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Osterville, Massachusetts facts for kids

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Osterville, Massachusetts
Village
View from Oyster Harbors
View from Oyster Harbors
Location of ZIP code 02655 Osterville within the Town of Barnstable, county, and state
Location of ZIP code 02655 Osterville within the Town of Barnstable, county, and state
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Barnstable
Town Barnstable
Area
 • Total 8.30 sq mi (21.50 km2)
 • Land 6.50 sq mi (16.83 km2)
 • Water 1.80 sq mi (4.66 km2)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 3,518
 • Density 541.3/sq mi (208.98/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)

Osterville is one of seven villages within the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. The village of Osterville is located on the south side of Barnstable on Nantucket Sound. Osterville is a residential community that includes marshes, bays, ponds, a small lake, beaches, and a small business district. Notably, the village is home to the Crosby Yacht Yard. The Crosbys are America's oldest, currently active, wooden boat-building family.

History

Osterville was originally named Cotacheset, based on the Native American name for the area. Over time it became a center for "oystering" (harvesting wild oysters) and was renamed Oysterville. Later a map misspelled the name as Osterville and the village became so.

About

Osterville's business district includes a public library, gift stores, women's fashions, restaurants, a small market, banks with ATMs, a pizza place, package store (spirits), a U.S. Post Office, a hardware store, art galleries, barber and beauty shops, and real estate brokers.

During July and August, Osterville's population swells due to seasonal residents. Many summer residents maintain a second house in Osterville while residing most of the year in the Greater Boston area. The village is known for its oceanfront estates.

The cemetery for the village of Osterville is the Hillside Cemetery on Old Mill Road.

Armstrong-Kelley Park, the oldest and largest privately owned park on Cape Cod, is located in Osterville. Crosby Boat Yard is port to the Crosby catboat, and the Wianno senior, the latter a favorite of nearby Hyannisport resident President John F. Kennedy.

A steel drawbridge connects the village to Little Island and Grand Island (also known as Oyster Harbors), a gated community featuring many luxury houses and a private country club. The neighborhood of Wianno abuts the East Bay section of Osterville.

There are two private country clubs in Osterville: The Wianno Club and the Oyster Harbors Club. Each club has a private 18 hole golf course, private tennis facilities, and a private beach. The Wianno Yacht Club, a private club on West Bay, offers children's sailing lessons.

Dowses Beach in Osterville is a town of Barnstable beach, there are toilet facilities with showers and a beach house for changing in privacy. Lifeguards are present during the summer months only.

Education

Osterville is home to a private K-12 school, Cape Cod Academy.

Notable people

  • Charles Bilezikian, businessman, co-founder of Christmas Tree Shops
  • Jack Birmingham, former NASCAR Winston Cup Series owner from 1999 to 2001.
  • James M. Gavin, World War II general, US ambassador to France.
  • Andy Hallett, actor and singer who appeared on the WB's Angel (1999 TV series).
  • David Hartman, the first host of ABC's Good Morning America.
  • Adam Oates, retired National Hockey League player and former Washington Capitals coach.
  • Gene Rayburn, host of the popular 1970s game show The Match Game.
  • Lee Remick, actress
  • Richard B. Sellars, Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson.
  • John Thomas Underwood, founder of the Underwood Typewriter Company, lived in "Blink Bonnie" in Wianno
  • Bob Vila, former host of This Old House.
  • Kurt Vonnegut, 20th-century American writer.

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