Formed October 7, 1691 (8th county)
Dukes County (20,595), Edgartown* (1,107)
A small brick Georgian courthouse serves Dukes County. The 1858 building is on Main at Church streets. Harold Sleeper is the architect. The structure was enlarged in 1954. The county is named for the Dukes of York and Albany. The county seat is named for Prince Edgar, son of the Duke of York. The county was made part of Massachusetts on October 7, 1691 as the 8th county and Nantucket County was split away with Edgartown as the only county seat. It was originally part of New York. It is made up of islands in the Atlantic Ocean and a peninsula.
Dukes County government consists of an administrator, a treasurer and a clerk (executive). It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.) One District Court Judge, One Probate/Juvenile Court Judge and a court clerk serve Dukes County (judicial.) Dukes County is in the southeast part of the state. Boston, Massachusetts is north and Providence, Rhode Island is northwest of the county. The county center is 6 miles Northwest of Edgartown nearer Tisbury. The county is surrounded clockwise by Barnstable and Nantucket counties and the Atlantic Ocean and Bristol County.
The area of the county is 104 square miles. It is 12 out of 14 in the state. It ranks 13 out of 14 in population in the state. It has a density of 198.0 persons per square mile making it 12 out of 14 in the state. Dukes County has 0.0% of its population in its incorporated areas since there are no incorporated cities. There are no Interstates or United States Highways in the county. The county is a triangle with an additional line of islands in the northwest. Edgartown is the most eastern town in the county. Edgartown is the county seat and the largest populated area. It is 5.4% of the county population.
Edgartown (unincorporated)
