Editing Cape Cod (section)

==Region of Cape Cod and the Islands {{anchor|Region of Cape Cod and Islands}}==
[[File:Cape Cod 432 pan crop 15 (29361883383).jpg|thumb|right|The Cape and Islands]]

Like Cape Cod itself, the islands south of the Cape have evolved from whaling and trading areas to become resort destinations, attracting wealthy families, celebrities, and tourists. These include the large nearby islands of [[Nantucket]] and [[Martha's Vineyard]].
Both islands are also famous summer tourist destinations, commonly accessed by ferry from several locations on the cape. The phrases ''Cape Cod and the Islands'' and ''the Cape and Islands'' are often used to describe the whole region of Barnstable County, [[Dukes County, Massachusetts|Dukes County]] (including Martha's Vineyard and the smaller [[Elizabeth Islands]]), and Nantucket County.

Several small islands right off Cape Cod, including [[Monomoy Island]], [[Monomoscoy Island, Massachusetts|Monomoscoy Island]], [[Popponesset Island, Massachusetts|Popponesset Island]], and [[Seconsett Island, Massachusetts|Seconsett Island]], are also in Barnstable County.

The [[Forbes family]]-owned [[Naushon Island]] was first purchased by [[John Murray Forbes]]. Naushon is one of the Elizabeth Islands, many of which are privately owned. One of the publicly accessible Elizabeths is the southernmost island in the chain, [[Cuttyhunk Island]], with a year-round population of 52 people. Several prominent families have established compounds or estates on the larger islands, making these islands some of the wealthiest resorts in the Northeast, yet they retain much of the early merchant trading and whaling culture.

Cape Cod in particular is a popular retirement area; 31.8% of the population of Barnstable County is 65 years old or older.,<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Barnstable County, Massachusetts |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/barnstablecountymassachusetts |website=www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=25 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref> and the average age of residents is the highest of any area in [[New England]].{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} Cape Cod is majority [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], but by a smaller margin than the rest of Massachusetts.<ref>See the tables on [[Politics of Massachusetts]], Barnstable County, Dukes County, and Nantucket</ref>

The bulk of the land in the area is [[glacial]] [[terminal moraine]] and represents the southernmost extent of glacial coverage in southeast New England; similar glacial formations make up [[Long Island#Geology|Long Island]] in New York and [[Block Island]] in Rhode Island.<ref>Fisher, J. J., & Leatherman, S. P. (1987). Glacial and coastal geology, Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts. Geological Society of America Centennial Field Guide—Northeastern Section, 213-220.</ref>