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.

History

Dennis was first settled in 1639, by Thomas Howes, as part of the town of Yarmouth. The town officially separated and incorporated in 1793. It was named after resident minister, Josiah Dennis. There was not enough land for farming, so seafaring became the town's major industry in its early history, centered around the Shiverick Shipyard. Like much of the Cape, the town was home to many sea captains, and the town was also eventually involved with whaling.

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. [1]

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' there while working there as an usher. Other famous Dennis residents include the author Mary Higgins Clark, and actress Amy Jo Johnson, who grew up in Dennis.

Geography and Transportation

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.

Dennis spans the width of Cape Cod, with Cape Cod Bay to the north, Brewster to the northeast, Harwich to the southeast, Nantucket Sound to the south, and Yarmouth to the west. The town is about ten miles east of Barnstable, twenty-four miles east of the Sagamore Bridge, and seventy-eight miles southeast of Boston. Dennis's villages include Dennis Port, East Dennis, New Boston, South Dennis and West Dennis.

The town lies on the eastern banks of the Bass River, which nearly divides the cape in half. There are several small ponds and lakes in town, as well as Shiverick Harbor to the north and West Dennis Harbor to the south. Both the north and south shores have many beaches, as well as the Dennis Yacht Club in the north and West Dennis Yacht Club in the south.

Den