Page Contents for Nantucket, Massachusetts

Statistics & Facts

Location

Geography

History & History-related items

City Attractions

Economy

Government

Historical Events

Chamber of Commerce.

Community events.

Organizations, Churches, and Sports.

Libraries.

Schools.

Miscellany

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Statistics & Facts

The Massachusetts state capital is Boston.
The population of Nantucket is approximately 9,000 (2000), 7446 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 3033 (2010).
The amount of land area in Nantucket is 6.383 sq. kilometers.
The amount of land area in Nantucket is 47.78 sq. miles.
The amount of surface water is 3.67 sq kilometers.
The distance from Nantucket to Washington DC is 413 miles.
The distance to the Massachusetts state capital is 87 miles. (as the crow flies)
Nantucket is positioned 41.28 degrees north of the equator and 70.10 degrees west of the prime meridian.

Location

on a 48-square-mile island, twenty-eight miles off the coast of Cape Cod. Here is a location page for Nantucket.
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Geography

an island. The highest point on the Island is Folger Hill at 109 feet above sea level, with Altar Rock at 108 feet coming in a close second. The island is 3 1/2 miles north to south and 14 miles east to west.
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Weather

seasonal. Here is a weather page for the Nantucket area.
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History & History Related Items

Nantucket is a native American name which means "far-away land." The island was first discovered and charted in 1602 by Captain Bartholomew Gosnold. The only inhabitants at that time were about 1,500 native americans of the Wampanoag Tribe.

The island was first settled in 1659 by English people trying to escape the rigid rules of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Later mostly Quakers inhabited the island. Many of their simple structures may be seen today. Once the Whaling industry was established, the area began to see the effects of affluence with many large, spacious homes and mansions which were built to impress. The whaling industry continued strongly for over 100 years. Since its decline, pleasure boats have overtaken the harbor where the whaling ships once anchored.

Nantucket is an island, a county, and a town. It is the only place in America with the same name for all three.

Because of the many grey shingled roofs on Nantucket and the frequent fog, the area is often referred to as "The Little Grey Lady of the Sea."

Here is a history page for Nantucket.
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The incorporation of Nantucket

1671

Attractions

Nantucket has over 82 miles of beaches. The town owns only two miles of them. The rest are privately owned, but are generally open to the public.

Nantucket Life Saving Museum
Polpis Rd
Nantucket, MA 02554
Phone: 508-228-1885

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Peter Foulger Museum
15 Broad St
Nantucket, MA 02554-3502
Phone: 508-228-1655

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Whaling Museum
2 Whalers Ln
Nantucket, MA 02554-3560
Phone: 508-228-1736

Beaches of the area.

Things to do in the area.

Nantucket Visitor Services
25 Federal Street
Nantucket, Massachusetts 02554
Phone: 508-228-0925
Email
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Economy & Industry

The economy here is based mostly on tourism and second-home development
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Nantucket City Government

The Town of Nantucket

Nantucket Town Clerk
16 Broad St
Nantucket, MA 02554-3500
Phone: 508-228-7216

Nantucket Historical Events

1846
The Great Fire of 1846 destroyed the wharves and much of the business district. This fire, the dwindling demand for whale oil, the silting-up of the harbor, and the discovery of gold in California in 1849, all marked the end of the whaling-era prosperity and the beginning of an economic depression that lasted until tourism replaced whaling as Nantucket's economic base. (information from the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce)

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1837
Lower Main Street, originally called State Street, was paved in 1837 with cobblestones, brought here from Gloucester, where they had been stockpiled after serving as ballast to stabilize ships' cargoes. The cobblestones enabled heavy, oil laden carts to move up from the wharves without sinking in the mud. (information from the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce)

Nantucket Chamber

Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce
48 Main St
Nantucket, MA 02554-3531
Phone: 508-228-1700
Fax: 508-325-4925

Nantucket Community Events

Here is a community events page for Nantucket.

Nantucket Organizations

Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce
48 Main St
Nantucket, MA 02554-3531
Phone: 508-228-1700
Fax: 508-325-4925

Nantucket Libraries

Maria Mitchell Assn
3 Vestal St
Nantucket, MA 02554-2608
Phone: 508-228-9198

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Nantucket Atheneum
1 India St
Nantucket, MA 02554-3519
Phone: 508-228-1110

Nantucket Schools

Nantucket Superintendent's Office
10 Surfside Rd
Nantucket, MA 02554-6052
Phone: 508-228-7285

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HIGHER EDUCATION

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University Of Massachusetts
180 Polpis Rd
Nantucket, MA 02554-2320
Phone: 508-228-9475 Nantucket

Miscellany

Cars were not permitted on Nantucket until 1918, after the railroad was washed out

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The population of Nantucket was:
1990 - 3,069
2000 - 9,000

The population figure is for year-round residents. During the summer season, the population swells to over 50,000!