W here does America begin? Where does it end? And where is it going? One place may be at the nexus of all three questions: Provincetown, Massachusetts. As kids, we grew up learning that the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth Rock, and this is true. A perhaps lesser-known story is that the Pilgrims actually landed in Provincetown. They spent five weeks exploring the region, but chose not to stay because of a lack of drinkable water.

Provincetown, at the tip of what we now call Cape Cod, is more than 100 miles from Boston by land. There is only one road in and one road out. The remoteness that made Provincetown unlivable to the Pilgrims made it a haven for artists, hippies, and queer people. Today, Provincetown is both the oldest continuous art colony in the U.S. and the town with the highest concentration of same-sex couples.

Because it is so difficult to access, no one is just passing through. Everyone there wants to be there. In this way, the town fosters an environment that lets people feel free to be themselves, and safe in that freedom. The bar known as the Atlantic House, or A-House, is likely one of the oldest gay bars in America.

In July 2014, I was at a crossroads. I knew that after three albums as a member of Vampire Weekend and producer of the band’s records, I would no longer remain a member. What else might happen? I did not know.

In my wandering, restless state, I impulsively chose to drop into Provincetown. Twelve years later, not a summer has gone by that I haven’t spent at least a week there. It’s a place where I feel both completely at home and completely free. And it’s not only the people that bring ease and comfort, but also the experience of spending almost every waking hour outside: traveling by bike, hiking to the beach, and roaming its streets, running into old friends, and making new ones.

It’s not just the density of queer people who live, work, and visit there, it’s also the diversity. During Family Week, moms and moms and dads and dads, dogs and strollers by their sides, fill the town’s main drag. It’s one thing to strive for inclusiveness — an idea that defines the American project. It’s another to be its utopian ideal, living, breathing, and visibly succeeding.

ROSTAM BATMANGLIJ has produced memorable pop songs by artists such as Haim, Clairo, Carly Rae Jepsen, and more. His latest solo album, American Stories, is out now.