View source for Nantucket

{{other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
 | name                     = Nantucket
 | settlement_type          = [[Consolidated city-county|Consolidated]] [[New England town|town]] and [[Counties of Massachusetts|county]]
 | official_name            = Town and County of Nantucket
 | image_skyline            = Nantucket-08-2004.jpg
 | imagesize                = 
 | image_caption            = 
 | image_flag               = Flag of Nantucket, Massachusetts.svg
 | flag_border              = no
 | image_seal               = Seal of Nantucket, Massachusetts.svg
 | nickname                 = 
 | motto                    = 
 | image_map                = Map of Massachusetts highlighting Nantucket County.svg
 | mapsize                  = 250x200px
 | map_caption              = Location of Nantucket in Massachusetts
 | pushpin_map              = Massachusetts#USA
 | pushpin_relief           = 1
 | pushpin_label            = Nantucket
 | pushpin_label_position   = bottom
 | pushpin_map_caption      = Location in the United States
 | image_map1               = 
 | mapsize1                 = 
 | map_caption1             = 
 | coordinates              = {{coord|41|16|58|N|70|5|58|W|region:US-MA|display=inline,title}}
 | subdivision_type         = Country
 | subdivision_name         = United States
 | subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
 | subdivision_type2        = 
 | subdivision_name1        = [[Massachusetts]]
 | subdivision_name2        = 
 | established_title        = Settled
 | established_date         = 1641
 | established_title2       = Incorporated
 | established_date2        = 1671
 | established_title3       = 
 | established_date3        = 
 | government_type          = [[Open town meeting]] and [[Consolidated city-county|consolidated town and county]]
 | leader_title             = [[Town Administrator|Town<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Administrator]]
 | leader_name              = Libby Gibson
 | leader_title1            = <!--Board of <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selectmen-->
 | leader_name1             = 
 | area_magnitude           = 
 | area_total_km2           = 272.6
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 105.3
 | area_land_km2            = 123.8
 | area_land_sq_mi          = 47.8
 | area_water_km2           = 148.8
 | area_water_sq_mi         = 57.5
 | elevation_m              = 9
 | elevation_ft             = 30
 | population_total         = 14255
 | population_as_of         = 2020
 | population_density_km2   = 115.1
 | population_density_sq_mi = 308.6
 | postal_code_type         = ZIP Codes
 | postal_code              = 02554, 02564, 02584
 | area_code                = [[Area code 508|508]]
 | website                  = [http://www.nantucket-ma.gov/ www.nantucket-ma.gov]
 | footnotes                = 
 | timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]
 | utc_offset               = −5
 | timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]
 | utc_offset_DST           = −4
 | blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
 | blank_info               = 25-43790
 | blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
 | blank1_info              = 0619376
}}

'''Nantucket''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|n|æ|n|ˈ|t|ʌ|k|ᵻ|t}}) is an island in [[Massachusetts]], United States, about {{convert|30|mi|km|sigfig=2}} south of the [[Cape Cod]] peninsula.<ref name=":1">{{Cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Nantucket |title=Nantucket {{!}} island, Massachusetts, United States |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=September 5, 2023}}</ref> Together with the small islands of [[Tuckernuck Island|Tuckernuck]] and [[Muskeget Island|Muskeget]], it constitutes the '''Town and County of Nantucket''', a [[Consolidated city-county|combined county/town government]].  Nantucket is the southeasternmost town in both Massachusetts and the [[New England]] region. The name "Nantucket" is adapted from similar [[Eastern Algonquian languages|Algonquian]] names for the island.<ref name=":1"/>

Nantucket is a tourist destination and [[summer colony]]. Due to tourists and seasonal residents, the population of the island increases to around 80,000 during the summer months.<ref>{{cite web |year= |title=How many people live on Nantucket? |url=https://www.nantucket-ma.gov/Faq.aspx?QID=289 |access-date=May 7, 2023 |publisher=nantucket-ma.gov}}</ref> The average sale price for a single-family home was $2.3 million in the first quarter of 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathleenhowley/2018/05/30/nantucket-real-estate-smashes-records/ |title=Real Estate Sales Smash Records on Nantucket as Wealthy Americans Buy Beach Houses |first=Kathleen |last=Howley |work=Forbes}}</ref>

The [[National Park Service]] cites Nantucket, designated a [[National Historic Landmark District]] in 1966, as being the "finest surviving architectural and environmental example of a late 18th- and early 19th-century New England seaport town."<ref>
{{cite web
 | last = Staff
 | title = Nantucket Historic District
 | work = Maritime History of Massachusetts
 | publisher = National Park Service
 | url = http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/nan.htm
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080131145643/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/nan.htm
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = January 31, 2008
 | access-date = April 8, 2013 }}
</ref>

==History==
{{For timeline}}
[[File:Clinton Folgers "Horsemobile".jpg|thumb|250px|Clinton Folger, [[mail carrier]] for Nantucket, towed his car to the state highway for driving to [[Siasconset, Massachusetts|Siasconset]], in observance of an early 20th-century ban on automobiles on town roads.]]
[[File:hsl-Nantucket01-horses and people in street-closeup.jpg|thumb|right|250px|1870s street scene on Nantucket]]

===Etymology===
Nantucket probably takes its name from a [[Wampanoag]] word, transliterated variously as ''natocke'', ''nantaticu'', ''nantican'', ''nautica'' or ''natockete'', which is part of Wampanoag lore about the creation of [[Martha's Vineyard]] and Nantucket.<ref>
{{cite book
 | last1 = Laverte
 | first1 = Suzanne
 | last2 = Orr
 | first2 = Tamra
 | title = Massachusetts
 | publisher = Marshall Cavendish
 | year = 2009
 | location = Tarrytown, New York
 | page = 38
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=R5rA_Z7cnXAC&q=Natockete+Nantucket&pg=PA12
 | isbn = 978-0-7614-3005-6 }}
</ref> The meaning of the term is uncertain, although according to the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' it may have meant "far away island" or "sandy, sterile soil tempting no one".<ref name=":1" /> Wampanoag is an [[Eastern Algonquian languages|Eastern Algonquian language]] of southern New England.<ref>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, p. 312</ref> The [[Nehantucket]] (known to Europeans as the Niantic) were an Algonquin-speaking people of the area.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xpx6WoPz7xIC&q=nehantucket&pg=PA31|title=The Indian Tribes of North America|first=John Reed|last=Swanton|date=August 25, 2018|publisher=Genealogical Publishing Com|isbn=9780806317304|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Nantucket's nickname, "The Little Grey Lady of the Sea", refers to the island as it appears from the ocean when it is fog-bound.<ref>
{{cite book
 | last = Morris
 | first = Paul C.
 | title = Maritime Nantucket: A Pictorial History of the 'Little Grey Lady of the Sea'
 | publisher = Lower Cape Publishers
 | date = July 1, 1996
| page = 272}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite journal| title = 60,000 Summer visitors replace whalers on salty Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket
 | journal = Life Magazine
 | pages = 34–39
 | date = August 9, 1937
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=oUUEAAAAMBAJ&q=Nantucket+grey+lady&pg=PA38
 | access-date = April 8, 2013}}
</ref>

===European colonization===
The earliest European colonial settlement in the region was established on the neighboring island of [[Martha's Vineyard]] by the English-born merchant [[Thomas Mayhew]]. In 1641, Mayhew secured Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, the [[Elizabeth Islands]], and other islands in the region as a [[proprietary colony]] from [[Ferdinando Gorges|Sir Ferdinando Gorges]] and the [[William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling|Earl of Stirling]]. Mayhew led several families to settle the region, establishing several treaties with the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous inhabitants]] of Nantucket, the [[Wampanoag people]]. These treaties helped prevent the region from becoming embroiled in [[King Philip's War]]. The growing population of settlers welcomed seasonal groups of other [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American tribes]] who traveled to the island to fish and later harvest whales that washed up on shore. Nantucket was officially part of [[Dukes County, New York|Dukes County]], [[Province of New York|New York]], until October 17, 1691, when the charter for the newly formed [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]] was signed. Following the arrival of the new Royal Governor on May 14, 1692, to effectuate the new government, Nantucket County was partitioned from [[Dukes County, Massachusetts]] in 1695.<ref>
{{cite book
 | last = Philbrick
 | first =  Nathaniel
 | title = Abram's Eyes: The Native American Legacy of Nantucket Island
 | publisher = Mill Hill Press
 | year = 1998
 | location = Nantucket
 | page = 308
 | isbn = 9780963891082}}
</ref>

===Nantucket settlers===
European settlement of Nantucket did not begin in earnest until 1659, when Thomas Mayhew sold nine-tenths of his interest to a group of investors, led by [[Tristram Coffin (settler)|Tristram Coffin]], "for the sum of thirty pounds (equal to £{{Inflation|UK|30|1659|fmt=c}} today) also two beaver hats, one for myself, and one for my wife".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Worth|first1=Henry|title=Nantucket Lands and Landowners|date=1901|publisher=Nantucket Historical Association|pages=53–82|edition=Volume 2, Issue 1}}</ref>

The nine original purchasers were Tristram Coffin, Peter Coffin, [[Thomas Macy]], [[Christopher Hussey (died 1686)|Christopher Hussey]], Richard Swain, Thomas Barnard, [[Stephen Greenleaf]], John Swain and William Pile. Mayhew and the nine purchasers then each took on partners in the venture. These additional shareholders were Tristram Coffin Junior, James Coffin, John Smith, Robert Pike, Thomas Look, Robert Barnard, Edward Starbuck, Thomas Coleman, John Bishop and Thomas Mayhew Junior. These twenty men and their heirs were the Proprietors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/who-were-the-proprietors/|title=Who were the Proprietors?|work=Nantucket Historical Association|access-date=December 9, 2023}}</ref>

Anxious to add to their number and to induce tradesmen to come to the island, the total number of shares was increased to twenty-seven. The original purchasers needed the assistance of tradesmen who were skilled in the arts of weaving, milling, building and other pursuits and selected men who were given half a share provided that they lived on Nantucket and carried on their trade for at least three years. By 1667, twenty-seven shares had been divided among 31 owners.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Anderson|first1=Florence|title=A Grandfather for Benjamin Franklin: The True Story of a Nantucket Pioneer and His Mates|date=1940|publisher=Meador|page=183}}</ref> Seamen and tradesmen who settled in Nantucket included Richard Gardner (arrived 1667) and Capt. John Gardner (arrived 1672), sons of [[Thomas Gardner (planter)|Thomas Gardner]].<ref>Gardner, Frank A MD (1907). ''Thomas Gardner Planter and Some of his Descendants''. Salem, MA: Essex Institute. (via [https://books.google.com/books?id=k6hLAAAAMAAJ&dq=thomas+gardner+planter&pg=PA1 Google Books])</ref> The first settlers focused on farming and raising sheep, but [[overgrazing]] and the growing number of farms made these activities untenable, and the islanders soon began turning to the sea for a living.<ref name="philbrick2001">{{Cite book|last=Philbrick|first=Nathaniel|title=[[In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex]]|publisher=Penguin|year=2001|isbn=978-1-101-22157-0|location=New York, NY|author-link=Nathaniel Philbrick}}</ref>

===Sherburne===

[[File:The town of Sherburne in the island of Nantucket (NYPL b12610613-422499).jpg|thumb|300px|right|The town on Nantucket Island, when it was still called Sherburne, in 1775]]
Before 1795, the town on the island was called Sherburne.<ref name="Sherburne">{{cite book|last1=Brookes M.D.|first1=Richard|title=A General Gazetteer ... Illustrated with maps ... The fifteenth edition, with considerable additions and improvements|date=1819|publisher=J.Bumpus|location=London|page=471|edition=15|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=neBhAAAAcAAJ&q=sherburne+massachusets&pg=PR3|access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref> The original settlement was near Capaum Pond. At that time, the pond was a small harbor whose entrance silted up, forcing the settlers to dismantle their houses and move them northeast by two miles to the present location.<ref>{{cite web|title=Discover Nantucket|url=http://www.discovernantucket.com/history.php|website=discovernantucket.com|publisher=The Inquirer and Mirror|access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref> On June 8, 1795, the bill proposed by [[Micajah Coffin]] to change the town's name to the "Town of Nantucket" was endorsed and signed by Governor [[Samuel Adams]] to officially change the town name.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gardner|first=Will|title=The Coffin Saga|publisher=Whaling Museum Publications|year=1949|isbn=|location=Nantucket Island, Massachusetts|pages=}}</ref>

===New Guinea===
The early settlers brought enslaved African Americans to Nantucket. Although slavery was not abolished on the island until 1773, earlier in the century freed African Americans established a neighbourhood called New Guinea (later Newtown) on the south-west outskirts of the main town, near the windmills on Mill Hill. The community thrived during the 18th and 19th centuries, with shops, churches, a school and a dance hall as well as houses. The building on the corner of York and Pleasant Streets, founded in 1824 as a school, church and meeting-house, was acquired by the Museum of African American History in 1999. During the nineteenth century, Nantucket, which by this time was predominantly Quaker and supported the abolition of slavery, became part of the [[Underground Railroad]], providing sanctuary to African Americans escaping slavery on the mainland.<ref name=Just>{{cite web|url=https://n-magazine-archive.com/just-history/|title=Just History|first=Robert|last=Cocuzzo|date=30 June 2021|work=N Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/black-activism-before-the-civil-war/|title=Black Activism Before the Civil War|first=Barbara Ann|last=White|access-date=7 August 2025|work=Nantucket Historical Association}}</ref> New Guinea was also home to [[Hawaiian Islands|Hawaiian Islanders]] who worked on the Nantucket whaleships, and to Wampanoags who had married into the African American community.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/william-owen-holokahiki/|title=William Owen: Holokahiki|first1=Frances|last1=Karttunen|first2=Cameron|last2=Texter|work=Nantucket Historical Association}}</ref><ref name=Just/>

===The Wampanoags===
When English settlers arrived on Nantucket in 1659, the island was populated by Wampanoag [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], one of the  [[Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands]], who had been living there for thousands of years. As many as three thousand people lived on the island in groups governed by [[sachem]]s.<ref name=Other>{{cite book|first=Frances Ruley|last=Karttunen|title=The Other Islanders: People who pulled Nantucket's oars|date=2005 |publisher=Spinner Publications, Inc|location=New Bedford, Massachusetts|isbn=0932027938}}</ref>{{rp|17,21}} Within two years of their arrival, the settlers had persuaded two of the sachems, Wanackmamack and Nickanoose, to relinquish their rights to the island in exchange for 66 [[Pound sterling|pounds sterling]], equal to £{{Inflation|UK|66|1659|fmt=c}} today).{{r|Other|p=26-7}}  In 1750 the deeds were upheld by a judge from the [[Massachusetts General Court|General Court of Massachusetts]] in spite of petitions from the Wampanoags claiming that the sachems had not had the authority to sell the land.{{r|Other|p=52}}  The Wampanoags converted to Christianity and took up trades that were useful to the settlers, becoming, for example, carpenters and weavers.{{r|Other|p=40}}  When the whaling industry developed on Nantucket in the 18th century, Wampanoag men went to sea and often made up half or more of the crew of the whaling ships.{{r|Other|p=44-6}} By the beginning of the 18th century, a system of [[debt bondage]] had been implemented to provide local colonists with steady access to a pool of Wampanoag labor.<ref>Nathaniel Philbrick, ''In the Heart of the Sea: The Incredible True Story that Inspired Moby-Dick,'' [[HarperCollins|William Collins]] 2000 p.5.</ref>

During the century that followed the arrival of the settlers, the Wampanoag community did not thrive, and by 1763 they numbered only 358 people.  Various factors contributed to this decline, including the destruction of the ecosystem that had sustained them, the disadvantages they faced in competing in the developing money economy, losses at sea, and the detrimental effect of [[rum]] on their health.{{r|Other|p=45-6,54}} In 1763 the Wampanoag community was struck down by an epidemic of unknown origin, which killed 222 of them while leaving local colonists unaffected. Some of the survivors left Nantucket and some married into the small African community on the island.{{r|Other|p=52-4}} Two children, Abram Quary and [[Dorcas Honorable|Dorcas Esop]], who were born after the epidemic and lived until 1854 and 1855, have been acknowledged as Nantucket's last Native Americans. Wampanoags from [[Martha's Vineyard]] and [[Cape Cod]] have since then lived on Nantucket.{{r|Other|p=56}}

In 2021, the ''Nantucket Annual Town Meeting'' voted to replace the [[Columbus Day]] holiday with [[Indigenous Peoples' Day (United States)|Indigenous People's Day]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nantucket-ma.gov/2308/Nantucket-Celebrates-Indigenous-Peoples-|title=Nantucket celebrates Indigenous People's Day|publisher=Town & County of Nantucket|access-date=September 5, 2023}}</ref>

===Whaling industry===
{{See also|Whaling in the United States}}
In his 1835 history of Nantucket Island, Obed Macy wrote that in the early pre-1672 colony, a whale of the kind called "scragg" entered the harbor and was pursued and killed by the settlers.<ref>{{cite book |author= Macy, Obed |title=The History of Nantucket:being a compendious account of the first settlement of the island by the English:together with the rise and progress of the whale fishery, and other historical facts relative to said island and its inhabitants:in two parts |year=1835 |publisher= Hilliard, Gray & Co. |location= Boston |isbn=1-4374-0223-2 }}</ref> This event started the Nantucket whaling industry. A. B. Van Deinse points out that the "scrag whale", described by P. Dudley in 1725 as one of the species hunted by early New England whalers, was almost certainly the [[gray whale]], which has flourished on the [[West Coast of the United States|west coast]] of [[North America]] in modern times with protection from whaling.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Van Deinse |first= A. B. |year= 1937 |title=Recent and older finds of the gray whale in the Atlantic |journal= Temminckia |volume= 2 |pages=161–188 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last= Dudley |first= P |year= 1725 |title=An essay upon the natural history of whales |journal= Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London |volume=33 |pages=256–259 |doi=10.1098/rstl.1724.0053|s2cid= 186208376 }}</ref>

At the beginning of the 18th century, whaling on Nantucket was usually done from small boats launched from the island's shores, which would tow killed whales to be processed on the beach. These boats were only about seven meters long, with mostly Wampanoag manpower, sourced from a system of [[debt servitude]] established by local colonists—a typical boat's crew had five Wampanoag oarsmen and a single white man at the steering oar. Author [[Nathaniel Philbrick]] notes that "without the native population, which outnumbered the white population well into the 1720s, the island would never have become a successful whaling port."<ref name="philbrick2001"/>

Nantucket's dependence on trade with Britain, derived from its whaling and supporting industries, [[Nantucket during the American Revolutionary War era|influenced its leading citizens]] to remain neutral during the [[American Revolutionary War]], favoring neither the British nor the Patriots.<ref>
{{Citation
 | last = Hinchman
 | first = Lydia S.
 | title = William Rotch and the Neutrality of Nantucket during the Revolutionary War
 | journal = Bulletin of Friends' Historical Society of Philadelphia
 | volume = 1
 | issue = 2
 | pages = 49–55
 | date = February 1907 | doi = 10.1353/qkh.1907.a399227
 | s2cid = 160684041
 }}</ref>

[[Herman Melville]] commented on Nantucket's whaling dominance in his novel ''[[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". The ''Moby-Dick'' characters [[Captain Ahab|Ahab]] and [[List of Moby-Dick characters#Mates|Starbuck]] are both from Nantucket. The tragedy that inspired Melville to write ''Moby-Dick'' was the final voyage of the Nantucket whaler ''[[Essex (whaleship)|Essex]]''.

The island suffered great economic hardships, worsened by the "Great Fire" of July 13, 1846, that, fueled by whale oil and lumber, devastated the main town, burning some {{convert|40|acres|0|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Kelley | first1 = Shawnie | title = It Happened on Cape Cod | publisher = Globe Pequot | year = 2006 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=EuSeEVcASI4C | access-date = November 22, 2011 | isbn = 978-0-7627-3824-3}}</ref> The fire left hundreds homeless and poverty-stricken, and many people left the island. 

By 1850, whaling was in decline, as Nantucket's whaling industry had been surpassed by that of [[New Bedford]]. Another contributor to the decline was the silting up of the harbor, which prevented large whaling ships from entering and leaving the port, unlike New Bedford, which still owned a deep water port. In addition, the development of railroads made mainland whaling ports, such as New Bedford, more attractive because of the ease of [[transshipment]] of whale oil onto trains, an advantage unavailable to an island.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q8JvDwAAQBAJ&q=Decline+of+Nantucket+whaling&pg=PA110|title=Inventing New England|last=Brown|first=Donna|date=November 17, 1997|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|isbn=9781560987994|pages=110|language=en}}</ref> The onset of the [[California Gold Rush]] in 1849 further lured many of Nantucket’s workers from whaling, as many islanders abandoned whaling in pursuit of opportunities in the West. The [[American Civil War]] dealt the death blow to the island's whaling industry, as virtually all of the remaining whaling vessels were destroyed by [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[commerce raiders]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yBK_6isJSDEC&q=Confederate+destruction+of+Nantucket+whaling+vessels&pg=PA175|title=Global Coastal Change|last=Valiela|first=Ivan|date=March 12, 2009|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9781444309034|language=en|page = 175}}</ref>

===Later history===
As a result of this depopulation, the island was left under-developed and isolated until the mid-20th century. Isolation from the mainland 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 wealthy people in the [[Northeastern United States]].{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Nantucket and towns on Martha's Vineyard contemplated seceding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which they considered at various [[town meeting]]s in 1977, unsuccessfully. The votes were sparked by a proposed change to the [[Massachusetts Constitution]] that would have reduced the size of the state's House of Representatives from 240 to 160 members and would therefore reduce the islands' representation in the [[Massachusetts General Court]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Massachusetts isles Wave Secession Flag |first=John |last=Kifner |date=April 6, 1977 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/04/06/archives/massachusetts-isles-wave-secession-flag.html |access-date=August 22, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=April 18, 1977 |title=People, Apr. 18, 1977 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914917-2,00.html |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208151115/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914917-2,00.html |access-date=October 28, 2020|url-status=dead |archive-date=December 8, 2010 }}</ref>

==Geology and geography==
[[File:Sum04-118.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[cobblestone]] Main Street in historic downtown Nantucket]]

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|304|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|45|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|259|sqmi}} (85%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_25.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 16, 2014|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140914175857/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_25.txt|archive-date=September 14, 2014}}</ref> It is the smallest county in Massachusetts by land area and second-smallest by total area. The area of Nantucket Island proper is {{convert|47.8|sqmi|km2}}. The triangular region of ocean between Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Cape Cod is [[Nantucket Sound]]. The highest points on the island include Saul's Hill at {{convert|102|ft|m|abbr=}},<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Robinson|first=John Henry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HdYWAAAAYAAJ&q=nantucket+highest+point&pg=PA34|title=Guide to Nantucket|date=1910|publisher=Judd & Detweiler, Incorporated, printers|pages=34|language=en}}</ref> Altar Rock at {{convert|100|ft|m|abbr=}},<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wang|first=Amy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=onkSY3tHwQQC&q=nantucket+highest+point&pg=PA89|title=Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket – Fodor's|date=April 2008|publisher=Fodor's Travel Publications|isbn=978-1-4000-1905-2|pages=89|language=en}}</ref> and Sankaty Head<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wilson|first=John Howard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S9q7AAAAIAAJ&q=nantucket+highest+point&pg=PA6|title=The glacial history of Nantucket and Cape Cod: with an argument for a fourth centre of glacial dispersion in North America|date=1906|publisher=The Columbia University Press|pages=6|language=en}}</ref> at {{convert|92|ft|m|abbr=}}.<ref name=":0" />

[[File:Nantucket NASA 2002.jpg|thumb|right|250px|NASA satellite image of Nantucket Island]]

Nantucket was formed by the outermost reach of the [[Laurentide Ice Sheet]] during the recent [[Wisconsin Glaciation]], shaped by the subsequent rise in sea level. The low ridge across the northern section of the island was deposited as [[glacial moraine]] during a period of glacial standstill, a period during which [[till]] continued to arrive and was deposited as the glacier melted at a stationary front. The southern part of the island is an [[outwash plain]], sloping away from the arc of the moraine and shaped at its margins by the sorting actions and transport of [[longshore drift]]. Nantucket became an island when [[sea level rise|rising sea levels]] covered the connection with the mainland, about 5,000–6,000 years ago.<ref>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.</ref>

The island and adjoining islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget comprise the Town and County of Nantucket, which is operated as a [[Consolidated city–county|consolidated town and county]] government. 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, Massachusetts|Madaket]], [[Surfside, Massachusetts|Surfside]], [[Polpis, Massachusetts|Polpis]], [[Wauwinet, Massachusetts|Wauwinet]], Miacomet, and [[Siasconset, Massachusetts|Siasconset]] (generally shortened to "'Sconset").<ref name=Oars>
{{cite book
 | last = Karttunen
 | first = Frances Ruley
 | title = The Other Islanders: People Who Pulled Nantucket's Oars
 | publisher = Spinner Publications
 | date = 2005
 | page = [https://archive.org/details/otherislanderspe00kart/page/304 304]
 | url = https://archive.org/details/otherislanderspe00kart/page/304
 | isbn = 0932027938
 | url-access = registration
 }}
</ref>

==Climate==
According to the [[Köppen climate classification]] system, Nantucket features a climate that is ''Cfb'' ([[oceanic climate|oceanic]]), a climate type rarely found on the east coast of [[North America]].<ref name="Köppen">{{cite journal| last = Kottek | first = M.|author2=J. Grieser |author3=C. Beck |author4=B. Rudolf |author5=F. Rubel | title =World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated| journal =Meteorol. Z.| volume =15 | pages =259–263| url =http://www.schweizerbart.de/resources/downloads/paper_free/55034.pdf| doi =10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130| access-date =August 28, 2012| year =2006| issue = 3| bibcode = 2006MetZe..15..259K}}</ref> Nantucket's climate is heavily influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, which helps moderate temperatures in the town throughout the course of the year. Average high temperatures during the town's coldest month (January) are around {{convert|40|F|C}}, while average high temperatures during the town's warmest months (July and August) hover around {{convert|75|F|C}}. Nantucket receives on average {{convert|41|in|mm}} of precipitation annually, spread relatively evenly throughout the year. Similar to many other cities with an oceanic climate, Nantucket features a large number of cloudy or overcast days, particularly outside the summer months. The highest daily maximum temperature was {{convert|100|F|C}} on August 2, 1975, and the highest daily minimum temperature was {{convert|76|F|C}} on the same day. The lowest daily maximum temperature was {{convert|12|F|C}} on January 8, 1968, and the lowest daily minimum temperature was {{convert|-3|F|C}} on December 31, 1962, January 16, 2004, and [[February 2023 North American cold wave|February 4, 2023]]. The [[hardiness zone]] is 7b.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ |title=2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map : USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map|website=Planthardiness.ars.usda.gov|access-date=November 18, 2025}}</ref>
{{Weather box
|location = Nantucket, Massachusetts ([[Nantucket Memorial Airport]]), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 63
|Feb record high F = 61
|Mar record high F = 66
|Apr record high F = 83
|May record high F = 85
|Jun record high F = 92
|Jul record high F = 92
|Aug record high F = 100
|Sep record high F = 86
|Oct record high F = 83
|Nov record high F = 74
|Dec record high F = 63
|year record high F = 100
|Jan avg record high F = 53.3
|Feb avg record high F = 50.8
|Mar avg record high F = 56.9
|Apr avg record high F = 66.4
|May avg record high F = 75.4
|Jun avg record high F = 81.2
|Jul avg record high F = 84.0
|Aug avg record high F = 83.4
|Sep avg record high F = 78.7
|Oct avg record high F = 72.8
|Nov avg record high F = 63.8
|Dec avg record high F = 57.9
|year avg record high F = 86.3
|Jan high F = 39.5
|Feb high F = 40.1
|Mar high F = 44.2
|Apr high F = 52.2
|May high F = 60.7
|Jun high F = 68.7
|Jul high F = 75.4
|Aug high F = 75.7
|Sep high F = 70.4
|Oct high F = 61.9
|Nov high F = 52.8
|Dec high F = 45.1
|year high F = 57.2
|Jan mean F = 33.1
|Feb mean F = 33.5
|Mar mean F = 37.9
|Apr mean F = 45.5
|May mean F = 53.8
|Jun mean F = 62.2
|Jul mean F = 69.0
|Aug mean F = 69.0
|Sep mean F = 63.7
|Oct mean F = 55.2
|Nov mean F = 46.4
|Dec mean F = 38.6
|year mean F = 50.7
|Jan low F = 26.6
|Feb low F = 27.0
|Mar low F = 31.5
|Apr low F = 38.8
|May low F = 47.0
|Jun low F = 55.7
|Jul low F = 62.6
|Aug low F = 62.4
|Sep low F = 57.0
|Oct low F = 48.6
|Nov low F = 40.0
|Dec low F = 32.2
|year low F = 44.1
|Jan avg record low F = 10.0
|Feb avg record low F = 13.6
|Mar avg record low F = 17.8
|Apr avg record low F = 28.7
|May avg record low F = 35.8
|Jun avg record low F = 46.6
|Jul avg record low F = 54.2
|Aug avg record low F = 52.5
|Sep avg record low F = 44.6
|Oct avg record low F = 34.8
|Nov avg record low F = 26.5
|Dec avg record low F = 17.9
|year avg record low F = 8.3
|Jan record low F = -3
|Feb record low F = -3
|Mar record low F = 7
|Apr record low F = 20
|May record low F = 28
|Jun record low F = 35
|Jul record low F = 47
|Aug record low F = 39
|Sep record low F = 34
|Oct record low F = 22
|Nov record low F = 16
|Dec record low F = -3
|year record low F = -3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.18
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.84
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.84
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.60
|May precipitation inch = 2.98
|Jun precipitation inch = 3.00
|Jul precipitation inch = 2.72
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.00
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.59
|Oct precipitation inch = 4.39
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.79
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.93
|year precipitation inch = 40.86

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 11.6
|Feb precipitation days = 10.2
|Mar precipitation days = 10.5
|Apr precipitation days = 11.9
|May precipitation days = 11.7
|Jun precipitation days = 11.6
|Jul precipitation days = 11.9
|Aug precipitation days = 13.1
|Sep precipitation days = 12.5
|Oct precipitation days = 13.1
|Nov precipitation days = 10.9
|Dec precipitation days = 12.4
|year precipitation days = 141.4

|Jan snow inch = 8.1
|Feb snow inch = 9.6
|Mar snow inch = 6.9
|Apr snow inch = 0.9
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.3
|Dec snow inch = 6.5
|year snow inch =

|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 4.8
|Feb snow days = 5.0
|Mar snow days = 3.7
|Apr snow days = 0.7
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.3
|Dec snow days = 3.9

|Jan snow depth inch = 4.0
|Feb snow depth inch = 4.6
|Mar snow depth inch = 3.1
|Apr snow depth inch = 0.2
|May snow depth inch = 0.0
|Jun snow depth inch = 0.0
|Jul snow depth inch = 0.0
|Aug snow depth inch = 0.0
|Sep snow depth inch = 0.0
|Oct snow depth inch = 0.0
|Nov snow depth inch = 0.1
|Dec snow depth inch = 3.1
|year snow depth inch = 7.6

|source 1 = NOAA (snow/snow days/snow depth 1948&ndash;1973)<ref name= NOAA>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=box
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| access-date = May 30, 2021}}</ref><ref name="NOAA txt">
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00014756&format=pdf
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
| title = Station: Nantucket Mem AP, MA
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)
| access-date = May 30, 2021}}</ref>}}

In 2021, a 270-page coastal [[Climate change adaptation|resilience]] plan was drafted to deal with issues related to [[climate change]]: groundwater table rise, coastal flooding, high tide flooding, and coastal erosion.<ref name=InsideClimateNews_20250606/> The plan identified forty proposed projects over the next fifteen years at a cost of $930 million.<ref name=InsideClimateNews_20250606/> The coastal resilience advisory coordinator anticipated damages through 2070 of $3.4 billion if nothing is done to fight [[sea level rise]].<ref name=InsideClimateNews_20250606>{{cite news |last1=Willilams |first1=Nicole |title=How Nantucket Is Preparing for Rising Seas |url=https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06062025/nantucket-sea-level-rise-coastal-resilience/ |work=Inside Climate News |date=June 6, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250606202057/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06062025/nantucket-sea-level-rise-coastal-resilience/ |archive-date=June 6, 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{See also|List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income}}

{{US Census population
| 1790 = 4555
| 1800 = 5617
| 1810 = 6807
| 1820 = 7266
| 1830 = 7202
| 1840 = 9012
| 1850 = 8452
| 1860 = 6094
| 1870 = 4123
| 1880 = 3727
| 1890 = 3268
| 1900 = 3006
| 1910 = 2962
| 1920 = 2797
| 1930 = 3678
| 1940 = 3401
| 1950 = 3484
| 1960 = 3559
| 1970 = 3774
| 1980 = 5087
| 1990 = 6012
| 2000 = 9520
| 2010 = 10172
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 16, 2014}}</ref><br />1790–1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=September 16, 2014}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ma190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 16, 2014}}</ref><br />1990–2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 16, 2014}}</ref> 2010–2020<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mtgis-portal.geo.census.gov/arcgis/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=2566121a73de463995ed2b2fd7ff6eb7|title=2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 12, 2021}}</ref>
| 2020 = 14255
| estyear = 2024
| estimate = 14670
| estref = <ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 13, 2025}}</ref>
}}

As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 14,255&nbsp;people, up from 10,172&nbsp;in 2010, residing in the county.<ref name=Quick>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/nantucketcountymassachusetts|title=QuickFacts Nantucket County, Massachusetts|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 6, 2023}}</ref>

===Race and origins===
The 2020 data for racial makeup of the county was 71.3% white, 7.2% black or African American, 1.9% Asian, 0.6% American Indian, 9.3% from other races, and 9.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 16.2% of the population.<ref name=DP1>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Nantucket+County,+Massachusetts&g=040XX00US25&d=DEC+Demographic+Profile|title=Nantucket County: 2020 DEC Demographic Profile|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 6, 2023}}</ref> The median age of the population was 39.9 years; 22.2% were aged under 21 years, while 15.9% were aged over 65 years.<ref name=DP1/>

According to the 2020 census data for Nantucket County, the largest groups by origins (alone or in any combination) were [[Irish Americans]] (2,612), [[English Americans|English]] (2,492), [[German Americans|German]] (1,229), [[Italian Americans|Italian]] (901), [[Jamaican Americans|Jamaican]] (635), [[Scottish Americans|Scottish]] (632), French (476), Polish (389), Portuguese (285), African Americans (251), Swedish (247) and Bulgarian (201).<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/detailed-race-ethnicities-2020-census.html|title=Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census|publisher=[[United States census]]|date= September 21, 2023|access-date=October 30, 2023}}</ref> By Hispanic origins of any race, Salvadoran (1,143), Dominican (501), [[Mexican Americans|Mexican]] (124), Guatemalan (63), Spanish (46), Puerto Rican (41), [[Spanish Americans|Spaniard]] (34) and Colombian (32).<ref name="auto"/>

===Housing===
There were 12,619 housing units on the island; 5,478 were occupied with most of the rest being for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. 59.7% of the occupied housing units were owner-occupied, 40.3% were renter-occupied.<ref name=DP1/> Of the 5,478 households, 52.1% contained married or cohabiting couples. In 19.7% of households a couple were living with their children aged under 18, while a further 6% of households contained a householder living alone with their children under 18.<ref name=DP1/>

In 2017–2021 the median income for a household in the county was $116,571 and the per capita income was $52,324. 5.9% of the population were living below the [[poverty line]].<ref name=Quick/>

As of the fourth quarter of 2021, the median value of homes in Nantucket County was $1,370,522, an increase of 22.3% from the prior year, and ranked the highest in the US by median home value.<ref>{{Cite web |title=County Median Home Price |url=https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/housing-statistics/county-median-home-prices-and-monthly-mortgage-payment |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220415015215/https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/housing-statistics/county-median-home-prices-and-monthly-mortgage-payment |archive-date=April 15, 2022 |access-date=April 14, 2022 |website=National Association of Realtors |date=January 4, 2019 }}</ref>
[[File:Nantucket County MA population density.png|thumb|Population density of Nantucket by census block (2020)<ref>{{Citation |title=TIGER/Line Shapefile, 2020, State, Massachusetts, 2020 Census Block |url=https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/tiger-line-shapefile-2020-state-massachusetts-2020-census-block |access-date=2025-05-22 |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division, Spatial Data Collection and Products Branch (Point of Contact) |language=en}}</ref>]]

==Government==
[[File:Nantucket Town & County Building.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.8|Nantucket Town & County Building]]
Nantucket is the only such consolidated town-county in Massachusetts. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 14,255, making it the least populated county in Massachusetts.<ref name="QF">{{cite web |title=2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer |url=https://mtgis-portal.geo.census.gov/arcgis/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=2566121a73de463995ed2b2fd7ff6eb7 |access-date=August 12, 2021 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> Part of the town is designated the [[Nantucket (CDP), Massachusetts|Nantucket CDP]], or [[census-designated place]]. The region of Surfside on Nantucket is the southernmost settlement in Massachusetts.

===Local===
Town and county governments are combined in Nantucket (see [[List of counties in Massachusetts]]). Nantucket's elected executive body is its Select Board (name changed in 2018 from [[Board of Selectmen]]),<ref>{{cite web| last1 = Sutters| first1 = Peter| title = Nantucket Selectmen go gender-neutral| work = Inquirer & Mirror website| url = http://www.ack.net/news/20180321/nantucket-selectmen-go-gender-neutral}}</ref> which is responsible for the town government's goals and policies.<ref>{{cite web| title = Board of Selectmen| work = Town and County of Nantucket website| url = http://www.nantucket-ma.gov/Pages/NantucketMA_BOS/index | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070722114934/http://www.nantucket-ma.gov/Pages/NantucketMA_BOS/index | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 22, 2007 | access-date = April 10, 2013}}</ref> Legislative functions are carried out by an open Town Meeting of the Town's registered voters.<ref>{{cite web| title = Nantucket Open Town Meeting| work = Town and County of Nantucket website| url = https://www.nantucket-ma.gov/700/Town-Meetings| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210508222755/https://www.nantucket-ma.gov/700/Town-Meetings| url-status = live| archive-date = May 8, 2021| access-date = May 7, 2022}}</ref> It is administered by a town manager, who is responsible for all departments, except for the school, airport and water departments.<ref>{{cite web| title = Town Administration| work = Town and County of Nantucket website| url = http://www.nantucket-ma.gov/Pages/NantucketMA_Admin/index| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071001181709/http://www.nantucket-ma.gov/Pages/NantucketMA_Admin/index| url-status = dead| archive-date = October 1, 2007| access-date = April 10, 2013}}</ref>

===State===
Nantucket is represented in the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] by [[Dylan Fernandes]], Democrat, of Woods Hole, who represents Precincts 1, 2, 5 and 6, of Falmouth, in [[Barnstable County, Massachusetts|Barnstable County]]; Chilmark, Edgartown, Aquinnah, Gosnold, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury and West Tisbury, all in [[Dukes County, Massachusetts|Dukes County]]; and Nantucket. Rep. Fernandes has served since January 4, 2017. Nantucket is represented in the [[Massachusetts Senate]] by [[Julian Cyr]], Democrat, of [[Truro, Massachusetts|Truro]], who has also served since January 4, 2017.

===National===
Nantucket is in [[Massachusetts's 9th congressional district]], which has existed since 2013. {{As of|2013}}, it was represented in the [[United States House of Representatives]] by [[William R. Keating|Bill Keating]], a Democrat of Bourne. Massachusetts is currently represented in the [[United States Senate]] by senior senator [[Elizabeth Warren]] (Democrat) and junior senator [[Ed Markey]] (Democrat).

==Politics==
===Party affiliations===
In 2024, 63% of Nantucket residents were unaligned with a major political party, 25% were registered Democrats, and 10% were registered Republicans.<ref name="Massachusetts Elections Division">{{cite web|title = Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of February 1, 2019 | publisher = Massachusetts Elections Division | access-date=February 1, 2019 | url = https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/enrollment_count_20190201.pdf}}</ref>
{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of February 2024<ref name="Voters">{{cite web |title=The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |url=https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/download/research-and-statistics/enrollment_count_20240305.pdf |website=Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts |access-date=April 9, 2024 |date=February 24, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Unenrolled*
| align = center | {{formatnum: 6,212}}
| align = center | {{Percentage |6,212 |9,800 |2}}
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align = center | {{formatnum: 2,486}}
| align = center | {{Percentage |2,486 |9,800 |2}}
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align = center | {{formatnum: 993}}
| align = center | {{Percentage |993 |9,800 |2}}
|-
| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
| [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]]
| align = center | {{formatnum: 36}}
| align = center | {{Percentage |36 |9,800 |2}}
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| [[Third party (U.S. politics)|Other parties]]
| align = center | {{formatnum: 73}}
| align = center | {{Percentage |73 |9,800 |2}}
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align = center | {{formatnum:9800}}
! align = center | {{Percentage |100}}
|}

<sup>*</sup>The [[Massachusetts|Commonwealth of Massachusetts]] allows voters to enroll with a political party or to remain "unenrolled".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepar/paridx.htm |title=Massachusetts Directory of Political Parties and Designations |author=Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts |date=December 21, 2015 |access-date=December 21, 2015 }}</ref>

===Voting patterns===
Throughout the late 19th and most of the 20th century, Nantucket was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. From 1876 to 1984, only two Democrats carried Nantucket: [[Woodrow Wilson]] and [[Lyndon Johnson]]. Since 1988, however, it has trended Democratic.
{{PresHead|place=Nantucket County, Massachusetts|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=November 10, 2024}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|1868|Republican|471|46|0|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1872|Republican|316|22|0|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1876|Republican|379|103|0|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1880|Republican|395|108|0|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1884|Republican|328|204|19|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1888|Republican|487|215|13|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1892|Republican|440|220|12|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|485|62|65|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|375|102|12|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|378|170|14|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|359|136|12|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|123|247|194|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|249|307|8|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|608|205|3|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|708|167|14|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|865|395|1|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1932|Republican|812|561|7|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1936|Republican|969|548|27|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1940|Republican|1,015|624|8|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1944|Republican|779|569|1|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1948|Republican|1,013|409|20|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|1,490|405|2|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|1,582|317|1|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|1,219|698|2|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|587|1,197|3|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|991|744|57|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|1,418|952|10|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|1,399|1,115|112|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|1,149|1,040|649|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|1,697|1,456|17|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|1,469|2,209|53|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|1,158|2,037|1,021|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,222|2,453|484|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|1,624|2,874|428|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|2,040|3,608|76|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|1,863|4,073|116|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|2,187|3,830|103|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|1,892|4,146|470|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|1,914|5,241|151|Massachusetts}}
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|2,171|4,784|163|Massachusetts}}
{{PresFoot}}
{{Clear}}

==Economy==
===Top employers===
According to Nantucket's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nantucket-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23189/FY-2017-Comprehensive-Annual-Financial-Report-CAFR-PDF|title=Town of Nantucket, Massachusetts Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2018|last=Turbitt|first=Brian E.|date=October 9, 2018|website=Town of Nantucket, Massachusetts|format=PDF|access-date=April 19, 2019}}</ref> the top employers in the town are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of employees
|-
|1
| Town of Nantucket
|670
|-
|2
| [[Nantucket Cottage Hospital]]
|180
|-
|3
| Nantucket Island Resorts
|125
|-
|4
| Marine Home Center
|90
|-
|5
| [[Stop & Shop]]
|90
|-
|6
| [[Rockland Trust]]
|60
|-
|7
| Myles Reis Trucking
|30
|-
|8
| [[The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority]]
|28
|-
|9
| Don Allen
|25
|-
|10
| Bartlett Oceanview Farm
|25
|}

== Education ==
[[File:CoffinSchoolNantucket.JPG|thumb|In 1827, [[Sir Isaac Coffin, 1st Baronet|Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin]] set up the Coffin School to educate descendants of [[Tristram Coffin (Nantucket)|Tristram Coffin]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nantucketpreservation.org/380-380 | title = The History of The Coffin School | last1 = Finger | first1 = Jascin Leonardo | date = November 11, 2011 | publisher = Nantucket Preservation Trust | location = Nantucket, Massachusetts | access-date = September 1, 2014}}</ref> After initially faltering, the school was reconstituted in this building on Winter Street in 1854.]]

Nantucket's public school district is [[Nantucket Public Schools]]. The Nantucket school system had 1,583 students and 137 teachers in 2017.<ref name="report">{{cite web|title=2017 NCLB Report Card – Nantucket|url=http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/reportcard/rc.aspx?linkid=38&orgcode=01970000&fycode=2017&orgtypecode=5&|work=No Child Left Behind Reports|publisher=Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education}}</ref>

Public schools on the island include:
* Nantucket Elementary School (Pre-K–2)
* Nantucket Intermediate School (3–5)
* Cyrus Peirce Middle School (6–8)
* [[Nantucket High School]] (9–12)
* Nantucket Community School (extracurricular)

Private schools on the island include:
* Montessori Children’s House of Nantucket (Pre-K–K)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mchnantucket.org/|title=Montessori Children’s House of Nantucket|website=Mchnantucket.org|access-date=November 18, 2025}}</ref>
* Nantucket Lighthouse School (Preschool–5)<ref>{{cite web
 | title = The Nantucket Lighthouse School
 | url = http://www.nantucketlighthouseschool.org
 | website = Natucketlighthouseschool.org
 | access-date = August 3, 2013}}</ref>
* Nantucket New School (Preschool–8)<ref>{{cite web
 | title = The Nantucket New School
 | url = http://www.nantucketnewschool.org
 | website = Natucketnewschool.org
 | access-date = August 3, 2013}}</ref>

Nantucket Public Schools District information and meetings are broadcast on Nantucket Community Television (Channel 18) in Nantucket.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nantucketcommunitytelevision.org/|title=Nantucket Community Television – Broadcasting Nantucket. Vision. Voice. Life.|website=Nantucketcommunitytelevision.org}}</ref>

A major museum association, the [[Maria Mitchell Association]], offers educational programs to the Nantucket Public Schools, as well as the [[Nantucket Historical Association]], though the two are not affiliated.

The [[University of Massachusetts Boston]] operates a field station on Nantucket. The [[Massachusetts College of Art & Design]] is affiliated with the Nantucket Island School of Design & the Arts, which offers summer courses for teens, youth, postgraduate, and undergraduate programs.

==Arts and culture==
[[File:Robinson Nantucket.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Theodore Robinson]]'s painting ''Nantucket'', 1882]]

Nantucket has several noted museums and galleries, including the [[Maria Mitchell Association]] and the [[Nantucket Whaling Museum]].

Nantucket is home to both visual and performing arts. The island has been an [[art colony]] since the 1920s, whose artists have come to capture the natural beauty of the island's landscapes and seascapes, including its flora and the fauna. Noted artists who have lived on or painted in Nantucket include [[Frank Swift Chase]] and [[Theodore Robinson]]. Illustrator and puppeteer [[Tony Sarg]] moved to the island in 1922, and in 1937 created an inflatable creature which sailed across the harbour as part of the "sea monster" hoax.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nha.org/whats-on/exhibition/digital-exhibitions/the-nantucket-art-colony-1920-45/the-artists/tony-sarg/|title=Tony Sarg|access-date=13 August 2024|work=Nantucket Historical Association}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |website=Wgbh.org|url=https://www.wgbh.org/culture/visual-arts/2024-08-02/nantuckets-sea-monster-returns-90-years-after-balloon-hoax |title=Nantucket's sea monster returns 90 years after balloon hoax |author1=Kate Dellis |author2=Edgar B. Herwick III |date=August 2, 2024 }}</ref> Artist Rodney Charman was commissioned to create a series of paintings depicting the marine history of Nantucket, which were collected in the book ''Portrait of Nantucket, 1659–1890: The Paintings of Rodney Charman'' in 1989.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hUPgAAAACAAJ&q=Portrait+of+Nantucket,+1659-1890:+The+Paintings+of+Rodney+Charman|title=Portrait of Nantucket, 1659–1890: The Paintings of Rodney Charman|last=Mooney|first=Robert E.|date=December 12, 1996|publisher=Mill Hill Press|isbn=9780963891037|language=en}}</ref>

The island is the site of a number of festivals, including a book festival, wine and food festival, comedy festival, daffodil festival,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://capecodtoday.com/article/2019/04/22/246031-Nantucket-Celebrates-45th-Annual-Daffodil-Weekend|title=Nantucket Celebrates 45th Annual Daffodil Weekend |website=Capecodtoday.com|access-date=July 2, 2019}}</ref> and a cranberry festival.<ref>
{{cite web
 | url = https://nantucket.net/activities/festivals.php
 | title = Nantucket Festivals 
 | date = 2017
 | website = Nantucket.net
 | publisher = Yesterday's Island, Inc.
 | access-date = April 5, 2017
}}</ref>

===Popular culture===
Several historical, literary and dramatic works involve people from, or living on, Nantucket. These include:

* [[Herman Melville]]'s classic novel ''[[Moby-Dick]]'' is based on the Nantucket whaling industry, with narrator [[Ishmael (Moby-Dick)|Ishmael]] starting his voyage from Nantucket.
* [[Nathaniel Philbrick]]'s ''Away Off Shore: Nantucket Island and Its People, 1602–1890''.
* [[Nathaniel Philbrick]]'s ''[[In the Heart of the Sea|In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex]]''.
* [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s ''[[The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket]]''.
* The science-fiction-based [[Nantucket series|''Nantucket'' series]] by [[S. M. Stirling]] has the island being sent back in time from March 17, 1998, to circa 1250 BC in the [[Bronze Age]].
* Most of the [[Joan Aiken]] novel ''[[Nightbirds on Nantucket]]'' is set on the island.
* [[Hilbert Schenck]]'s science fiction short story ''[[The Morphology of the Kirkham Wreck]]'', based on real events, is set on Nantucket and in the dangerous waters offshore.
* The 1971 coming-of-age film ''[[Summer of '42]]'' was set in Nantucket.
* The 1986 comedy ''[[One Crazy Summer]]'' was set in Nantucket and filmed on [[Cape Cod]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Film and Television Locations: a State-by-State Guidebook to Moviemaking sites, excluding Los Angeles|first=Doug|last=Gelbert |year=2002 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |page=111|isbn=9780786412938|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qYRZAAAAMAAJ&q=crazy+summer}}</ref>
* The 1990s sitcom ''[[Wings (1990 TV series)|Wings]]'', which aired eight seasons from 1990 to 1997, was set in Nantucket. The series took place at the fictional "Tom Nevers Field" airport and other locations. It was filmed in LA but all of the establishing shots were filmed at various sites on the island and included fictional versions of real establishments, such as The Club Car restaurant.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Leszczak |first=Bob |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6eMfzgEACAAJ |title=There Once Was a Show from Nantucket: A Complete Guide to the TV Sitcom Wings |date=December 25, 2020 |publisher=BearManor Media |isbn=978-1-62933-666-4 |language=en}}</ref>
* The 2007 comedy ''[[The Nanny Diaries]]'' has the climax of the film take place at Mr X's Mother's Nantucket oversized Cape-Cod-styled home. Filmed in the Hamptons but made to look like Nantucket.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hookedonhouses.net/2011/09/19/nanny-diaries-movie-set-design/|title=The Sets from the Scarlett Johansson Movie "The Nanny Diaries"|website=Hookedonhouses.net|date=September 19, 2011}}</ref>
* The island's name is used as a rhyming device in a noted [[Limerick (poetry)|limerick]], beginning "[[There once was a man from Nantucket]]..".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p80aAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA274|title=Life|date=June 1903|publisher=Life|location=New York|pages=274|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Elin Hilderbrand]]'s novels are set on Nantucket.
* Nantucket is the setting for the Merry Folger series of mystery novels by [[Francine Mathews]].<ref name=GWMW>page 161–164, ''Great Women Mystery Writers'', 2nd Ed. by Elizabeth Blakesley Lindsay, 2007, publ. Greenwood Press, {{ISBN|0-313-33428-5}}</ref>
* Nantucket is the setting for [[Josephine Angelini]]’s [[Starcrossed (novel)]] series. 
* American journalist [[Pam Belluck]]'s 2012 non-fiction book ''Island Practice'' follows the misadventures of Nantucket doctor Timothy J. Lepore, MD.
* The 2011 documentary ''[[Nantucket (film)|Nantucket]]'', directed by [[Ric Burns]] for the [[Nantucket Historical Association]], presents the island’s history from its [[Wampanoag]] origins and early [[Quakers|Quaker]] community through its prominence as a [[Whaling in the United States|whaling center]] and later development as a resort.
* [[Andrew Hussie]]'s 2021 visual novel ''Psycholonials'' takes place in 2020 on Nantucket.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}
* In the [[Quentin Tarantino]] film, ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]'', Colonel Hans Landa of the German Sicherheitsdienst negotiates a deal where he is awarded a property on Nantucket Island.
* A [[Japan]]ese [[manga]] series by [[Hidekaz Himaruya]], ''[[Chibisan Date]]'', is set on Nantucket during the 1960s. In Himaruya's other manga, ''[[Hetalia: Axis Powers]]'', America, the anthropomorphic personification of the United States, has an [[ahoge]] that represents Nantucket.

==Transportation==
===Water===
Ferry service is provided year-round by the [[Steamship Authority]] and [[Hy-Line Cruises]]. Seasonal ferry services include ferries from New Bedford, Harwich, and Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard. Private boats can also access the island via Nantucket Harbor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nantucketchamber.org/by-sea.html|title=Business Directory Search – Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce, MA|website=Nantucketchamber.org}}</ref>

===Air===
The island is served by [[Nantucket Memorial Airport]] (IATA: ACK), located on the south side of the island. During the summer months, the airport becomes one of the busiest in Massachusetts, handling a high volume of private aircraft and seasonal commercial flights. Carriers such as [[Cape Air]] operate frequent regional flights, primarily using small aircraft such as the [[Cessna 402]] and [[Tecnam P2012 Traveler]]. [[JetBlue]] and [[American Airlines]]  [[Delta Connection]] And [[United Express]]  also offer seasonal jet service to major hubs including Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. Chicago O’Hare and Newark NJ

===Bus===
The [[Nantucket Regional Transit Authority]] operates year-round bus service on the island.

===Bike===
The island also supports an extensive network of bike paths, and bicycling is a popular way to explore Nantucket.

===Car===
Taxis, rental cars, and ride-sharing services are available, though limited in number.

===Historic===
From 1900 to 1918, Nantucket was one of few jurisdictions in the United States that banned automobiles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nantuckethistoricalassociation/3347365572/|title=Flickr|website=Flickr}}</ref>

A narrow-gauge railway, the Nantucket Railroad, operated from 1881 to 1917, connecting Nantucket town to Surfside and later to Siasconset. It served both passengers and freight but was eventually shut down due to financial difficulties and the rise of alternative transportation.

During the early 20th century, steamboats were the primary means of reaching the island. These vessels connected Nantucket to the mainland before the rise of modern ferry systems and air travel.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Nantucket light 1.jpg|[[Sankaty Head Light]] [[lighthouse]]
File:Great Point Light.jpg|[[Great Point Light]]house
File:Light house at Brant point in Nantucket harbor.jpg|Brant Point Light in Nantucket Harbor
File:Nantucket Wharf by Don Ramey Logan.jpg|Nantucket Boat Basin
</gallery>

===Transportation disasters===
[[File:Line5125 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The ''[[Argo Merchant]]'' ran aground on December 15, 1976. A silvery oil slick can be seen coming from the center holds in the foreground.]]

Nantucket waters were the site of several noted transportation disasters:
* On May 15, 1934, the ocean liner [[RMS Olympic|RMS ''Olympic'']], sister ship to [[RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic'']], rammed and sank the [[Nantucket Lightship LV-117]] in heavy fog, roughly 45 miles south of Nantucket Island. Four men survived out of a crew of 11.
* On July 25, 1956, the Italian ocean liner [[SS Andrea Doria|SS ''Andrea Doria'']] collided with the [[MS Stockholm (1948)|MS ''Stockholm'']] in heavy fog {{convert|45|mi|km}} south of Nantucket, resulting in the deaths of 51 people (46 on the ''Andrea Doria'', 5 on the ''Stockholm'').
* On August 15, 1958, [[Northeast Airlines Flight 258]] crashed on approach to [[Nantucket Memorial Airport]], killing 25 of the 34 passengers and crew.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19580815-1 | title=ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-240-2 N90670 Nantucket Memorial Airport, MA (ACK) }}</ref>
* On December 15, 1976, the [[oil tanker]] ''[[Argo Merchant]]'' ran aground {{convert|29|mi|km}} southeast of Nantucket. Six days later, on December 21, the wrecked ship broke apart, causing a large [[oil spill]].
* On October 31, 1999, [[EgyptAir Flight 990]], traveling from [[New York City]] to [[Cairo]], crashed approximately {{convert|60|mi|km}} south of Nantucket, killing all 217 people on board.

==National Register of Historic Places==
The following Nantucket places are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/MA/Nantucket/state.html|title=National Register of Historical Places – MASSACHUSETTS (MA), Nantucket County|website=Nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com}}</ref>
* [[Nantucket Historic District]], a [[National Historic Landmark District]] (added December 13, 1966); Expanded to encompass the entire island in 1975.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nantucketpreservation.org/nantucket%E2%80%99s-national-historic-landmark-update-gains-advisory-committee-approval-410|title=Nantucket's National Historic Landmark Update Gains Advisory Committee Approval – Nantucket Preservation Trust|website=Nantucketpreservation.org|date=November 11, 2011 }}</ref>
* [[Brant Point Light|Brant Point Light Station]]—Brant Point (added October 28, 1987)
* [[Jethro Coffin House]]—a [[National Historic Landmark]], Sunset Hill Road (added December 24, 1968)
* [[Sankaty Head Light]] (added November 15, 1987)

==Notable people==
<!--- Please a) include a reference to demonstrate that an entry is or was a resident, b)  keep explanatory text simple and brief, and c) ensure that the person is notable enough to have a Wikipedia entry. --->
While many notable people own property or regularly visit the island, the following have been residents of the island:

{{div col}}
* [[Askamaboo]], a 17th-century female Wampanoag sachem
* [[William Barnes Sr.]], attorney and Republican Party political leader<ref>{{cite book |last=New York State Bar Association |date=1913 |title=Proceedings of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xuI8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA713 |location=Albany, NY |publisher=The Argus Company |pages=713–716 |via=[[Google Books]] |ref={{sfnRef|''Proceedings of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting''}}}}</ref>
* [[Eliza Starbuck Barney]], abolitionist, genealogist<ref name="Stout">{{cite web|last1=Stout|first1=Kate|title=Who Was Eliza Barney?|url=https://www.nha.org/history/hn/HNbarneystout.htm|website=Nha.org|publisher=Nantucket Historical Association|access-date=December 3, 2017}}</ref> 
* [[Caio Canedo]], Emirati national team soccer player
* [[Donick Cary]] writer, producer
* [[James H. Cromartie]], artist
* [[A. J. Cronin]], novelist
* [[Doug DeMuro]], Entrepreneur, founder of automotive auction website Cars & Bids, automotive journalist, automotive content creator
* [[J. A. Folger|James A. Folger]], founder of the coffee company bearing his name
* [[Mayhew Folger]], whaling captain
* [[Peter Folger (Nantucket settler)|Peter Folger]], missionary
* [[Anna Gardner]], abolitionist, poet, teacher
* [[Robert Moller Gilbreth]], businessman, educator, and politician<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gilbrethnetwork.tripod.com/dozen.html|title=The Gilbreth Network: That Most Famous Dozen|website=gilbrethnetwork.tripod.com}}</ref>
* [[Phebe Ann Coffin Hanaford]], first woman ordained as a Universalist minister in New England
* [[Elin Hilderbrand]], author 
* [[Dorcas Honorable]], last of the Nantucket [[Wampanoag]]s
* [[Pauline Mackay]], golfer
* [[Rowland Hussey Macy]], 19th-century retailer, founder of Macy's department store
* [[Maria Mitchell]], astronomer
* [[Allison Mleczko]], ice hockey player
* [[Raymond Rocco Monto]], orthopedic surgeon
* [[Mary Morrill]], grandmother of [[Benjamin Franklin]]
* [[Lucretia Coffin Mott]], minister, abolitionist, social reformer, and proponent of women's rights
* [[Cyrus Peirce]], educator
* [[Nathaniel Philbrick]], author
* [[Joseph Gardner Swift]], first graduate of the [[United States Military Academy]]
* [[Nancy Thayer]], author<ref>{{Cite web|last=Thayer|first=Nancy|date=May 29, 2019|title=Travel to Nantucket like a local with this guide.|url=https://www.newsweek.com/nantucket-insider-guide-1438523|access-date=November 21, 2020|website=Newsweek|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Meghan Trainor]], singer and songwriter<ref>
{{Cite news
 | title = All about Nantucket's Meghan Trainor
 | newspaper = [[Boston Globe]]
 | series = Style
 | date = September 16, 2014
| url = https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2014/09/16/all-about-nantucket-meghan-trainor/hBHcLNeJ5u1cj97XzXXcoO/story.html
 | access-date = September 4, 2015 }}
</ref>
* [[Charles F. Winslow]], physician, 19th-century science author
* [[Mary A. Brayton Woodbridge]], 19th-century temperance reformer, editor
{{div col end}}

==Sister cities==
*{{flagicon|France|noredlink=}} [[Beaune|Beaune, Côte d’Or, France]]

== See also ==
<!--This list needs to be reduced by integration of elements into the main article.-->
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
;History
* [[Essex (1799 whaleship)|''Essex'' tragedy]]
* [[Nantucket during the American Revolutionary War era]]
* [[Nantucket shipbuilding]]

;Culture
* [[Maria Mitchell Association]]
* [[Nantucket Dreamland Foundation]]
* [[Nantucket Reds]]
* [[Nantucket Whaling Museum|Nantucket Historical Association]]
* [[The Nantucket Project]]
* [[There once was a man from Nantucket|'Man from Nantucket']] [[limerick (poetry)|limerick]]

;Other
* [[Nantucket Forests]]
* [[List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income]]
* [[List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Nantucket County, Massachusetts]]
{{div col end}}

== Citations ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== General and cited references ==
* Bond, C. Lawrence, ''Native Names of New England Towns and Villages'', privately published by C. Lawrence Bond, Topsfield, Massachusetts, 1991.
* [http://www.neatorama.com/2009/09/25/neatorama-shop-story-i-once-had-a-chum-from-nantucket/ I Once Had a Chum from Nantucket by Drs. Ernest and Convalescence Bidet-Wellville] on Neatorama
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/05/national/class/NANTUCKET-FINAL.html?ei=5090&en=4225cda3ce4bef53&ex=1275624000&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1140375939-+Yl719kmuDWV2YuhVLnehA Fabrikant, Geraldine, "Old Nantucket Warily Meets the New", ''New York Times'', June 5, 2005]
* [http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/travel/18hours.html?th&emc=th 36 Hours in Nantucket in the ''New York Times'' of July 18, 2010]

==Further reading==
* Babcock, Edwina S. (1924), ''[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74230 Nantucket windows]'' (poetry), [[The Inquirer and Mirror]] Press
* {{cite book | last = Macy | first = William Francis | title = The Story of Old Nantucket: A Brief History of the Island and its People from its Discovery down to the Present Day | place = Nantucket | publisher = The Inquirer and Mirror Press | year = 1915 | url = https://archive.org/details/storyoldnantuck00macygoog}}
* {{cite book |last=Tower |first=W. S. |title=A History of the American Whale Fishery |year=1907 |publisher=University of Philadelphia | url = https://archive.org/details/ahistoryamerica01towegoog}}

==External links==
* [http://www.nantucket-ma.gov/ Town of Nantucket website]
* [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/general_ref/cousub_outline/cen2k_pgsz/ma_cosub.pdf US Census Bureau map] of cities, towns, Native American reservations, and census-designated places

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{{Nantucket County, Massachusetts}}
{{Massachusetts}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts}}
{{Massachusetts Public High Schools}}
{{Islands and Peninsulas of Massachusetts}}
{{Massachusetts county seats}}
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[[Category:1641 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies]]
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[[Category:County seats in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Coastal islands of Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Islands of Nantucket, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Massachusetts counties]]
[[Category:Nantucket, Massachusetts| ]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Nantucket, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1641]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Towns in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Wampanoag]]
[[Category:Consolidated city-counties]]