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Nantucket
State: Massachusetts
Country: United States
Nantucket by the Numbers:
Population: 9520
Elevation: 48 feet / 14 m
Average Annual Rainfall: 50.4 inches / 127 cm
Average January Temperature: 32 °F / 0 °C
Average July Temperature: 68 °F / 20 °C
Quick Facts:
Major Tourist Destination: the beaches
Ethnic Mix: 88% Caucasian, 8.3% African American, 2.25% Hispanic, 0.65% Asian
Time Zone: EST
Country Dialing Code: 1
Area Code: 508
Did You Know?
In 1641 Nantucket was purchased from England by Thomas Mayhew who converted most of the native residents of the Wampanoag tribe to Christianity and called them "praying Indians". In 1659 the Mayhew family sold the island to nine citizens from the Merrimack Valley who wanted to escape the oppressive environment imposed on them by the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and raise sheep. The residents, seeking additional income in 1672, brought experienced whaling men to the island to teach them how to capture whales and extract oil. In 1712 the first sperm whale was captured, triggering an economic boom for the island since sperm whales are larger and their oil was more valuable. From 1800-1840, Nantucket was called the Whaling Capital of the World when thousands of men each year along with hundreds of ships would set forth to plunder the species for its valuable oil.
Orientation: Nantucket is an island located south of Boston and Cape Cod and southeast of Martha's Vineyard in the Atlantic Ocean.
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