Westport, Connecticut, United States

🇺🇸 Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is 52 miles (84 km) north-east of New York City. The town is ranked 19th among America's 100 Richest Places as well as third in Connecticut.

History The earliest known inhabitants of the Westport area as identified through archaeological finds date back 7,500 years. Records from the first white settlers report the Pequot Indians living in the area which they called Machamux translated by the colonialists as beautiful land. Settlement by colonialists dates back to the five Bankside Farmers; whose families grew and prospered into a community that continued expanding. The settlers arrived in 1693, having followed cattle to the isolated area. The community had its own ecclesiastical society, supported by independent civil and religious elements, enabling it to be independent from the Town of Fairfield. As the settlement expanded its name changed: it was briefly known as "Bankside" in 1693, officially named Green's Farm in 1732 in honor of Bankside Farmer John Green and in 1835 incorporated as the Town of Westport.

During the Revolutionary War, on April 25, 1777, a British force of 1,850 under the command of the Royal Governor of the Province of New York, Major General William Tryon, landed on Compo Beach to destroy the Continental Army's military supplies in Danbury. Minutemen from Westport and the surrounding areas crouched hiding while Tryon's troops passed and then launched an offensive from their rear. A statue on Compo Beach commemorates this plan of attack with a crouching Minuteman facing away from the beach, looking onto what would have been the rear of the troops. A sign on Post Road East also commemorates this event.

The Town of Westport was officially incorporated on May 28, 1835, with lands from Fairfield, Weston and Norwalk. Daniel Nash led 130 people of Westport in the petitioning of the Town of Fairfield for Westport's incorporation. The driving force behind the petition was to assist their seaport's economic viability that was being undermined by neighboring towns' seaports. For several decades after that, Westport was a prosperous agricultural community, distinguishing itself as the leading onion-growing centre in the U.S. Blight caused the collapse of Westport's onion industry, leading to mills and factories replacing agriculture as the town's economic engine.

Agriculture was Westport's first major industry. By the 19th century, Westport had become a shipping centre in part to transport onions to market.

Starting around 1910 the town experienced a cultural expansion. During this period artists, musicians, and authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald moved to Westport to be free from the commuting demands experienced by business people. The roots of Westport's reputation as an arts centre can be traced back to this period during which it was known as a "creative heaven".

In the 20th century, a combination of industrialization and popularity among New Yorkers attracted to fashionable Westport—which had attracted many artists and writers—resulted in farmers selling off their land. Westport changed from a community of farmers to a suburban development.

In the 1950s through to the 1970s, New Yorkers relocating from the city to the suburbs discovered Westport's culture of artists, musicians and authors. The population grew rapidly, assisted by the ease of commuting to New York City and back again to rolling hills and the "natural beauty of the town". By this time Westport had "chic New York-type fashion shopping" and a school system with a good reputation, both factors contributing to the growth.

By the 21st century, Westport had developed into a centre for finance and insurance, as well as professional, scientific and technical services.

Geography According to a publication by the 2010 Census, Westport has a total area of 33.45 square miles (86.6 km²) of which 19.96 square miles (51.7 km²) (59.67%) is land with the remaining area of 13.49 square miles (34.9 km²) (40.20%) water.

Westport is bordered by Norwalk on the west, Weston to the north, Wilton to the north-west, Fairfield to the east and Long Island Sound to the south.

Geography: Topography Both the train station and a total of 26 percent of town residents live within the 100-year floodplain. The floodplain was breached in 1992 and 1996 resulting in damage to private property, the 1992 flooding of the train station parking lot and the implementation of flood mitigation measures that include town regulations that affect renovations and additions to building within the floodplain zone.

Neighborhoods • Saugatuck – around the Westport railroad station near the south-western corner of the town – a built-up area with some restaurants, stores and offices. Saugatuck originates from the Paugussett tribe meaning "mouth of the tidal river" ◦ Saugatuck Shores – a curved peninsula surrounded by the Long Island Sound, this area was once part of the town of Norwalk. Today several hundred residents live on the peninsula, which became part of Westport in the 1960s. ◦ Saugatuck Island – founded in the 1890s as Greater Marsh Shores, the island was renamed to its current name in 1920 and became a special taxing district on November 5, 1984. • Westport Village – The area around Post Road and Main Street on and near the Saugatuck River that serves as the centre of Westport, with many shops and restaurants. There has been recent growth in the downtown area, including Levitt Pavilion, and Bedford square, a mixed-use development incorporating the Bedford Mansion • Greens Farms – Westport's oldest neighborhood, starting around Hillspoint Road and ending at Westport's boundary on the east side. Greens Farms has its own post office and train station • Cockenoe Island (pronounced "KuhKEEnee") – just off the south-eastern coast of the town. Cockenoe Island is an uninhabited island that was purchased by Westport for $212,740 from the United Illuminating Company in 1969 so that the company could not use the land to build a nuclear plant • Old Hill – west of the Saugatuck River and north of the Post Road, a historic section of town with many homes from the Revolutionary and Victorian eras. Prior to the road being called the Boston Post Road it was called the Connecticut Turnpike • Coleytown – Located at the northern edge of town, near the Weston town line. Home to Coleytown fire station, Middle and Elementary school. Named for Farmer Coley, who owned lots of land in this area • Compo – Located around the main beach in the town, Compo Beach. Compo (Compaug), can be traced back to the early Paugussett tribe and means the bear's fishing ground • SewTrol – The area containing the Town Sewage Treatment Plant, the Town Animal Control, and the State Boat Launch.

Commerce and industry The financial services sector employs 7,171 in Westport; half of whom commute daily to Westport. The financial services industry is a major segment of the local economy. The major financial services companies in Westport now are Bridgewater Associates, a global investment manager and Westport's largest employer, Canaan Partners, an early stage venture capital firm focusing on IT and life sciences, and BNY Mellon. Professional, scientific, and technical services companies include Terex, a Fortune 500 company manufacturing industrial equipment and offering professional and technical services around those products, and dLife, a multimedia diabetes education (and marketing) company.

Nonprofits • Save the Children, the American charity, governed entirely separately from the British charity of the same name, was headquartered in Westport before moving to Fairfield • The Smith Richardson Foundation, a public policy think tank, is headquartered in Westport, Connecticut • Joseph J. Clinton Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 399 and August Matthias American Legion Post 63 are 501(c)(19) Non Profit charities located in Westport.

Attractions • The Westport Country Playhouse, founded in 1930, is a regional theater. After Paul Newman moved to Westport in 1960, he became a principal "driving force" behind the playhouse. • Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) Westport, part of the Westport Arts Center; the facility was expanded in 2019 to include the permanent contemporary art collection. • Westport Museum for History and Culture, founded in 1889, is dedicate to the history of Westport. • The Wakeman Town Farm is a historic working farm and sustainability demonstration center. • The Rolnick Observatory is located on a former Nike missile site. • Earthplace, The Nature Discovery Center, is a 62-acre (250,000 m²) natural history museum, nature centre and wildlife sanctuary.

Parks and recreation Comprising 234 acres (0.95 km²), Sherwood Island State Park is located on Long Island Sound and includes beach access. Compo Beach and Burying Hill Beach are municipal beaches that are open to out-of-town visitors in the summer for a fee. The state's 9/11 memorial was put in Sherwood Island State Park in Westport; on a clear day the New York City skyline can be seen.

In 1960, Westport purchased Longshore Club Park.

In 2011, Paul Newman's estate gave land to Westport to be managed by the Aspetuck Land Trust.

Public schools Staples High School is Westport's only public high school. Staples High School was ranked No. 1 for best high schools in Connecticut and 279th best nationwide". The school is in the Staples neighborhood.

The district has two middle schools, Bedford Middle School and Coleytown Middle School. In September 2009, Bedford Middle School was awarded the government-honored Blue Ribbon Award. In 2020, Bedford Middle and Coleytown Middle schools were ranked No. 3 and No. 7 in the state, respectively.

There are five elementary schools with a total of 2,556 students: • Coleytown Elementary School • King's Highway Elementary School • Green's Farms Elementary School • Saugatuck Elementary School • Long Lots Elementary School

Private schools Greens Farms Academy, located in the 1920s Vanderbilt estate overlooking Long Island Sound, is a K–12 private preparatory school located in the Greens Farms section of town.

Media Westport's first newspaper dates back to the printing and publication of the first issue of The Saugatuck Journal on December 26, 1828.

Westport is served by both English-language newspapers and news websites including Westport News and WestportNow. The town is also home to a monthly magazine Westport.

Transport Interstate 95, the Merritt Parkway, and U.S. 1, as well as the Saugatuck River, run through Westport.

Westport has two train stations, Green's Farms and Westport on the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, which serves Stamford and Grand Central Terminal in New York City or New Haven-Union Station. This line is shared with Amtrak trains as it is part of the Northeast Corridor, but no Amtrak services stop at Green's Farms or Westport. The nearest Amtrak stations are at Bridgeport (10 miles) and Stamford (12 miles).

As of 2019, Westport has the highest per capita electric vehicle ownership among municipalities in Connecticut, and #3 overall.

"Main to Train" study A recent initiative by residents of the Town of Westport, Connecticut, culminating in a 2019 report. It is part of a greater interest to improve pedestrian and cyclist options from the major places of interest in town: downtown Westport to the Westport Train Station. This approximate two-mile stretch of road is most directly accessible via Post Road East (U.S. Route 1) to Riverside Avenue. The third iteration of the study will more specifically address ways in which this path can be improved for people not traveling by car; the first report considered the conditional state of the path and the second analyzed traffic conditions.

The Norwalk Transit District offers transit options.

Police department As of 2020, the Westport Police Department has a full-time complement of 64 sworn police officers that serve the Town of Westport. This department has purchased electric and hybrid fleets.

Fire department The town of Westport is protected by the paid, full-time firefighters of the Westport Fire Department. Established in 1929, the Westport Fire Department currently operates out of 4 fire stations, located throughout the town, and maintains a fire apparatus fleet of 6 Engines, (4 first line and 2 reserve) 1 truck, 1 rescue, 1 fireboat, 1 High Water Unit, 1 utility unit and 1 Shift Commander's unit. The fire department also holds the Fairfield County Hazardous Materials Truck, housed at Westport Fire Headquarters. The Westport Fire Department responds to, on average, approximately 4,000 emergency calls annually.