Martha's Vineyard, a former prominent 19th Century whaling center, is a group of Islands off of the Cape Cod coast and is often known simply as "the Vineyard." As the whaling industry declined in the late 1800’s, Martha’s Vineyard became known as a summer haven for tourists because of its very pleasant summer weather, many beautiful beaches, elegant towns, and excellent dining and shopping.
For many of the same reasons that the island attracts numerous summer visitors such as quality of life, natural beauty, and great weather, the year-round population has grown quite considerably since the 1970s—29% in the past decade alone. The Vineyard is comprised of six small towns, each with its own distinct character from the bustling “down island” towns of Tisbury, Oak bluffs, and Edgartown to the comparatively more pastoral “up island” towns of West Tisbury, Chilmark and Aquinnah.
Martha's Vineyard Hospital is a fully licensed, Joint Commission accredited community hospital affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners Health Care in Boston. The Martha's Vineyard Hospital opened a sparkling new hospital facility in spring 2010 with all new state-of-the art equipment and a modern patient centered design.