How big is Nantucket vs Martha's Vineyard?
Big or small? Relatively flat, Nantucket is only 14 miles long and 3½ miles wide, versus hillier Martha's Vineyard, which measures 25 miles long and 9 miles wide. The Vineyard's larger size means it takes longer to get around, whether by foot, bike, car, or bus, but you have more to explore.
What is the population of Martha's Vineyard? According to the Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, about 17,000 people live there year-round, but the population explodes to nearly 200,000 in the summer, the height of tourist season.
A Brief History.
The Island has had several names, but was named Martha's Vineyard after the daughter of explorer Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602. There actually weren't any proper wineries on the Island until 1971, when Chicama Vineyards opened its doors in West Tisbury.
The average daily cost (per person) in Martha's Vineyard is $193, while the average daily cost in Nantucket is $280. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment.
Item | Grand Union Nantucket | Stop&Shop Nantucket |
---|---|---|
Hood Milk Whole, 1%, 2%, Skim (Gal) | 4.65 | 4.35 |
Land o' Lakes Butter (1 Lb) | 4.39 | 4.79 |
Jumbo Brown Eggs (Doz) | 2.59 | 2.79 |
Tropicana Orange Juice (1/2 Gal) | 3.59 | 3.69 |
Comedy god Larry David is one of the many celebs who live on Martha's Vineyard. We can only imagine what a swanky setup Larry has on his 70-acre plot of land.
Martha's Vineyard is 22 by 9 miles wide, and it takes approximately 45 minutes to get from one corner to another, often longer in high summer traffic. How much stuff are you bringing? If you're a family with young kids or you're planning to stay a while you may be travelling with a lot of cargo.
All three of the main port towns (Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown) are easily walkable. And since both Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs have ferries that service the towns May - October (Vineyard Haven, year round), your own two feet might just be all the transportation you need for your visit!
Vineyard Haven, a community on Martha's Vineyard, came out on top with home prices more expensive than one of the nation's largest cities.
What percentage of Martha's Vineyard is white?
Race/Ethnicity | School | State |
---|---|---|
White % | 78.8 | 62.1 |
Native American % | 2.3 | 0.2 |
Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander % | 0.2 | 0.1 |
Multi-Race, Non-Hispanic % | 4.2 | 3.3 |
...
GreatSchools Rating.
7/10 Oak Bluffs Elementary School Public • PreK-8 | 435 Students | 3 reviews |
---|---|---|
NR Chilmark Elementary School Public • K-5 | 60 Students | N/A |

"As is their yearly tradition, the Obamas are on summer vacation on Martha's Vineyard, or, as it's more commonly known to locals and visitors, 'The Martha,'" the article, written by Dayna Evans, states.
NELSON: Well, as in most places in this country, there were slaves on Martha's Vineyard. The state of Massachusetts prohibited slavery in 1780 and then abolished slavery completely in 1783, which was early.
The island has long been known for its rocky shores, dangerous tides, and rough underwater reefs, making the need for lighthouses necessary. Visit all but one (West Chop) and get a better understanding of the island's maritime history and, of course, a picture-perfect photograph.
Famous second homeowners include Secretary of State John F. Kerry and his wife, philanthropist Teresa Heinz Kerry; former General Electric chief executive Jack Welch; and Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, who has made preserving Nantucket her mission.
Siasconset, better known to locals as 'Sconset, is the only other designated town other than Downtown Nantucket on the island. With a population of 205, it is home to some of Nantucket's wealthiest homeowners.
Chatham is one of the prettiest and quaintest towns to visit in Cape Cod. Located on the far south-eastern end of the peninsula, it has an old-world charm with a vibrant dining scene. Many farm-to-table cafes and seafood bars string along Main Street.
The year-round population has risen from hovering around 11,000 in 2018 to 14,255 in the 2020 census.
Casual Clothing
While the rich certainly summer on Nantucket, you wouldn't know it based on the way people dress! It's a very relaxed island, and most people sport conservative yet classic staples. Think breezy linen dresses, crisp white jeans, casual sandals and cable knit sweaters.
Who owns a home on Martha's Vineyard?
Indeed, Spike Lee, David Letterman, Carly Simon, James Taylor and Mike Nichols and Diane Sawyer are among the high-profile property owners on the island. Another regular is Larry David; one of the island's hot new eateries, 7a Foods, tweeted recently that he visited two days in a row.
The Kennedy family is keeping 95 acres at the property, including their homes. Red Gate Farm was a sheep farm and hunting cabin when Kennedy Onassis bought it in 1979. She died in 1994. It has been maintained by Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of Kennedy Onassis and President John F.
The Best Time to Visit Martha's Vineyard
Repeat visitors may find that the shoulder-season months — April and September — are the best time to experience all of the island's charm, without the chaos of high-season crowds.
Martha's Vineyard transit authority runs buses, so there's no need for a car. For $7, a day pass will take you throughout the island on varying routes, and you can hop on and off as you please.
First and foremost, you can bring a car to Martha's Vineyard. There's no bridge connecting the island to the mainland but you can bring a vehicle over via the Steamship Authority vessels that regularly make trips between the island and the mainland.
A trip to Martha's Vineyard is not complete without a visit to one or more of our beautiful beaches. You will not be disappointed. There is a beach for everyone. Want to surf, windsurf, kiteboard, dip your toes, take your kids, swim, lay on the beach, there is a beach for you!
Mosquitoes on Martha's Vineyard
Mosquitoes are active spring through fall on the island and prefer a warm, moist environment. They are more than a nuisance, as they also pose health risks to humans and our pets.
From Boston to Martha's Vineyard by Ferry
Keep in mind that you need a reservation to bring your vehicle onto the ferry; otherwise, you may go for an impromptu day trip to Martha's Vineyard on the ferry by choosing any one of the several daily crossings. It takes 40 minutes on the ferry to reach the island.
Barack and Michelle Obama, the former president and first lady, bought a mansion on the island in 2019 for $11.75 million. According to the Martha's Vineyard Times, the median home sale price was more than $1 million in 2020.
Where do celebrities stay on Martha's Vineyard?
🤩 Where do the celebrities stay in Martha's Vineyard? Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey have been spotted at Harbor View Hotel and Blue Heron Farm.
Y-o-Y Change | ||
---|---|---|
Average Household Income | $132,657 | -1.7% |
Median Household Income | $82,857 | -4.9% |
People below Poverty Level | 864 | -2.6% |
People above Poverty Level | 10,795 | -0.2% |
So much so, you'll never want to leave. For Couples: It's no wonder so many LGBT couples get married here: The Island of Martha's Vineyard is one of the most romantic places in the world. The roughly 100-square-mile Island boasts a plethora of phenomenal hotels, B&Bs, boutique-style inns, and vacation rental homes.
Residents often divide the Vineyard into up-Island and down-Island. Up-Island is the western area, which comprises the three rural towns of Aquinnah, Chilmark and West Tisbury. Down-Island is the eastern portion, home to the larger historic villages of Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven.
The cold season lasts for 3.3 months, from December 10 to March 20, with an average daily high temperature below 46°F. The coldest month of the year in Martha's Vineyard Island is January, with an average low of 25°F and high of 39°F.
We found that overall, Martha's Vineyard is more expensive as compared to Cape Cod. The latest survey by CheapHotel.org has also rated Martha's Vineyard as the second most expensive destination in the US after Montauk (NY).
Martha's Vineyard is Larger than Nantucket
The most obvious difference between Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard is the size of the islands. Martha's Vineyard is much bigger, with 6 towns and is 23 miles long and 9 miles wide.
Nantucket Island “The Faraway Land” as translated from the language of the native Wampanoag tribe is located 30 miles off the south coast of Cape Cod. The island is 14 miles in length and 3 1/2 miles wide.
Taxis & Auto Rentals
Nantucket is small and extremely walkable, so please consider leaving your car in Hyannis, where both ferry lines operate secure lots. Parking can be difficult on-island, particularly in high season, and it is rather expensive to ferry your car back and forth.
Thirty miles south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts lies Nantucket, three times larger than Manhattan but with a fraction of the population, though in summer it rises from 10,000 to 50,000.
Do any celebrities live in Nantucket?
Jerry Stiller and his late wife, Anne Meara, have had a home there for decades and their son, Ben Stiller, and his wife, Christine Taylor, are frequent visitors. Kathie Lee Gifford, “Today” show hostess with the mostess,? her late hubs, Frank Gifford,?and actor John Shea also are longtime home-owners.
Famous second homeowners include Secretary of State John F. Kerry and his wife, philanthropist Teresa Heinz Kerry; former General Electric chief executive Jack Welch; and Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, who has made preserving Nantucket her mission.
Vineyard Haven, a community on Martha's Vineyard, came out on top with home prices more expensive than one of the nation's largest cities.
Casual Clothing
While the rich certainly summer on Nantucket, you wouldn't know it based on the way people dress! It's a very relaxed island, and most people sport conservative yet classic staples. Think breezy linen dresses, crisp white jeans, casual sandals and cable knit sweaters.
You cannot build as you please on Nantucket; houses must have pitched roofs, not flat ones, and they must be covered in unpainted shingles, which weather to a soft gray once they have survived their first Nantucket winter.
Yes. People were enslaved on Nantucket as late as 1775. In the Nantucket books of deeds there are seven deeds of manumission by which masters freed a total of fifteen people who had been enslaved.
For those living year-round on Nantucket, the pace of life changes with the seasons. Be prepared for a flurry of visitors, summer folks, and tourists from May through October, with a quieter pace in the winter months. The year-round population has risen from hovering around 11,000 in 2018 to 14,255 in the 2020 census.
The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Nantucket is 1 in 63. Based on FBI crime data, Nantucket is not one of the safest communities in America. Relative to Massachusetts, Nantucket has a crime rate that is higher than 90% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes.
Kourtney Kardashian, Scott Disick, and their kids Mason, Penelope, and Reign recently vacationed in a lovely Nantucket waterfront home that's reportedly worth $50 million. While it normally goes for a humble $6,628 per night, the Kardashians' stay was comped by Airbnb.
Siasconset, better known to locals as 'Sconset, is the only other designated town other than Downtown Nantucket on the island. With a population of 205, it is home to some of Nantucket's wealthiest homeowners.
What is the average income in Nantucket?
Median Income
In 2020, the median household income of Nantucket households was $112,306. Nantucket households made slightly more than Holden households ($111,960) and Wilbraham households ($111,616) .
Nantucket has great historical significance as well, previously serving as the whaling capital of the world from 1690 to the 1800s. In addition, the island is home to over 800 meticulously-restored pre-Civil war homes, more than anywhere else in the United States.