Martha's Vineyard is an island off the US east coast, to the south of Cape Cod. It is often called just "the Vineyard". It was home to one of the earliest known deaf communities; consequently, a special dialect of sign language, Martha's Vineyard Sign Language, developed on the island. The island is primarily known as a summer colony, and is accessible only by boat and by air. Nevertheless, its year-round population has grown considerably since the 1960s. A study by the Martha's Vineyard Commission found that the cost of living on the island is 60 percent higher than the national average and housing prices are 96 percent higher.

Locals refer to Martha's Vineyard as "The Vineyard" and its residents as "Islanders" or "Vineyarders." Its relatively small year-round population has led to a very activist citizenry who are highly involved in the island's day-to-day activities. Tourism, over-development, politics and many other subjects are of keen interest to the community. Keeping the balance between the much needed tourist economy and the ecology and wildlife of the island is of paramount importance.

The majority of the Vineyard's residents are well-established, yearly summer visitors from up and down the northeast coast of the United States. While many "Vineyarders" come from all over the United States and abroad, the island tends to be a destination for those within close proximity. Many communities around the island tend to have deep family roots in the island that have matured over the years to create hamlets of good friends and neighbors. Nevertheless, many Island visitors are summer "renters" and simply "weekenders" for whom the island is a "home away from home."

The best known celebrities who live on or frequently visit the island are president Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, comedian and talk show host David Letterman, and musician Carly Simon. Also, retired anchorman Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes are summer residents of Martha's Vineyard. Other regularly appearing celebrities include film writer/director Spike Lee, attorney Alan Dershowitz, comedians Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, politico Vernon Jordan, and television news reporters Diane Sawyer and Charlayne Hunter-Gault.

Martha's Vineyard is located approximately 3 1/2 miles off the southern coast of Cape Cod. It is reached by a ferry that departs from Woods Hole, Massachusetts and by several other ferries departing from Falmouth, New Bedford, Hyannis, and Quonset Point, Rhode Island. There is regularly scheduled air travel (in season from June-October) from Boston, Providence, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC to the Martha's Vineyard Airport. Regular shuttle services operate between most of the ferry piers and the Amtrak station in Providence. Amtrak has connections to the ferries all year.

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