Plymouth Bay is a small, well-protected bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the western shore of larger Cape Cod Bay along the coastline of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Plymouth Bay retains historical significance for the landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620 by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower who proceeded to establish the first permanent Northern European settlement in North America at Plymouth Colony.
Plymouth Bay is an offshoot of the larger Cape Cod Bay and is sometimes considered part of Massachusetts Bay, which is defined by Cape Ann to the north and Cape Cod to the south. Plymouth Bay is also in the southern waters of the Gulf of Maine in the northern Atlantic Ocean. The waters of Plymouth Bay are claimed by three Massachusetts towns, Plymouth in the southern part of the bay, Duxbury in the northern part and Kingston in the westernmost extent of the bay.
Plymouth Bay is dominated by geographical features such as Plymouth Beach, a three-mile barrier beach that protects Plymouth Harbor from the rougher seas of Cape Cod Bay. To the north, Saquish Neck serves as another barrier beach protecting the bay and is almost seven miles in length. Plymouth Beach and Saquish Neck together form a mile wide opening, connecting the bay to the open sea, with boating channels deep enough to sustain moderate boating traffic.
Within Plymouth Bay itself there are considered two smaller bays, Kingston Bay and Duxbury Bay, both in the northern waters of Plymouth Bay, and Warren Cove, in the southern waters of Plymouth Bay, located between Plymouth Beach and Rocky Point.
Several peninsulas define the shoreline of Plymouth Bay such as Rocky Nook, a densely populated coastal area of Kingston, and Powder Point of Duxbury. Plymouth Bay contains one island with year-round inhabitants, Clarks Island, in the northern portion of the bay and is administered by Plymouth. Plymouth Bay also acts as the mouth for several important rivers in the region such as the Jones River in Kingston and the Eel River in Plymouth.
Although used for boating, Plymouth Bay itself is relatively shallow. Depths in the bay will range from 35 feet, in the deepest channels west of Fort Standish, to 6 to 42 inches throughout much of the bay's rolling mud flats.
Most of Plymouth Bay's mud flats can be found in Kingston Bay and Duxbury Bay, which are prone to becoming totally exposed in times of low tide. The largest of these such flats is Ichabod's Flat in Kingston Bay. The mud flats of Kingston Bay are used for shellfishing and clamming and have flourished due to Plymouth Bay's ability to isolate itself from red tide, which occasionally impacts the Massachusetts coastline.
Authority control  |
|
|---|
Cape Cod is a geographic cape extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months.
The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts connecting Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south, and is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The approximately seven-mile-long (11 km) canal traverses the narrow neck of land joining Cape Cod to the state's mainland. Most of its length follows tidal rivers widened to 480 feet (150 m) and deepened to 32 feet (9.8 m) at mean low water, shaving 135 miles (217 km) off the journey around the Cape for its approximately 14,000 annual users.
Plymouth County is a county in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton. In 1685, the County was created by the Plymouth General Court, the legislature of Plymouth Colony, predating its annexation by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Massachusetts Bay is a bay on the Atlantic Ocean that forms part of the central coastline of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Duxbury is a historic seaside town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore approximately 35 miles (56 km) to the southeast of Boston, the population was 15,059 at the 2010 census.
Plymouth is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as "America's Hometown." Plymouth was the site of the colony founded in 1620 by the Mayflower Pilgrims, where New England was first established. It is the oldest municipality in New England and one of the oldest in the United States. The town has served as the location of several prominent events, one of the more notable being the First Thanksgiving feast. Plymouth served as the capital of Plymouth Colony from its founding in 1620 until the colony's merger with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. The English explorer John Smith named the area Plymouth and the region 'New England' during his voyage of 1614. It was a later coincidence that, after an aborted attempt to make the 1620 trans-Atlantic crossing from Southampton, the "Mayflower" finally set sail for America from Plymouth, England.
Plum Island is a barrier island located off the northeast coast of Massachusetts, north of Cape Ann, in the United States. It is approximately 11 miles (18 km) in length. The island is named for the wild beach plum shrubs that grow on its dunes. It is located in parts of four municipalities in Essex County. From north to south they are the city of Newburyport, and the towns of Newbury, Rowley, and Ipswich.
Cape Cod Bay is a large bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Measuring 604 square miles (1,560 km2) below a line drawn from Brant Rock in Marshfield to Race Point in Provincetown, Massachusetts, it is enclosed by Cape Cod to the south and east, and Plymouth County, Massachusetts, to the west. To the north of Cape Cod Bay lie Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Cape Cod Bay is the southernmost extremity of the Gulf of Maine. Cape Cod Bay is one of the bays adjacent to Massachusetts that give it the name Bay State. The others are Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay, and Massachusetts Bay.
Route 3A is a 97-mile-long (156 km) state highway in eastern Massachusetts, which parallels Route 3 and U.S. Route 3 from Cedarville in southern Plymouth to Tyngsborough at the New Hampshire state line.
Billingsgate Island, also sometimes known as Bellingsgate Island, was an island off Cape Cod in Massachusetts in the United States. Originally settled as a fishing and whaling community as part of the town of Eastham, Massachusetts, Billingsgate Island was for a long time the site of a lighthouse used as a navigational aid in Cape Cod Bay. Local historians sometimes call it the Atlantis of Cape Cod.
Duxbury Beach is a beach in the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts. It is six miles long and is accessed by the Powder Point Bridge from Duxbury, or Gurnet Road from Marshfield. Approximately 4.5 miles of the beach is owned by Duxbury Beach Reservation, Inc, which leases a portion of the beach out to the town of Duxbury on a yearly basis, under the circumstances that the town of Duxbury provides Harbormasters to police the area.
The Pamet River is a 4.2-mile-long (6.8 km) river in Truro, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. It is named for the Paomet tribe.
Southeastern Massachusetts consists of those portions of Massachusetts located along Buzzards Bay, including the cities of New Bedford and Fall River and their respective suburbs. Despite the location of Cape Cod and the islands to its south, which are the southeasternmost parts of the state, they are not always grouped in this designation. At its broadest definition, it includes all of Massachusetts south of Boston and southeast of Worcester.
Clark's Island is the name of a small island located in Duxbury Bay in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It was named for John Clark, the first mate of the Mayflower, the ship that brought the Pilgrims to New England. The island was initially considered for the location of the Pilgrim's settlement, but was rejected in favor of a site to the south, which became known as Plymouth, Massachusetts. Today Clark's Island is a part of the town of Plymouth.
There are several neighborhoods in Plymouth, Massachusetts. With a total area of 134.0 mi² (347.0 km²), Plymouth is the largest municipality in Massachusetts by area. In addition, with a population of 51,701 at the 2000 census and an estimated population of 57,901 in 2007, Plymouth is the second-largest town in the state by population (after Framingham. As such, Plymouth is home to many distinct neighborhoods and geographical locations.
Plymouth Beach is a small village located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. It is located directly south of Plymouth Center, and is adjacent to Plimoth Plantation. Plymouth Beach consists of a motel, a restaurant and a small beachside community along Warren Cove.
New Silver Beach is a beach and village of the same name. It is primarily a summer colony and is the largest settlement at Wild Harbor, a natural bay on the north shore of Buzzards Bay.
Duxbury Bay is a bay on the coast of Massachusetts in the United States. The west shore of the bay is the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts; and the bay is formed by a sandbar called The Gurnet extending southeasterly from Marshfield, Massachusetts into Cape Cod Bay. The town of Marshfield was named for the estuarine wetland at the north end of the bay. The bay opens southerly toward Plymouth, Massachusetts between Captains Hill to the west and Saquish Head to the east.
Saquish Beach, sometimes simply referred to as Saquish, is a beach and headland located at the end of the peninsula at the entrance to Plymouth Bay in Plymouth, Massachusetts. A small private settlement of summer cottages line the beach and headland, sometimes referred to as Saquish Neck and Saquish Head respectively. It is located east of Clark's Island and west of Gurnet Point. Its only access by land is from the Powder Point Bridge at Duxbury Beach, 5 miles to the north by foot or by 4-wheel drive beach buggies. As a private beach, access is restricted to property owners, residents, and their guests.