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Provincetown, Massachusetts

                  - affectionately known as P-TOWN

The area was originally settled by the Nauset tribe, who had a settlement known as Meeshawn. Provincetown was incorporated by English settlers in 1727 after harboring ships for more than a century. Bartholomew Gosnold named Cape Cod in Provincetown Harbor in 1602. In 1620, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact when they arrived at the harbor. They agreed to settle and build a self-governing community, and then came ashore in the West End. Though the Pilgrims chose to settle across the bay in Plymouth, Provincetown enjoyed an early reputation for its fishing grounds. The "Province Lands" were first formally recognized by the union of Plymouth colony and Massachusetts Bay colony in 1692, and its first municipal government was established in 1714. The population of Provincetown remained small through most of the 18th century.Following the American Revolution, however, Provincetown grew rapidly as a fishing and whaling center. The population was bolstered by a number of Portuguese sailors who, hired to work on US ships, came to live in Provincetown. By the 1890s, Provincetown was booming, and began to develop a resident population of writers and artists, as well as a summer tourist industry. After the 1898 Portland Gale severely damaged the town's fishing industry, members of the town's art community took over many of the abandoned buildings. By the early decades of the 20th century, the town had acquired an international reputation for its artistic and literary output. The Provincetown Players was an important experimental theater company formed during this period. It was an example of intellectual and artistic connections to Greenwich Village in New York that began then.In the mid-1960s, Provincetown saw population growth. The town's rural character appealed to the hippies of the era; furthermore, property was relatively cheap and rents were correspondingly low, especially during the winter. Many of those who came stayed and raised families. Commercial Street gained numerous cafes, leather shops, head shops — various hip small businesses blossomed and many flourished.In the mid-1970s members of the gay community began moving to Provincetown. In 1978 the Provincetown Business Guild (PBG) was formed to promote gay tourism. Today more than 200 businesses belong to the PBG and Provincetown is perhaps the best-known gay summer resort on the East Coast.Provincetown's tourist season has expanded to the point where the town has created festivals and weeklong events throughout the year. The most established are in the summer: the Portuguese Festival and PBG's Carnival Week. Ever since Native American tribes first canoed their way to the spiraling tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown has been a place of magic and escape. Here, at the end of the world, life is lived on the edge. Provincetown’s spirit still calls to the young and the young at heart.


While these days the rest of the country might seem increasingly unwelcome to gay men and lesbians, here in Provincetown you’ll find a warm embrace. Gay life is everywhere.Provincetown has always been many things to many people. A charming New England fishing village, with piers jutting out into the harbor. A bustling art colony of revelry and romance. Here individualism has long been prized. Provincetown has always danced to its own rhythm, and today its music is louder and prouder than ever before. Here you’ll find young sweethearts discovering love for the first time and more seasoned couples marking thirty, forty or fifty years. Two moms or two dads might push by with their strollers. Leathermen, bears, dykes on bikes, transgendered folk, and lots of shirtless hunky boys—you’ll spy them all moving easily in the mix. No matter what scene you’re looking for, you can find it.

Make new friends. Lie in the sun on awesome beaches. Bike or hike along exquisite nature trails. Shop 'til you drop at lively boutiques like FORBIDDEN FRUIT. Buy art or catch a play. Dance to music spun by DJs from New York, Miami, and beyond.
 

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