What is Nantucket?

Information about Nantucket

'''Nantucket, Massachusetts
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Nantucket
Nantucket

Flag
Seal
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Location in Nantucket County in Massachusetts
Location in Nantucket County in Massachusetts
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Massachusetts
Settled 1641
Incorporated 1671
Government
 - Type Open town meeting
Area
 - Town  105.3 sq mi (272.6 km)
 - Land  47.8 sq mi (123.8 km)
 - Water  57.5 sq mi (148.8 km)
Elevation  30 ft (9 m)
Population (2000)
 - Town 9,520
 - Density 199.1/sq mi (76.9/km)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 02554
Area code(s) 508 / 774
FIPS code 25-43790
GNIS feature ID 0619376
Website:''' [1]
Nantucket is an island 30 miles (48.3 km) south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the nown is designated the Nantucket CDP, or census designated place. The region of Surfside on Nantucket is the southernmost settlement in Massachusetts. Siasconset, usually shortened to "Sconset", is the closest point in the US to Portugal and Spain.

Nantucket is a tourist destination and summer colony. The population of the island soars from approximately 10,000 to 50,000 during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. According to Forbes Magazine, in 2006, Nantucket had the highest median property value of any Massachusetts zip code.

The Nantucket Historic District, comprising all of Nantucket Island, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 13, 1966. In doing so the National Park Service paid particular note to the settlements of Nantucket and Siasconset. The island features one of the highest concentrations of pre-Civil War structures in the United States.

Origin of the name

Also nicknamed "The Grey Lady", Nantucket takes its name from a word in an Eastern Algonquian language of southern New England, originally spelled variously as natocke, nantican, and nautican. The meaning of the term is uncertain, though it may have meant "in the midst of waters."[1]

History

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1870s street scene on Nantucket.

Beginnings

The island's beginnings in western history can possibly be traced to its conjectured sighting by Norsemen in the 11th century. But it was not until 1602 that Captain Bartholomew Gosnold of Falmouth, England sailed his bark Concord past the bluffs of Siasconet and really put Nantucket on the map. The island's original inhabitants, the Wampanoag Indians, lived undisturbed until 1641 when the island was deeded by the English (the authorities in control of all land from the coast of Maine to New York) to Thomas Mayhew and his son, merchants of Watertown and Martha's Vineyard. Nantucket was part of Dukes County, New York until 1691, when it was transferred to the newly formed Province of Massachusetts Bay and split off to form Nantucket County. The entire area of the New York county had been purchased by Thomas Mayhew Sr. of Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1641, buying out competing land claims. The earliest English settlement in the area began on neighboring island Martha's Vineyard.

As Europeans began to settle Cape Cod, the island became a place of refuge for regional Indians, as Nantucket was not yet settled by Europeans. The growing population of Native Americans welcomed seasonal groups of Indians who traveled to the island to fish and later harvest whales that washed up on shore.

English settlement

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Great Point Lighthouse
The history of Nantucket's settlement by the English did not began in earnest until 1659, when Thomas Mayhew sold his interest to the "nine original porchasers": Tristram Coffin, Thomas Macy, Christopher Hussey, Richard Swayne, Thomas Barnard, Peter Coffin, Stephen Greenleafe, John Swayne and William Pike-"For the sum of thirty Pounds...and also two beaver hats, one for myself, and one for my wife." At this time, the true demise of the island's Indian population began. This English presence drastically changed the healthy Indian population, and over the next Nantucket was formerly the world's leading whaling port (and still serves as home port for a small fishing industry). Herman Melville comments on Nantucket's whaling dominance in Moby Dick, Chapter 14: "Two thirds of this terraqueous globe are the Nantucketer's. For the sea is his; he owns it, as Emperors own empires."
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Whale weathervane atop the Nantucket Historical Association Whaling Museum
By the Civil War, whaling was in decline and the island suffered great economic hardships, worsened by the 1846 "Great Fire" that, fueled by whale oil and lumber, devastated the main town, burning some 36 acres. It left hundreds homeless and poverty stricken, and many people left.

Later history

As a result the island depopulated and was left under-developed and isolated until the mid-20th century. The isolation kept many of the pre-Civil War buildings intact and by the 1950s, enterprising developers began buying up large sections of the island and restoring them to create an upmarket destination for the wealthy in the Northeastern United States. This highly controlled development can be compared to neighboring Martha's Vineyard, whose development served as a model for what the developers of Nantucket were trying to avoid.

In 1977, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard unsuccessfully attempted to secede from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The secession vote was sparked by a proposed change to the Massachusetts Constitution, which reduced the islands' representation in the Massachusetts General Court.

Geology and geography

Nantucket was formed by the uttermost reach of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the recent Wisconsin Glaciation, shaped by the subsequent rise in sea level. The island's low ridge across the northern section was deposited as glacial moraine during a period of glacial standstill, a period during which till continued to arrive, but melted at a stationary front. The southern part of the island is an outwash plain, sloping away from the arc of moraine and shaped at its margins by the sorting actions and transport of longshore drift. Nantucket became an island when rising sea levels reflooded Buzzards Bay about 5000-6000 years ago.[2]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Nantucket County has a total area of 303.5 mi² (786 km²), 84.25% of which is water. The area of Nantucket Island proper is 47.8 mi²(123.8 km²). The triangular region of ocean between Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod, is Nantucket Sound. The highest point on the island is Folger Hill which stands 109 feet above sea level. Altar Rock is a close second at a height of 108 feet above sea level.

The entire island, as well as the adjoining islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, comprise both the Town of Nantucket and the County of Nantucket. The main settlement, also called Nantucket, is located at the western end of Nantucket Harbor, where it opens into Nantucket Sound. Key localities on the island include Madaket, Surfside, Polpis, Wauwinet, Miacomet and Siasconset (often abbreviated as 'Sconset).

Demographics

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The cobblestone Main Street in historic Downtown Nantucket
There is also a census-designated place called Nantucket, with a 2000 population of 3,830, which is located within the Town of Nantucket.


As of the census2 of 2000, there were 9,520 people, 3,699 households, and 2,104 families residing in Nantucket. The population density was 76.9/km² (199.1/mi²). There were 9,210 housing units at an average density of 74.4/km² (192.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.85% White, 8.29% African American, 0.64% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.01% Native American, 1.60% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.23% of the population. 19.9% were of Irish, 17.1% English, 7.2% Italian, 6.1% Portuguese, 6.0% German and 5.1% French ancestry according to Census 2000. 92.6% spoke English, 4.1% Spanish and 1.6% French as their first language.

There were 3,699 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 40.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% at 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.0 males.

The median income for a household for year-round residents in the town is $55,522, and the median income for a family was $66,786. Males had a median income of $41,116 versus $31,608 for females. The per capita income for the town was $31,314. About 3.0% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

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Sankaty Head lighthouse at the eastern end of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts ca. November 2000

Education

Nantucket is served by Nantucket Public Schools. The Nantucket school system has approximately 1,200 students, about 400 of whom attend the high school.

Schools include:

Transportation

  • Nantucket is served by Nantucket Memorial Airport, a three-runway airport on the south side of the island. The airport is one of the busiest in the Commonwealth and often logs more take-offs and landings on a pleasant summer day than Boston's Logan airport. This is due in part to the large number of private/corporate planes used by wealthy summer inhabitants, and in part to the 10-seat Cessna 402s used by several commercial air carriers to serve the island community.
  • Nantucket Regional Transit Authority (NRTA) - Seasonal Island-wide shuttle services that goes to many destinations including Surfside Beach, Sconset and the Airport.
  • Nantucket can be reached by sea from the mainland by using one of three commercial ferry services or by private boat.[4]

Disasters

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The Argo Merchant ran aground on December 15, 1976. A silvery oil slick can be seen coming from the center holds.
Major disasters on or near Nantucker, include:

Coatue

Note: This was transferred from an orphaned article by that name.

Coatue is a long barrier beach on Nantucket Island, separating Nantucket Sound from Nantucket Harbor. It has six points: First Point is situated due north of the village of Shimmo's Pimneys Point. Second Point, is north-northeast of the village Of Shawkemo. Second Point is salt marsh. Third Point is due north of the Pocomo Peninsula, which contains the villages of Pocomo and West Wauwinet.

The gap between Coatue and Pocomo is called the Wauwinet Straits, this deep and swift waterway has currents that reach 5 knots. This spot is a favorite of Nantucket's kayak group The Rip Riderz. Bass Point is the first point totally within Wauwinet Harbor. Wyers Point, the last point of land on Coatue, Wyers is connected to Coskata. At the head of Coatue is Coskata Pond.

National Register of Places

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Brant Point Light in Nantucket Harbor
The following Nantucket places are listed on the National Register of Historic Places[5]; and the List of Registered Historic Places in Nantucket County, Massachusetts:

Notable residents

17th, 18th & 19th Centuries

  • Abiah Folger, Benjamin Franklin's mother, was born on Nantucket. Her birthsite is marked by a plaque and is known to locals as "The Bench." In 2002 Nantucket High School seniors staged a celebration of her birth at the site - a tradition which has continued every year.
  • Lucretia Coffin Mott was born in 1793 on Nantucket. Mott was an American Quaker minister, abolitionist, social reformer and proponent of women's rights. She is credited as the first American "feminist" in the early 1800s but was, more accurately, the initiator of women's political advocacy.
  • Maria Mitchell, native of Nantucket, first woman astronomer and Vassar professor of astronomy is buried in Prospect Hill.
  • Cyrus Peirce, first principal of Nantucket High School and later first president of what is now Framingham State College, married Nantucket native, Harriet Coffin. They are both buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery. Cyrus Peirce Middle School is named for him.
  • Joseph Gardner Swift, Nantucket native, was the first graduate of the United States Military Academy and attained the rank of Brigadier General.
  • Jared Coffin,Nantucket native, son of Tristam Coffin owned the majority of the island at one point became propriator of the island and served as Mayor His house still stands in the town center and is now a bed and breakfast.

20th & 21st Centuries

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Nantucket Range Lights

References in popular culture

Television

  • The television series Wings was based in Nantucket.
  • In "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife", the tenth episode of The Simpsons' fifteenth season, the story upon which Marge is writing occurs in the island of Nantucket, even though she didn't know it was an island at all.
  • In NBC's Heroes, Nathan Petrelli sent his wife and two children to the island of Nantucket to escape the foretold explosion.
  • This Old House devoted most of the 1996 season to a Nantucket house renovation.

Film

Literature

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Whalesship Essex (Nantucket Historical Association)

Music

  • In the Billy Joel song Downeaster 'Alexa' (1989) Nantucket is mentioned.

Resources

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Title page of the first U.S. edition of Moby-Dick, 1851.
  • Bond, C. Lawrence, Native Names of New England Towns and Villages, privately published by C. Lawrence Bond, Topsfield, Massachusetts, 1991.
  • Philbrick, Nathaniel, In The Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, Penguin, NY, NY, 2000.

See also

References

1. ^ Huden, John C. (1962). Indian Place Names of New England. New York: Museum of the American Indian. Cited in: Bright, William (2004). Native American Place Names in the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pg. 312
2. ^ The most recent survey of the geology of Cape Cod and the islands, accessible to the layman, is Robert N. Oldale, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket: The Geologic Story, 2001.
3. ^ [2]
4. ^ [3]
5. ^ [4]

External links

 •  • [ e]
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National Park Service
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Tuckernuck (Latitude 51.6875 Longitude 289.6875) is an island in the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, west of Nantucket Island and east of Muskeget. Its name allegedly means "a loaf of bread".

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Muskeget is a low sandy island to the west of Tuckernuck Island and Nantucket, in the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The Muskeget Island group contains Dry Shoal, Skiff Island, Tombolo Point, and Adams Island. Much of Muskeget is owned by the town of Nantucket.
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