Native Born and Foreign Born: By Place of Birth, Sex, and Age Periods The facts for the county, as a whole, appear in the final section of the table. First, as to the native born, who number in the aggregate 24,651, we find that 23,098 were born in Massachusetts. Of these, a nearly equal number are of each sex, the males numbering 11,186, and the females 11,912; and of the whole, 16,600 were born in towns upon the Cape, that is, are not only natives of Massachusetts, but are natives of the county in which they now live. Here again the males and females practically balance each other, the former numbering 8,318 and the latter 8,282. Natives of other towns in Massachusetts number 6,471, of whom 2,854 are males and 3,617 females, the females thus showing an excess of 763. Native Born and Foreign Born: By Place of Birth, Sex, and Age Periods - Concluded. Natives of other States, who have come into the county and are now living there, number 1,553, the males numbering 667 and the females 886, thus showing an excess of more than 200 females. Allusion was made on page nine to the slight influence of immigration from abroad upon the population of the county. It will be seen that the movement from other States to Barnstable County, as well as from other towns in Massachusetts to the Cape, has also been very slight. The foreign-born contingent, which includes 3,003 persons, is largely made up of three elements: natives of Ireland, numbering 443; natives of the British American possessions, who number, including those born in Canada, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, 655; and the Portuguese. Portuguese born in the Western Islands, concerning whom we are especially directed to inquire, number 1,265; and there are 53 others who were returned as Portuguese, the specific place of birth being unknown. These may be classed with the Western Islanders, who, of course, are also Portuguese, the aggregate under this head thus becoming 1,318, or 43.89 per cent of the entire foreign-born population of the Cape. These three nationalities have been attracted to the Cape for two reasons. As to the Irish and English, the fishing industry is chiefly influential; this also has affected the coming of the others, but the comparative cheapness of real estate, due to the departure of the original inhabitants, thus making it easy to establish homes, has also had an important influence. The three elements named include 2,416 persons, or 80.45 per cent of the entire foreign-born population. Confining our attention to the Portuguese, it is to be noted that the males number 718, and the females 600. As to ages, they are largely persons in the prime of life, 489 males and 405 females being between 20 and 49 years of age. The males under 19 number 80 and the females under 19, 78; while the males 50 years of age and over number 149, and the females 117. In the aggregate, therefore, 894, or 67.83 per cent of the whole number, are found in the age period 20 to 49. This may be profitably compared with the ages of the native born. Of the whole number of native born, 9,393 are found in the age period 20 to 49, 8,328 below this period, and 6,930 above it. Of the foreign born as a whole, 1,843 are found in the age period 20 to 49, 321 below this period, and 839 above it. The population from 16 to 60 years of age is usually classed as industrially productive. Such a classification is, of course, somewhat arbitrary, as persons above 60 years of age do not always cease to be industrially effective; within the ordinary limitations, however, the classification is accurate. The movement away from the Cape of industrially effective persons among the native born is quite clearly shown by the extremely high percentages of the population above the productive age limit; that is to say, above 60 years of age. In 1885, the population |