NANTUCKET, MA 1 Community Profile 2 PEOPLE AND PLACES Regional orientation

• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Indian; Nantucket; Sperm whale
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.368.3138; http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/read/socialsci/pdf/MA/nantucket-ma.pdf

Nantucket (41.28º N, 70.01º W) is situated about 26 miles out to sea south of Cape Cod with the Atlantic Ocean and Nantucket Sound defining its borders. The island is located in Nantucket County in the state of Massachusetts. Nantucket is about 50-square miles large and the town has the same name (State of Massachusetts 2007; USGS 2008). Map 1. Location of Nantucket CDP, MA (US Census Bureau 2000) Historical/Background The name ‘Nantucket ’ derives from the Indian term variously translated as “narrow river” or “far away land ” (Town of Nantucket 2007). The town was incorporated in 1671 and for more than 150 years it was at the center of the world's whaling industry. To honor the islands unique history, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated the town a National Historic Landmark in 1966. The first sperm whale was captured in 1712 and the profitable industry marked an economic boom for the island. The Nantucket South Shoal lightship was built in 1853, saving many boats from ruin on the island’s sand bars and shoals. While at sea, during the idle times of spotting and catching whales, seamen spent their hours practicing nautical crafts such as scrimshaw and basketweaving. By the Civil War, the whaling industry was in decline as whales 1 These community profiles have been created to serve as port descriptions in Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for fisheries management actions. They also provide baseline information from which to begin research for Social Impact Assessments (SIAs). Further, they provide information relevant to general community impacts for