Provincetown, town in eastern Massachusetts, on Cape Cod Bay at the northern end of Cape Cod. Provincetown is located in Barnstable County. It is a noted artists' colony, a fishing port, and a tourist center, situated adjacent to Cape Cod National Seashore.
The Pilgrims, the early English settlers who founded the Plymouth Colony, first set foot on American soil here in 1620 before venturing on to Plymouth. A community developed on the site about 1700 and Provincetown was incorporated in 1727. By the 19th century the town had grown into an active salt-processing center and whaling port. The Provincetown Players, a noted theatrical group, was founded here in 1915; the group moved to New York City the following year.
