway 6 is 1 ½ miles to the southeast of the site. Alexander Parris provided the designs. The courthouse has been enlarged during some of the remodeling. A 1973 District Courthouse and a 1956 Probate Courthouse support the county courthouse. There are also augmenting courthouses in Falmouth and Orleans. The county and county seat are named for Barnstable, England. The county was created on June 2, 1685 as the 5th county with Barnstable as the only county seat. The Atlantic Ocean is north, east, and south of the county.
Barnstable County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners. Five District Court Judges and Four Probate/Juvenile Court Judges serve Barnstable County. The county is in the southeast part of the state. Boston, Massachusetts is northwest and Providence, Rhode Island is west of the county. The county center is 1.5 miles East of Barnstable. The county is surrounded clockwise by the Atlantic Ocean and Nantucket, Dukes, Bristol, and Plymouth counties.
The area of the county is 396 square miles. It is 11 out of 14 in the state. It ranks 9 out of 14 in population in the state. It has a density of 578.3 persons per square mile making it 8 out of 14 in the state. Barnstable County has 21.4% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 6 originates in the county and travels Cape Cod to exit west into Plymouth County. The county is shaped like a person’s arm. Barnstable is located in the southwest quarter of the county. Barnstable is the county seat and, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city. It is 21.4% of the county population. This county is in the Barnstable Town Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Barnstable
