Martha`s Vineyard Fun Facts - Learn Stuff

Martha`s Vineyard has been in the news lately, and I figure a lot of people aren`t familiar with that place - because why would they be?

Martha`s Vineyard is an island. Not like Cape Cod or other man-made island, a real island that is the third largest on the east coast of the United States. You cannot drive or even walk there (no bridges). There are several ferry routes and and airport.

There`s no way to get there by accident, unless you swim or take a raft from Cape Cod - but even that is a seven mile trip.

No one is really sure where the name comes from, but it is assumed that early English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold named the island after his daughter or mother-in-law. I am going to guess for his daughter. That was all the way back in 1602.

The permenent population is under 20,000. That number balloons to over 100,000 during vacation season. The former generally provide services to the latter, which are mostly very liberal and very wealthy.

The average `normal` person living there makes 30% less income that their counterparts on the mainland. The cost of living is 60% higher, so it`s kind of like ice skating uphill.

I didn`t mention this in the video because of time constraints, but you may find it interesting that the population of people born there in the last few hundred years has some of the highest deafness rates in the country. This is traced back to the original settlers who come from a high-deafness area in England.

I think I visited Martha`s Vineyard in my younger years, but I`ll stick to the mountains.