Nantucket, a special island located 28 miles at sea, is about 14 miles long and 3 miles wide. The island has a history like no other place.

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Nantucket has been a fishing village, herding community, center of the whaling world, and a tourist destination. With the decline of the prosperous whaling industry, the town was largely deserted in the late 19th century and, as a result, nearly 800 pre-Civil war buildings are intact in and around town. Most are used as private homes and, unique in this country is this concentration of original and restored historic structures.

 

Town anchors the island at the center, Surfside is on the south shore, the village of Siasconset is on the eastern end and the village of Madaket lies to the west. A variety of other hamlets connect the three.

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Due to the foresight and generosity of previous generations, nearly 50 percent of Nantucket is forever preserved as open space for the benefit of the public. The middle part of the island is largely conservation land and consists of rolling moors, sand plains and cranberry bogs.

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Beaches on Nantucket are open to the public and range from calm harbor waters on the north side of the island to big surf along the south and east shores.