Back مارثا فينيارد Arabic مارثا فينيارد ARZ Мартас Винярд Bulgarian Martha's Vineyard Catalan Martha's Vineyard CEB Martha's Vineyard Czech Martha's Vineyard Danish Martha’s Vineyard German Μάρθας Βίνιαρντ Greek Martha's Vineyard Spanish
Nickname: The Vineyard, The Rock | |
|---|---|
 Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands | |
  Martha's Vineyard Location of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts  Martha's Vineyard Location in the United States | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Dukes County, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 41°24′N 70°37′W / 41.400°N 70.617°W |
| Major islands | Martha's Vineyard, Chappaquiddick |
| Area | 96 sq mi (250 km2) |
| Length | 20.5 mi (33 km) |
| Coastline | 200 km (124 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 311 ft (94.8 m) |
| Highest point | Peaked Hill |
| Administration | |
United States | |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Dukes |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 20,530 (2023) |
| Pop. density | 179.8/sq mi (69.42/km2) |
Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard,[1] 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),[2] 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.
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.[3] The summer population swells to more than 200,000 people. About 56 percent of the Vineyard's 14,621 homes are seasonally occupied.[4]
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.[5] 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.[6][7]
Though many have suggested that the island was renamed after English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold's daughter Martha, it is more likely that both the island and his daughter were namesakes of his wealthy mother-in-law, Martha (Judde) Golding, who partly funded his expedition in 1602 – the first recorded European expedition to Cape Cod.[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.[9] The island was subsequently known as Martin's Vineyard (possibly after a captain in the exploratory party, John Martin); many people and maps up to the 18th century called it by this name.[10]
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.[b][12][13]
According to historian Henry Franklin Norton, the island was known by Native Americans as Noepe or Capawock.[14] 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.
- ^ "Martha's Vineyard". Capecodchamber.org. June 27, 2015. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- ^ "How large is Martha's Vineyard?". Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ "Martha's Vineyard Statistical Profile 2023" (PDF). Martha's Vineyard Commission. December 7, 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 31, 2023.
- ^ "Population and Housing Profile of Martha's Vineyard" (PDF). Mvcommission.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- ^ "Cost of Living Found Shockingly High Here". The Vineyard Gazette – Martha's Vineyard News. Archived from the original on April 6, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- ^ "Highlights of the Martha's Vineyard Housing Needs Assessment" (PDF). Martha's Vineyard Commission. May 6, 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
- ^ Kenber, Billy (August 16, 2013). "On Martha's Vineyard, a stark look at income inequality". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ "Unique signature found by town researcher". Buryfreepress.co.uk. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- ^ Stewart, George (1945). Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States. New York: Random House. pp. 26–27.
- ^ Banks, Charles Edward (1911). The History of Martha's Vineyard. Vol. I. George H. Dean: Boston. p. 73.
- ^ "Gardens". QI. Season 7. Episode 1. November 26, 2009. (BBC Television)
- ^ "How Do I?". www.usgs.gov. U.S. Board on Geographic Names. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023.
- ^ Stewart, George R (1967). Names on the Land. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston. p. 345.
- ^ "The History of Martha's Vineyard by Henry Franklin Norton, 1923". history.vineyard.net. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
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