Wellfleet is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, and is located halfway between the "tip" and "elbow" of Cape Cod.

[2] A total of 70% of the town's land area is under protection, and nearly half of it is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

The area was originally settled by Europeans in the 1650s as Billingsgate (after the famous fish market in East London).

In 1717, the pirate "Black Sam" Bellamy was sailing nearby when his ship, the Whydah, sank offshore, together with over 4.5 short tons (4.1 tonnes) of gold and silver and all but two of its 145 men.

Despite this decline, a church near the town center continues to operate a clock that chimes ship’s time.

[4] Guglielmo Marconi built the USA's first transatlantic radio transmitter station on a coastal bluff in South Wellfleet in 1901–1902.

The first radio telegraph transmission from the United States to England was sent from this station on January 18, 1903, a ceremonial telegram from President Theodore Roosevelt to King Edward VII.

Construction of the Chequessett Inn in the late 19th century contributed to the development of a tourist economy in Wellfleet.

[9] Wellfleet is bordered by Truro to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Eastham to the south, and Cape Cod Bay to the west.

Once a flourishing small community with a lighthouse, the island was destroyed by coastal erosion and now exists as a shoal that is exposed at low tide.

Between the sanctuary, seashore and other small parks and beaches, seventy percent of the town's area is protected.

[26] On the national level, Wellfleet is a part of the 9th congressional district, currently represented by Bill Keating.

The Wellfleet Public Library is located in the town center, in a former curtain and candle factory converted in 1989.

Wellfleet, Brewster, Truro, Provincetown, Eastham and Orleans make up the Nauset Regional School District.

Wellfleet Elementary School is located just off Route 6 near the town center, and serves students from kindergarten to fifth grade.