Photos by Noemi Cardoso - 2006
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About the Town
Westport is known as a coastal gem. From almost any point in town, the sparkling blue Atlantic is only minutes away. Fall is back in full force, and New Englanders are preparing to hunker down for the long winter. While considered a summertime hot spot, Westport is gorgeous any time of year, thanks to miles of coastline, estuaries and open fields, rugged rocks and a cozy center of town.
Westport enjoys a deserved reputation as a rural community and is renowned for its spectacular beaches and preserved ecosystems. First settled in 1670 and incorporated in 1787, Westport business centered on the lush hills and bodies of water surrounding the town. While fishing was once a primary livelihood, agriculture and farming were the mainstays of residents. Farmers took advantage of Westport's open fields to grow crops and manage dairy farms. Few working farms remain today, but those that do showcase their wares in independent stores and at the annual Harvest Festival, sell to distributors, or even set up roadside stands during the summer, providing visitors with the freshest goods available.
Take the back roads into a section of Westport, and the green farm fields shaded by canopies of trees seemingly open up to reveal miles of beach and water in front of you. The smell of sea salt intermingles with freshly cut grass. The landscape can change that quickly, as much of Westport is rural, but located on the ocean, making for an enticing combination. In addition to the ocean, Westport landscape boasts estuaries and ponds; the town is considered an ecological haven for wildlife and fish.
In the summer months Westport invites in thousands of visitors to spend a day on the beach. The most well known, Horseneck Beach, is spread across nearly 600 acres of barrier beach and salt marsh, and the state beach is open to the public. The private beaches, such as East Beach and the Town Beach, are tucked away in nooks shaded by sea grasses and really demonstrate Westport's beauty. Gooseberry Island, accessible by a causeway, is a popular place to fish, walk or simply explore the rugged landscape and rocks bordering the beaches.
Like many small communities, Westport enjoys wide-open spaces, a lack of commercial buildings and long roads with few traffic lights. Residents can meet their everyday needs from a handful of shops in town, and Route 6 also intersects Westport, allowing more commercial business. Several Westport businesses have made national names for themselves in the past few years. The Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery got its start at the "Smith Long Acre Farm" in Westport, and Buzzards Bay Brewing calls Westport home. In addition, culinary excellence is demonstrated at a handful of fine gourmet restaurants.
Westport has grown; the town is issuing the second-highest number of single-family house building permits. There are a few new developments in the works, including a 92-house development, with 25 percent being considered affordable. The town is a sought-after place to live, making it extremely difficult and expensive to put down roots. Many homes are historic, from clapboard cottages to ramshackle, renovated farmhouses. Others are more modern and situated on the ocean's edge.
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