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Massachusetts State...
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Massachusetts Counties
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Massachusetts Counties
Massachusetts consists of the 14 counties. Massachusetts has abolished seven of its
fourteen county governments, leaving five counties with county-level local government (Barnstable, Bristol,
Dukes, Norfolk, Plymouth) and two, Nantucket County and Suffolk County, with combined county/city government. |
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Dukes County, Massachusetts
Dukes County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Edgartown
Year Organized: 1695
Square Miles: 104 |
Court House: 81 Main Street
County Courthouse
Edgartown, MA 02539-0190
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Formerly a part of Dukes County, New York until 1691, the land at one time was literally the possession
of the Duke of York
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick
Facts
History
The county consists of the island of Martha's Vineyard, and the Elizabeth Islands (including Cuttyhunk). It was
originally established as Dukes County, New York on November 1, 1683, and was transferred to Massachusetts and divided
so that Nantucket Island became Nantucket County, Massachusetts on October 7, 1691. The statute created a county "by the
name of Dukes County," as opposed to the standard form "the county of Dukes" which is the reason for the redundancy in
the name.[
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 491 square miles (1,272 kmē), of which, 104
square miles (269 kmē) of it is land and 387 square miles (1,003 kmē) of it is water. The total area is 79% water.
Neighboring Counties:
- Northeast: Barnstable County
- East: Nantucket Sound; Muskeget Channel
- South: North Atlantic Ocean
- Northwest: Vineyard Sound; Buzzards Bay
Cities and Towns:
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- Aquinnah |
town |
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- Chilmark |
town |
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- Edgartown
(County
Seat) |
town |
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- Gosnold |
town |
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- Oak Bluffs |
town |
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- Tisbury |
town |
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- West Tisbury |
town |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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