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Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard,[2] is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Island. It is the 58th largest island in the U.S., with a land area of about 96 square miles (250 km2),[3] and the third-largest on the East Coast, after Long Island and Mount Desert Island. Martha's Vineyard constitutes the bulk of Dukes County, Massachusetts, which also includes the Elizabeth Islands and the island of Nomans Land.

For other uses, see Martha's Vineyard (disambiguation).

Nickname: The Vineyard, The Rock

Martha’s Vineyard, Chappaquiddick

96 sq mi (250 km2)

20.5 mi (33 km)

200 km (124 mi)

311 ft (94.8 m)

Peaked Hill

20,600 (2018[1])

179.8/sq mi (69.42/km2)

The island's year-round population has considerably increased since the 1960s. In the 2023 Martha’s Vineyard Commission report, the year-round population was 20,530, an increase from 16,460 in 2010.[4] The summer population swells to more than 200,000 people. About 56 percent of the Vineyard's 14,621 homes are seasonally occupied.[5]


A study by the Martha's Vineyard Commission in 2006 found that the cost of living on the island is 60 percent higher than the national average, and housing prices are 96 percent higher.[6] A study of housing needs by the Commission found that the average weekly wage on Martha's Vineyard was "71 percent of the state average, the median home price was 54 percent above the state's and the median rent exceeded the state's by 17 percent," all leading to a stark example of severe income inequalities between year-round residents and their seasonal counterparts.[7][8]


It is said to be named after the daughter of the British explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who led the first recorded European expedition to Cape Cod in 1602.[a] A smaller island to the south was first to be named "Martha's Vineyard" but this later became associated with this island. It is the eighth-oldest surviving English place-name in the United States.[10] The island was subsequently known as Martin's Vineyard (perhaps after the captain of Gosnold's ship, John Martin); many islanders up to the 18th century called it by this name.[11]


When the United States Board on Geographic Names worked to standardize placename spellings in the late 19th century, apostrophes were dropped. Thus for a time Martha's Vineyard was officially named Marthas Vineyard, but the Board reversed its decision in the early 20th century, making Martha's Vineyard one of the five placenames in the United States that takes a possessive apostrophe.[12][13][14]


According to historian Henry Franklin Norton, the island was known by Native Americans as Noepe or Capawock.[15] It is referred to in the 1691 Massachusetts Charter (which transferred the island from the Province of New York during the breakup of the Dominion of New England) as Cappawock.

which includes the main village of Vineyard Haven and the West Chop peninsula. It is the island's primary port of entry for people and cargo, supplemented by the seasonal port in Oak Bluffs.

Tisbury

which includes Chappaquiddick Island and Katama. Edgartown is noted for its rich whaling tradition and is the island's largest town by population and area.

Edgartown

is best known for its gingerbread cottages, its open harbor, and its vibrant town along busy Circuit Avenue. Oak Bluffs enjoys a reputation as one of the more active night-life towns on the island for both residents and tourists. It was known as "Cottage City" from its separation from Edgartown in 1880 until its reincorporation as Oak Bluffs in 1907. Oak Bluffs includes several communities that have been popular destinations for affluent African Americans since the early 20th century.[75] It also includes the East Chop peninsula, Lagoon Heights and Harthaven.

Oak Bluffs

is the island's agricultural center, and it hosts the well-known Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Fair in late August each year.

West Tisbury

including the fishing village of Menemsha. Chilmark is also rural, and it features the island's hilliest terrain. It is the birthplace of George Claghorn, master shipbuilder of the USS Constitution, a.k.a. "Old Ironsides".

Chilmark

formerly called Gay Head, is home to the Wampanoag Indian tribe and clay cliffs.

Aquinnah

Martha's Vineyard is divided into six towns. Each town is governed by a select board elected by town voters, along with annual and periodic town meetings. Each town is also a member of the Martha's Vineyard Commission, which regulates island-wide building, environmental, and aesthetic concerns.[73][74]


Some government programs on the island—such as the public school system, emergency management, and waste management—have been regionalized. There is a growing push for further regionalization areas of law enforcement, water treatment, and possible government regionalization.


Each town also follows certain regulations from Dukes County. The towns are:


The three "Down-Island" towns of Edgartown, Tisbury, and Oak Bluffs are "wet" towns—serving alcohol. West Tisbury and Aquinnah are "soggy" towns that serve only beer and wine, and Chilmark is a "dry" town.

(Grades K-8)[78]

Edgartown School

West Tisbury School (Grades K–8)

[79]

Oak Bluffs School (Grades K–8)

[80]

Tisbury School (Grades K–8)

[81]

Chilmark School (Grades K–5)

[82]

Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School (Grades K–12)

[83]

(Grades 9–12)[84]

Martha's Vineyard Regional High School

Martha's Vineyard is served by Martha's Vineyard Public Schools:


Five of the six towns have their own elementary schools, while Aquinnah residents usually attend nearby Chilmark's elementary school. The Chilmark school serves only grades pre-K to 5, so students in grades 6–8 must attend another middle school—usually the West Tisbury school. The Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School, located in West Tisbury, provides grades K–12 and serves the entire island; it also welcomes off-island students. Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, which is located in Oak Bluffs, serves the entire island.[85]

Vineyard Gazette

The Martha's Vineyard Times

Dukes County, Massachusetts

Elizabeth Islands

Martha's Vineyard Magazine

Outer Lands

Vineyard Golf Club

Gookin, Historical Collections, 53; Railton, "Vineyard's First Harvard men", 91–112.

Monaghan, E.J. (2005). Learning to Read and Write in Colonial America . Boston: MA

University of Massachusetts Press

Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce

Martha's Vineyard Online