Dennis, Massachusetts
Dennis, Massachusetts is also a census designated place.Dennis is a town in
Barnstable County,
Massachusetts which is coextensive with
Cape Cod. The population was 15,973 at the 2000 census.
For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Dennis, please see the articles on
Dennis (CDP),
Dennis Port,
East Dennis,
South Dennis, and
West Dennis.
Dennis was first settled in
1639 and was officially incorporated in
1793. It was named after resident minister, Josiah Dennis.
Currently, Dennis is a popular seaside resort town, notable for its stately colonial mansions along the northern
Cape Cod Bay coastline, and its picturesque, warm water beaches along the southern
Nantucket Sound.
The Cape Playhouse, in northern Dennis, is the oldest summer theatre in the United States, and among the most well-known. The actress
Bette Davis was 'discovered' while working there as an usher.
Famous Dennis residents include the author
Mary Higgins Clark.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 57.6
km² (22.2
mi²). 53.4 km² (20.6 mi²) of it is land and 4.2 km² (1.6 mi²) of it (7.38%) is water.
The town is broken up into villages (listed roughly north-south, then east-west): Dennis, East Dennis, South Dennis, West Dennis, Dennisport. Dennis spans the width of
Cape Cod, with
Cape Cod Bay on the north and
Nantucket Sound on the south. It is the starting point of the
Cape Cod Rail Trail, which runs "down" the Cape to
Wellfleet.
Follins Pond is also in the town.
Residents of Dennis share a public high school, Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, with neighboring
Yarmouth.
 |
West side exterior of Scargo Tower, Dennis, Massachusetts. |
As of the
census2 of 2000, there were 15,973 people, 7,504 households, and 4,577 families residing in the town. The
population density was 299.4/km² (775.6/mi²). There were 14,105 housing units at an average density of 264.4/km² (684.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.99%
White, 1.93%
Black or
African American, 0.37%
Native American, 0.37%
Asian, 0.88% from
other races, and 1.46% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.
There were 7,504 households out of which 18.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were
married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% 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 2.65.
In the town the population was spread out with 16.9% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 28.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,598, and the median income for a family was $50,478. Males had a median income of $40,528 versus $29,153 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $25,428. About 5.4% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
*
Town of Dennis official website*
Official Dennis tourism website*
History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts (CHAPTER XVIII, TOWN OF DENNIS)*
Cape Cod Rail Trail
