Falmouth Massachusetts

Falmouth is located on the southern end of Cape Cod in Barnstable County. As of the 2010 census, the population of Falmouth was estimated to be slightly above 30,000 residents, but the number does tend to climb during the warmer summer months. Falmouth is probably best known for its port attributes – this is where most people who are heading to Martha’s Vineyard disembark from the mainland. However, while it’s true that Falmouth is most well known for being a place of transit, this does not mean that there aren’t plenty of things to do in this thriving coastal town. If you spend a little more time in Falmouth, you’ll be surprised at how engaging and charming this town can be.

Falmouth is also famous for being a center of research and science – the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Marine Biological Laboratory and the Woods Hole Research Center are all based here.

Of course, it wasn’t always this way. When Falmouth was formed back in the 17th century, its main business was in the sheep and salt industry. For a while the area was also famous for its strawberry and cranberry crops, and then in the 20th century the main industry of the area changed yet again to large dairying operations. When the town saw a lot of traffic in World War II due to the heavy use of nearby Otis Air National Guard Base, the population of the town boomed and has remained comparatively high to this day.

Notable persons from Falmouth include Katharine Lee Bates, who was the author of the well-known poem/song America The Beautiful. There was also a man who sailed from Falmouth, Massachusetts to Falmouth, England in 1965 on a 13.5-foot ship.

If you happen to find yourself in Falmouth, whether you are planning to stay on Cape Cod or travel to Martha’s Vineyard, do yourself a favor and take a few days to explore the best parts of this charming New England town. Falmouth has had a varied and interesting history, and is definitely worth more time than most visitors put into it.

• Woods Hole Film Festival