Westport, Massachusetts
Westport, Massachusetts
Acoaxet | ||
---|---|---|
FIPS code 25-77570 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0618287 | |
Website | http://www.westport-ma.com |
Westport (Massachusett: Acoaxet[1]) is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,339 at the 2020 census.[2]
The village of North Westport lies in the town. Other named areas of the town are "Westport Point," which has a dock on the Westport River where Main Road meets the river; "Central Village" with town offices, retail stores and businesses; "Head of Westport" at the head of the east branch of the river; and the area referred to either as "Acoaxet" or "Westport Harbor," which is between the west branch of the river and Rhode Island. This area is cut off from the rest of Massachusetts by water and Rhode Island.
Westport is a part of the South Coast region of Massachusetts which encompasses the cities and towns that surround Buzzards Bay (excluding the Elizabeth Islands, Bourne and Falmouth), Mount Hope Bay and the Sakonnet River.
History
Westport was so named because it was the westernmost port in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was first settled by English colonists in 1670 as a part of Old Dartmouth by members of the Sisson family. The river, and the land around it, was called "Coaksett" in the original deed; the name, now spelled "Acoaxet," now refers to the southwestern community along the western branch of the Westport River.
Like many areas in the region, Westport was affected by Wampanoag raiding parties during King Philip's War. Several small mills were built along the Westport River, adding to its prosperity. In 1787, the growing town, along with the town of New Bedford, seceded from Dartmouth.
During the late 18th century and into the early 19th century,
Several cotton mills operated along the river, the largest of which was at the junction of the river with Lake Noquochoke on the Dartmouth town line. The Macomber
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 64.4 square miles (167 km2), of which 50.1 square miles (130 km2) is land and 14.3 square miles (37 km2), or 22.27%, is water. The majority of that water area is from the Watuppa Ponds along the border with Fall River, as well as Westport Harbor, where the two branches of the Westport River meet before emptying 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, and Adamsville, and Tiverton, Rhode Island, to the west. Westport is approximately 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and approximately 60 miles (97 km) south of Boston.
There are several unofficial localities within town: Head of Westport, South Westport, Westport Point, Central Village, North Westport (known in former times as Westport Factory) and Westport Harbor which is also often called Acoaxet, an early name. Because of the west branch of the Westport River, Acoaxet is inaccessible by land except by passing through Adamsville, Rhode Island.
Climate
Winter: Seasonal effects begin in mid-December and end in mid-March. The snowiest times of the winter season are in January and February. Temperatures average highs in the 30s and lows in the 20s. The coldest time of the year in Westport occurs during January, in which residents can see temperature plummet into the teens and single digits.
Spring: Seasonal effects of spring begin in the end of March and end in mid-May, with mostly rain in March and April and sun/rain in May. Temperatures average with highs in the 50s/60s, and lows in the 40s/50s.
Summer: Seasonal effects begin in the end of May and end in mid-September, with mostly sunny conditions. Hurricanes/tropical storms usually hit or come close to Westport during late August and September. Temperatures average with highs in the 80s, and lows in the 60s and 70s. The hottest time of the year in Westport occurs in mid-July where temperatures can climb to highs in the 90s.
Fall/ Autumn: Seasonal effects begin in the end of September and end in the beginning of December with mostly sunny crisp, cool days. Temperatures range from 50s during the day, and 30s/40s at night.
Hurricanes: Tropical systems occasionally hit Westport or come close to Westport. The most favorable period for tropical systems in Westport are in mid to late August and during the month of September. The last tropical system to hit Westport was Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012, which hit the town at about 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) and brought powerful gusts and periods of heavy rain to the area. The storm disrupted power for many across the town, however, much of Westport's service was restored within a day.
Climate data for Westport, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 66 (19) |
69 (21) |
78 (26) |
91 (33) |
98 (37) |
100 (38) |
102 (39) |
107 (42) |
94 (34) |
87 (31) |
79 (26) |
70 (21) |
107 (42) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 37.6 (3.1) |
37.8 (3.2) |
45.1 (7.3) |
54.7 (12.6) |
65.5 (18.6) |
74.5 (23.6) |
80.1 (26.7) |
78.6 (25.9) |
72.1 (22.3) |
64.6 (18.1) |
51.8 (11.0) |
41.2 (5.1) |
58.5 (14.7) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 30.6 (−0.8) |
30.7 (−0.7) |
38.1 (3.4) |
47.1 (8.4) |
57.4 (14.1) |
66.4 (19.1) |
72.3 (22.4) |
71.2 (21.8) |
64.6 (18.1) |
54.9 (12.7) |
45.0 (7.2) |
34.3 (1.3) |
51.1 (10.6) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.5 (−4.7) |
23.5 (−4.7) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
39.6 (4.2) |
49.3 (9.6) |
58.3 (14.6) |
64.8 (18.2) |
63.9 (17.7) |
57.0 (13.9) |
47.3 (8.5) |
38.1 (3.4) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
43.5 (6.4) |
Record low °F (°C) | −9 (−23) |
−11 (−24) |
1 (−17) |
16 (−9) |
28 (−2) |
36 (2) |
45 (7) |
43 (6) |
32 (0) |
23 (−5) |
10 (−12) |
−5 (−21) |
−11 (−24) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.98 (101) |
3.50 (89) |
4.21 (107) |
3.82 (97) |
3.23 (82) |
3.27 (83) |
2.91 (74) |
4.25 (108) |
3.27 (83) |
3.31 (84) |
4.06 (103) |
4.06 (103) |
43.82 (1,113) |
Source 1: Western Regional Climate Center (normals 1958–1992)[5] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: The Weather Channel (extremes)[6] |
Transportation
The town is accessible via
There is bus service along Route 6 provided by the
Construction of two
A short segment of railway, officially known as the North Dartmouth Industrial railroad and informally referred to as the
Government
On the state level, Westport is located in the Eighth Bristol state representative district, which includes parts of Fall River and is represented by Representative Paul Schmid (D-Westport). The town is also represented by Senator
Westport is governed by an
Education
Westport has its own school system. There are three schools: Alice A. Macomber School, which provides pre-school (pre-kindergarten), and kindergarten; Westport Elementary School, near the Head of Westport, which serves grades 1-4; and Westport Middle/High School, which serves grades 5–12 (5-8 as Westport Middle School and 9-12 as Westport High School). Students who graduate from Westport High School with enough credits in certain fields of study will earn special academy certificates, in addition to their high school diplomas. This was modeled after University-style degrees.
Their team name is the Westport Wildcats who have won multiple championships in the Mayflower League. The Wildcats are one of the few teams in the Mayflower League who have won multiple championships in every sport. Their mascot is the Wildcat, and their colors are brown, white and yellow (a legacy of when Westport was in a different league that used Ivy League colors—Westport using brown and white after Brown University). The school is a member of the Mayflower League, and competes against mostly division 3 and 4 schools in the region.
Westport High School graduated 94% of its class in 2013.
In addition to their schools, incoming high school students may choose to attend Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Fall River or Bristol County Agricultural High School in Dighton, free of charge. Juniors and Seniors may opt to take college classes at UMass Dartmouth in Dartmouth or Bristol Community College in Fall River to earn both high school and college credits. Internships and independent study are offered as well.
There is one private school in the town, Montessori School of the Angels, which serves grades 1–8, located in the Westport Factory neighborhood. It was formerly known as Saint Joseph's Montessori, and was located in Fall River; the school building itself was formerly Saint George's School, which closed due to lack of funding and declining attendance. Many students also attend private and charter schools in Fall River and Dartmouth, including Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River and Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth.
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1850 | 2,795 | — |
1860 | 2,767 | −1.0% |
1870 | 2,724 | −1.6% |
1880 | 2,894 | +6.2% |
1890 | 2,599 | −10.2% |
1900 | 2,890 | +11.2% |
1910 | 2,928 | +1.3% |
1920 | 3,115 | +6.4% |
1930 | 4,408 | +41.5% |
1940 | 4,134 | −6.2% |
1950 | 4,989 | +20.7% |
1960 | 6,641 | +33.1% |
1970 | 9,791 | +47.4% |
1980 | 13,763 | +40.6% |
1990 | 13,852 | +0.6% |
2000 | 14,183 | +2.4% |
2010 | 15,532 | +9.5% |
2020 | 16,339 | +5.2% |
2022 | 16,413 | +0.5% |
Source: United States census records and Population Estimates Program data.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] |
As of the
There were 5,386 households in Westport, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,436, and the median income for a family was $64,568. Males had a median income of $41,890 versus $30,921 for females. The
Notable people
- Thomas Church Brownell (1779–1865), founder of Trinity College
- Paul Cuffee, businessman
- Ruby Devol Finch, watercolorist
- Black Francis, Songwriter, lead singer, drummer, and rhythm guitarist of the Pixies
- Allen Levrault, former Major League Baseball Player (Milwaukee Brewers from 2001–2003, and the Florida Marlins in 2003)
- Wendi Nix, ESPN College Football, and NFL analyst
- Edwin Slade, Wisconsin State Assemblyman and businessman[20]
References
- OCLC 1263627689.
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Westport town, Massachusetts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- ^ Linda Murphy, "195 Things: Westport has its very own turnip — the Macomber", Wicked Local, December 30, 2015.
- ^ Westport Historical Society - Timeline
- ^ "General Climate Summary Tables". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
- ^ "Climate Statistics for Provincetown, Massachusetts". Retrieved May 7, 2012.
- ^ "South Coast Rail". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "Total Population (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1". American FactFinder, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts. United States Census Bureau. 2010.
- ^ "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1990. Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990. 1990 CP-1-23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1981. Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980. PC80-1-A23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1950 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1920 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1890 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1870 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1860 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "1850 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ 'Edwin Slade-obituary,' Sheboygan Herald, June 1, 1901