About Dennis, MA on Cape Cod

Dennis is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts on scenic Cape Cod. The population was 15,973 at the 2000 census.

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 quiet residential villages of Dennis and East Dennis run along Route 6A and Cape Cod Bay. Here you will find fine ships captains’ homes, the site of the world-renowned Shiverick Shipyard, Cape Playhouse, the oldest summer theatre in America, and scenic Sesuit Harbor.

West Dennis and Dennisport are beach-side communities along the Nantucket Sound. There you will find plenty of hotels, restaurants and quaint shops.

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. Actress Amy Jo Johnson grew up in Dennis.

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.