Westport, located in Bristol County, Massachusetts, has a population of 16,339 as of the 2020 census. The town includes several distinct areas: North Westport, Westport Point (featuring a dock on the Westport River), Central Village (home to town offices, shops, and businesses), Head of Westport (at the east branch of the river), and Acoaxet or Westport Harbor, situated between the river's west branch and Rhode Island. Acoaxet is isolated from the rest of Massachusetts by water and Rhode Island.
As part of Massachusetts' South Coast region, Westport is surrounded by Buzzards Bay, Mount Hope Bay, and the Sakonnet River.
Westport was named for being the westernmost port in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was settled in 1670 by English colonists, primarily the Sisson family, as part of Old Dartmouth. The land and river were initially called "Coaksett," a name later spelled "Acoaxet," which now refers to the southwestern community along the west branch of the Westport River.
Westport, like many local areas, was impacted by King Philip's War. Small mills along the Westport River contributed to the town's prosperity. In 1787, Westport and New Bedford separated from Dartmouth.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Paul Cuffee, a Quaker businessman, sea captain, patriot, and abolitionist, settled in Westport. Cuffee, who was of Wampanoag and Ashanti heritage, established a shipyard on the Westport River and became one of the wealthiest free men of color in the U.S. He later supported the resettlement of freed blacks to Sierra Leone, West Africa.
The town saw the rise of several cotton mills, with the largest located at the junction of the Westport River and Lake Noquochoke near the Dartmouth town line. The Macomber turnip, introduced to Westport during the 1876 Centennial Exposition, traces its roots to this period. During World War II, Gooseberry Island hosted a coastal defense installation. Today, Westport is largely residential, with a significant farming community. Horseneck Beach State Reservation, near Gooseberry Island, is a popular summer destination.
Westport spans 64.4 square miles, with 50.1 square miles of land and 14.3 square miles of water, accounting for 22.27% of its area. Much of this water comes from Watuppa Ponds and Westport Harbor, where the two branches of the Westport River converge before flowing into Rhode Island Sound. Westport is bordered by Fall River to the northwest and west, Dartmouth to the east, Rhode Island Sound to the south, and Little Compton, Adamsville, and Tiverton, Rhode Island, to the west. It is about 30 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and 60 miles south of Boston.
The town also features several localities, including Head of Westport, South Westport, Westport Point, Central Village, North Westport (formerly Westport Factory), and Acoaxet (also called Westport Harbor). Acoaxet is accessible by land only through Adamsville, Rhode Island, due to the Westport River’s west branch.
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