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Barnstable County
consists of the 15 coastal towns located on the peninsula
known as
Cape Cod. Bordered on the north by Cape Cod Bay, to the east
by the Atlantic Ocean and to the south by Nantucket Sound,
it is the easternmost point of land in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. With over 550 miles of shoreline and more
than 360 lakes and ponds, the maritime heritage of the region
is deeply rooted. Approximately 396 square miles of land
are home to over 205,000 year round residents, swelling to
more than three times that number during the peak summer
months.
The County seat is located in Barnstable Village on Historic
Route 6A, the Old King's Highway, in the Town of Barnstable.
County offices are located in the Superior Court House, the
First District Court House and the Registry of Deeds and
Probate Building.
Established as a County in the year 1685, the current boundary
lines were drawn in 1707 and have not changed since that
date. Although initially the counties of the Commonwealth
were mainly judicial in nature, over time additional responsibilities
were assigned by the state legislature. Subsequently, many
counties served as subdivisions of the state government,
serving as an adminstrative arm of the Commonwealth on a
regional basis, but without legislative authority. This changed
in Barnstable County with the passage of the Barnstable
County Home Rule Charter, signed into legislation in July of 1988,
which guaranteed certain rights of home rule for the county
and established a legislative body with the power to enact
ordinances. This increased Barnstable County's accountability
to the residents of Cape Cod and provided for increased citizen
participation and input in the function of County Government.
Barnstable County government has long been recognized as
a model for successful regionalization of services, ranging
from public safety to fiscal, health, human service, economic
development, planning and land use functions.
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