1977 Map of Nantucket

About this map

Nantucket Island is captured here in a 1977 orthophotoquad, which uses aerial photography to provide a clear, literal view of the landscape rather than traditional topographic symbols. This perspective reveals the dense cluster of the main Nantucket settlement on the eastern harbor, contrasted with the sparse development at Madaket to the west. The photographic detail makes visible the distinct inland ponds, scrub vegetation, and coastal erosion patterns along the south shore near Cisco and Surfside. Produced by the Geological Survey in cooperation with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Works, this map serves as a precise record of the island's coastal morphology and land use during the late 1970s. The transition between the calm waters of Nantucket Sound to the north and the open Atlantic Ocean to the south highlights the island's vulnerability to the sea.