Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
119km²
Area
120km
Coastline
9m
Highest point
Sankaty Head
14,255
People
20°C
Warmest sea
August
24km
To the mainland
When to go to Nantucket
Best to visit from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (20 °C) and coolest in February (4 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island of Massachusetts, United States
Nantucket is an island in United States. It covers 119 km², with 120 km of coastline. Its highest point, Sankaty Head, rises to 9 m. About 14,255 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 24 km away.
Getting there
- Nantucket Memorial Airport (ACK)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at PVD airport (Providence/Warwick)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesHyannis - Nantucket, Oak Bluffs - Nantucket Ferry, Harwich Port - Nantucket
- 24 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Nantucket.
- 39beachesCisco Beach, Cliff Beach, Coatue Beach and 36 more
- 3lighthousesGreat Point Light, Brant Point Light, Sankaty Head Light
- 4ferry terminalsSteamship Authority Terminal, Straight Wharf - Nantucket, Hy-Line Terminal and 1 more
- 11named peaksFolger Hill, Shawkemo Hills, Sauls Hills and 8 more
- 2ruins and archaeological sitesSankaty Head Light, Lighthouse Keeper's Dwelling
- 1campsitesCamp Richard Lodge
- 3hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 19restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Nantucket in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Nantucket, each with its own numbers.
20beaches and covesCoastya
1lakeLakeyas
Largest lake
0.33km²
North Head Long Pond
according to Lakeyas
Warmest lake
24.9°C
North Head Long Pond
surface water, warmest month · according to Lakeyas
Beach with the warmest sea
19.9°C
Childrens Beach
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
20 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- South Shore19.6°C
- Childrens Beach19.9°C
- Cliff Beach19.9°C
- Coatue Beach19.9°C
- Clean Shore19.9°C
- Jetties Beach19.9°C
- Pest House Shore19.9°C
- Rest House Shore19.9°C
12 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
1 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- North Head Long Pond0.33km²
Lakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 9 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 100 %0–50 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Nantucket7,446 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 11 | 7 |
| Night low (°C) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 3 |
| Sea (°C) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 91 | 87 | 106 | 97 | 86 | 84 | 72 | 74 | 95 | 114 | 106 | 114 |
| Wet days | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 12 |
| Sun h/day | 2.8 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 6.8 | 7.3 | 7.7 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 7.2 | 5.2 | 3.7 | 2.4 |
| Wind (km/h) | 31 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 27 | 28 | 30 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.7 | +1.6 | +1.4 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +1.3 | +2.2 | +2.4 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +1.6 | +0.6 |
| 2021 | +0.3 | −0.2 | +0.1 | +1.1 | +1.8 | +2.1 | +2.0 | +2.5 | +1.9 | +2.3 | +1.1 | +0.7 |
| 2022 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +0.4 | +2.1 | +0.5 |
| 2023 | +1.0 | +1.3 | +1.3 | +2.0 | +1.6 | +0.8 | +0.9 | −0.1 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.6 | +0.4 |
| 2024 | +0.2 | +0.1 | +1.6 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +1.5 | +0.2 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.7 | +1.1 | −0.2 |
| 2025 | −0.8 | −0.8 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.1 | +0.3 | −0.3 | +0.7 | +0.8 | −0.4 | −1.0 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Martha's Vineyard
United States227 km²82 m46 km away
Aquidneck IslandUnited States99 km²260 m103 km away
Long IslandUnited States3,566 km²122 m269 km away
Fire IslandUnited States22 km²7 m266 km away
ManhattanUnited States54 km²172 m329 km away
Staten IslandUnited States150 km²49 m350 km away
Liberty IslandUnited States0.06 km²2 m338 km away
Ellis IslandUnited States0.11 km²2 m338 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q49149) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Lakeyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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