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{{Short description|Town in Connecticut, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Westport, Connecticut
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
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| blank_emblem_type = Logo
| etymology = <!-- maps and coordinates -->
| image_map = {{switcher|[[File:Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Westport highlighted.svg|230px|frameless|alt=Westport's location within Fairfield County and Connecticut]]| [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield County]] and Connecticut|[[File:Western Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Westport highlighted.svg|250px|frameless|alt=Westport's location within the Western Connecticut Planning Region and the state of Connecticut]]| [[Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|Western Connecticut Planning Region]] and Connecticut|default=1}}
| image_map1 = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=280|frame-height=200|frame-coord=SWITCH:{{coord|qid=Q586762}}###{{coord|qid=Q779}}###{{coord|41|07|24|N|73|20|49|W}}|zoom=SWITCH:9;6;3|type=SWITCH:shape-inverse;point;point|marker=city|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|id2=SWITCH:Q586762;Q779;Q30|type2=shape|fill2=#ffffff|fill-opacity2=SWITCH:0;0.1;0.1|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|stroke-opacity2=SWITCH:0;1;1|switch=Westport;Connecticut;the United States}}
| mapsize = ▼
| coordinates = {{coord|41|07|24|N|73|20|49|W|region:US-CT_type:city|display=inline,title}}
<!-- location -->| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name =
| subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state]]
| subdivision_name1 =
| subdivision_type2 = [[County (United States)|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Region]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|Western CT]]
<!-- established -->| established_title = Established
| established_date = 1835
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| founder = [[Bankside Farmers]]
| named_for =
| government_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|title=Board of Selectmen|url=http://www.westportct.gov/index.aspx?page=148|website=Town of Westport, Connecticut|access-date=
| governing_body =
| leader_party = [[Republican Party (United States)|R]]
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| leader_name2 = Candace Savin ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
| unit_pref = US
| area_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|title=QuickFacts: Westport CDP, Connecticut|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/westportcdpconnecticut/PST045216|website=United States Census Bureau|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce|access-date=
| area_water_km2 =
| area_water_sq_mi = 13.49
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| postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code = 06880
| postal2_code_type = ''
| postal2_code = ''06881''
| area_code = [[Area codes 203 and 475|203/475]]
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| footnotes =
}}
'''Westport''' is a town in [[Fairfield County, Connecticut]], United States, along the [[Long Island Sound]] within Connecticut's [[Gold Coast (Connecticut)|Gold Coast]]. It is {{convert|
==History==
The earliest known inhabitants of the Westport area as identified through archaeological finds date back 7,500 years.<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.1.15">{{cite book|author1=Woody Klein|author2=Westport Historical Society (Conn.)|title=Westport, Connecticut: the story of a New England town's rise to prominence|url=https://archive.org/details/westportconnecti00klei|url-access=registration|access-date=November 21, 2011|date=May 2000|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-31126-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/westportconnecti00klei/page/1 1]–15}}</ref> 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''.<ref name="Prevost2001" /> 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.<ref name="Prevost2001" /> The community had its own ecclesiastical society, supported by independent civil and religious elements, enabling it to be independent from the Town of Fairfield.<ref name="Somerset-Ward2005" /> As the settlement expanded its name changed: it was briefly known as "Bankside" in 1693, officially named [[Greens Farms|Green's Farm]] in 1732 in honor of Bankside Farmer John Green and in 1835 incorporated as the Town of Westport.<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.1.15" /
▲The earliest known inhabitants of the Westport area as identified through archaeological finds date back 7,500 years.<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.1.15">{{cite book|author1=Woody Klein|author2=Westport Historical Society (Conn.)|title=Westport, Connecticut: the story of a New England town's rise to prominence|url=https://archive.org/details/westportconnecti00klei|url-access=registration|access-date=November 21, 2011|date=May 2000|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-31126-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/westportconnecti00klei/page/1 1]–15}}</ref> 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''.<ref name="Prevost2001" /> 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.<ref name="Prevost2001" /> The community had its own ecclesiastical society, supported by independent civil and religious elements, enabling it to be independent from the Town of Fairfield.<ref name="Somerset-Ward2005" /> As the settlement expanded its name changed: it was briefly known as "Bankside" in 1693, officially named [[Greens Farms|Green's Farm]] in 1732 in honor of Bankside Farmer John Green and in 1835 incorporated as the Town of Westport.<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.1.15" /><ref name="Jennings.148">{{cite book|last=Jennings|pages=148}}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=January 2021}}
[[File:Old Map of Westport, CT.jpg|thumb|left|Historic map of Westport]]
[[File:Minuteman, Westport CT.jpg|thumb|Statue of [[
During the Revolutionary War, on April 25, 1777, a British force of 1,850 under the command of the [[List of colonial governors of New York|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, Connecticut|Danbury]].<ref name="HowardCrocker1879">{{cite book|author1=R. H. Howard|author2=Henry E. Crocker|title=A history of New England: containing historical and descriptive sketches of the counties, cities and principal towns of the six New England states, including, in its list of contributors, more than sixty literary men and women, representing every county in New England|url=https://archive.org/details/ahistorynewengl00unkngoog|access-date=November 28, 2011|year=1879|publisher=Crocker & co.|page=[https://archive.org/details/ahistorynewengl00unkngoog/page/n336 302]}}</ref> [[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.<ref name="Boatner1975">{{cite book|author=Mark Mayo Boatner|title=Landmarks of the American Revolution: a guide to locating and knowing what happened at the sites of independence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l0UaAQAAIAAJ|access-date=November 13, 2011|year=1975|publisher=Hawthorn Books|pages=45–47|isbn=9780801543906}}</ref> A sign on [[U.S. Route 1|Post Road East]] also commemorates this event.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Colley |first1=Brent |title=April 26, 1777 British Raid on Danbury, Connecticut |url=http://mybrothersamisdead.historyofredding.net/1777-british-raid-on-danbury.htm |website=My Brother Sam Is Dead |access-date=20 November 2019 |archive-date=September 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911054413/http://mybrothersamisdead.historyofredding.net/1777-british-raid-on-danbury.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>▼
▲During the Revolutionary War, on April 25, 1777, a British force of 1,850 under the command of the [[List of colonial governors of New York|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, Connecticut|Danbury]].<ref name="HowardCrocker1879">{{cite book|author1=R. H. Howard|author2=Henry E. Crocker|title=A history of New England: containing historical and descriptive sketches of the counties, cities and principal towns of the six New England states, including, in its list of contributors, more than sixty literary men and women, representing every county in New England|url=https://archive.org/details/ahistorynewengl00unkngoog|access-date=November 28, 2011|year=1879|publisher=Crocker & co.|page=[https://archive.org/details/ahistorynewengl00unkngoog/page/n336 302]}}</ref> [[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.<ref name="Boatner1975">{{cite book|author=Mark Mayo Boatner|title=Landmarks of the American Revolution: a guide to locating and knowing what happened at the sites of independence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l0UaAQAAIAAJ|access-date=November 13, 2011|year=1975|publisher=Hawthorn Books|pages=45–47|isbn=9780801543906}}</ref> An additional statue of two cannons facing the water, a testament to the resistance the minutemen displayed, was erected on the beach in 1901.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battle of Westport Commemoration Historical Marker |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=22556 |access-date=January 13, 2024 |website=www.hmdb.org |language=en}}</ref> A sign on [[U.S. Route 1|Post Road East]] also commemorates this event.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Colley |first1=Brent |title=April 26, 1777 British Raid on Danbury, Connecticut |url=http://mybrothersamisdead.historyofredding.net/1777-british-raid-on-danbury.htm |website=My Brother Sam Is Dead |access-date=
The Town of Westport was officially incorporated on May 28, 1835, with lands from [[Fairfield, Connecticut|Fairfield]], [[Weston, Connecticut|Weston]] and [[Norwalk, Connecticut|Norwalk]].<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.1.15" /><ref name="Library1909">{{cite book|author=Connecticut State Library|title=Bulletin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hY_EAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA50|access-date=November 20, 2011|year=1909|page=50|archive-date=March 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308124939/https://books.google.com/books?id=hY_EAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA50|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.85.108">{{cite book|author1=Woody Klein|author2=Westport Historical Society (Conn.)|title=Westport, Connecticut: the story of a New England town's rise to prominence|url=https://archive.org/details/westportconnecti00klei|url-access=registration|access-date=November 21, 2011|date=May 2000|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-31126-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/westportconnecti00klei/page/85 85]–108}}</ref> For several decades after that, Westport was a prosperous agricultural community, distinguishing itself as the leading onion-growing center in the U.S.<ref name="Mapes1853">{{cite book|author=James Jay Mapes|title=Working farmer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kc1FAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1|access-date=November 21, 2011|year=1853|publisher=Kingman & Cross}}</ref> Blight caused the collapse of Westport's onion industry, leading to mills and factories replacing agriculture as the town's economic engine.<ref name="Somerset-Ward2005">{{cite book|author=Richard Somerset-Ward|title=An American theatre: the story of Westport Country Playhouse, 1931–2005|url=https://archive.org/details/americantheatres0000some|url-access=registration|access-date=November 17, 2011|date=June 11, 2005|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-10648-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/americantheatres0000some/page/29 29], [https://archive.org/details/americantheatres0000some/page/237/mode/2up 237]}}</ref>▼
▲The Town of Westport was officially incorporated on May 28, 1835, with lands from [[Fairfield, Connecticut|Fairfield]], [[Weston, Connecticut|Weston]] and [[Norwalk, Connecticut|Norwalk]].<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.1.15" /><ref name="Library1909">{{cite book|author=Connecticut State Library|title=Bulletin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hY_EAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA50|access-date=November 20, 2011|year=1909|page=50|archive-date=March 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308124939/https://books.google.com/books?id=hY_EAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA50|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.85.108">{{cite book|author1=Woody Klein|author2=Westport Historical Society (Conn.)|title=Westport, Connecticut: the story of a New England town's rise to prominence|url=https://archive.org/details/westportconnecti00klei|url-access=registration|access-date=November 21, 2011|date=May 2000|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-31126-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/westportconnecti00klei/page/85 85]–108}}</ref> For several decades after that, Westport was a prosperous agricultural community, distinguishing itself as the leading onion-growing center in the U.S. In addition, Westport became a shipping center in part to transport onions to market.<ref name="Mapes1853">{{cite book|author=James Jay Mapes|title=Working farmer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kc1FAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1|access-date=November 21, 2011|year=1853|publisher=Kingman & Cross}}</ref> Blight caused the collapse of Westport's onion industry, leading to mills and factories replacing agriculture as the town's economic engine.<ref name="Somerset-Ward2005">{{cite book|author=Richard Somerset-Ward|title=An American theatre: the story of Westport Country Playhouse, 1931–2005|url=https://archive.org/details/americantheatres0000some|url-access=registration|access-date=November 17, 2011|date=June 11, 2005|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-10648-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/americantheatres0000some/page/29 29], [https://archive.org/details/americantheatres0000some/page/237/mode/2up 237]}}</ref>
Starting around 1910 the town experienced a cultural expansion.<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.1.15" /><ref name="Inc1949"/> 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.<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.119.146" /> The roots of Westport's reputation as an arts center can be traced back to this period during which it was known as a "creative heaven."<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.1.15" />
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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.<ref name="Congress1871">{{cite book|author=United States. Congress|title=Congressional edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WVNHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA256|access-date=December 12, 2011|year=1871|publisher=U.S. G.P.O.|pages=256–}}</ref><ref name="O'Meara2002">{{cite book|author=Lauraleigh O'Meara|title=Lost city: Fitzgerald's New York|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZQxvxyCWKiQC&pg=PA34|access-date=December 12, 2011|date=August 2, 2002|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-94055-9|page=34|archive-date=March 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308124940/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZQxvxyCWKiQC&pg=PA34|url-status=live}}</ref>
By the 21st century, Westport had developed into a center for finance and insurance, as well as professional, scientific and technical services.
==Geography==
According to a publication by the 2010 Census,<ref>{{cite web|title=Connecticut: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-8.pdf|website=United States Census 2010|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce|access-date=
Westport is bordered by [[Norwalk, Connecticut|Norwalk]] on the west, [[Weston, Connecticut|Weston]] to the north, [[Wilton, Connecticut|Wilton]] to the northwest, [[Fairfield, Connecticut|Fairfield]] to the east and [[Long Island Sound]] to the south.
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|Nov sun =
|Dec sun =
|source 1 = [[The Weather Company]] Record Low & High Data & Average Low & High Data & Average Precipitation Data<ref name="weather2019Apr">{{cite web |title=Westport, CT (06880) Monthly Weather |url=https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/06880:4:US |website=weather.com |publisher=TWC Product and Technology LLC |access-date=
|source 2 = USA.com Average snowfall inches & Average precipitation days & Average snowy days<ref>{{cite web|title=Historical Weather Westport, CT Weather|url=http://www.usa.com/westport-ct-weather.htm|access-date=December 7, 2011|archive-date=November 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126185915/http://usa.com/westport-ct-weather.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>|date=December 2011}}
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==Demographics==
{{US Census population|1840=1803|1850=2651|1860=3293|1870=3361|1880=3477|1890=3715|1900=4017|1910=4259|1920=5114|1930=6073|1940=8258|1950=11667|1960=20955|1970=27318|1980=25290|1990=24410|2000=25749|2010=26391|2020=27141|footnote=[http://www.sots.ct.gov/RegisterManual/SectionVII/SecVIITOC.htm/ CT.gov]}}{{See also|List of Connecticut locations by per capita income}}
The 2019 US Census reported a population estimate of 28,491 with the median household income at $206,466.<ref>{{Cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Westport town, Fairfield County, Connecticut|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/westporttownfairfieldcountyconnecticut|access-date=
The 2010 US Census counted the total number of households in Westport being 9,573 of which 7,233 (75.6%) were family households.<ref>{{cite web|title=Households and Families: 2010 Census Summary|url=https://www.census.gov/|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce|access-date=
According to the [[2010 United States Census|2010 Census]], the population of Westport was 92.6% [[White American|White]], 4.0% [[Asian American|Asian]], 1.2% [[African American|Black or African American]], and 0.1% [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]]. Individuals from other races made up 0.6% of Westport's population while individuals from [[Multiracial American|two or more races]] made up 1.6%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 14, 2011|archive-date=December 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218204847/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latinos]] of any race made up 3.5% of Westport's population. About 29.8% of Westport residents were younger than age 18 as of 2010; higher than the U.S. average of 24%.
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{{See also|List of companies based in Westport, Connecticut}}
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 management|investment manager]] and Westport's largest employer
===Nonprofits===
* [[Save the Children USA|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<ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.1.15" /><ref name="Klein(Conn.)2000.181.204">{{cite book|author1=Woody Klein|author2=Westport Historical Society (Conn.)|title=Westport, Connecticut: the story of a New England town's rise to prominence|url=https://archive.org/details/westportconnecti00klei|url-access=registration|access-date=November 28, 2011|date=May 2000|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-31126-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/westportconnecti00klei/page/181 181]–204}}</ref>
* 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.
==Arts and culture==
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*The [[Westport Country Playhouse]], founded in 1930, is a regional theater.<ref name=Morris2010>{{cite web|last=Morris|first=Stacey|title=Westport: The Beverly Hills of the East|url=http://www.jpost.com/Travel/TravelNews/Article.aspx?id=178214|publisher=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=November 21, 2011|date=June 13, 2010|archive-date=January 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129135943/http://www.jpost.com/Travel/TravelNews/Article.aspx?id=178214|url-status=live}}</ref> After Paul Newman moved to Westport in 1960, he became a principal "driving force" behind the playhouse.<ref name=Morris2010 />
* 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.<ref>[https://mocawestport.org/about/ About MoCA Westport]</ref>
* Westport Museum for History and Culture, founded in 1889, is dedicate to the history of Westport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westporthistory.org/ |title=Home |website=westporthistory.org |access-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809042906/https://westporthistory.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The Wakeman Town Farm is a historic working farm and sustainability demonstration center.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 9, 2013
* The [[Rolnick Observatory]] is located on a former [[Nike (rocket)|Nike missile site]].<ref name="Harrington2010">{{cite book|author=Philip S. Harrington|title=Cosmic Challenge: The Ultimate Observing List for Amateurs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8mQmvT4wpWQC&pg=PR10|access-date=December 12, 2011|date=November 30, 2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-89936-9|pages=10–|archive-date=March 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308124942/https://books.google.com/books?id=8mQmvT4wpWQC&pg=PR10|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Astronomy">{{cite book|title=Astronomy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zQRAQAAMAAJ|access-date=December 12, 2011|year=1982|publisher=AstroMedia Corp.}}</ref>
* [[Earthplace|Earthplace, The Nature Discovery Center]], is a {{convert|62|acre|m2|adj=on}} natural history museum, nature center and wildlife sanctuary.
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|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.00% ''0''
|}
Westport, like Connecticut as a whole, is heavily Democratic. [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]] outscored [[Donald J. Trump]] by 42 points in 2016. [[Joe Biden]] outscored [[Donald J. Trump]] by more than 50 points in 2020, marking the best performance for a Democratic presidential nominee in the town in over 60 years.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.westportct.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/34249/637406097644600000 |title=
Westport was one of five towns in Connecticut that backed former [[Governor of Ohio|Governor]] [[John Kasich]] over [[Donald J. Trump]] in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Kasich received 1,098 votes (46.19 percent) ahead of Trump who garnered 1,053 votes (44.30 percent). [[U.S. Senator]] [[Ted Cruz]] of [[Texas]] finished third with 165 votes (6.94 percent).<ref>{{cite web| url=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/ElectionServices/StatementOfVote_PDFs/April2016RepublicanPPPSOVpdf.pdf?la=en
The town switched to a Representative Town Meeting style governance in 1949. The government consists of a three-member Board of Selectmen, a [[Town meeting|Representative Town Meeting]] (RTM), a Board of Finance, a Board of Education, a Planning and Zoning Commission, and various other commissions, boards, and committees.
{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 26, 2021<ref>{{cite web|url=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/ElectionServices/Registration_and_Enrollment_Stats/October-26-2021-Registration-and-Party-Enrollment-Statistics.pdf|title=Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 26, 2021|publisher=Connecticut Secretary of State|access-date=November 3, 2021
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
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=== Taxes ===
As of 2019, the current [[mill rate]] of Westport is 16.86.<ref>{{cite web |title=FY 2020 Mill Rates |url=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/OPM/IGPP-Data-Grants-Mgmt/FY-2020-Mill-Rates.pdf?la=en |website=State of Connecticut |access-date=
==Education==
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==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
{{multiple image
| align = right
| perrow = 2
| total_width = 225
| image1 = WestportCTGreensFarmsTracksideStaHouse11172007.jpg
| image2 = WestportCTTrainStation09302007.jpg
| footer = Westport has two stations on [[Metro-North Railroad]]'s [[New Haven Line]]
| direction = vertical
| caption1 = [[Green's Farms station]]
| caption2 = [[Westport station (Metro-North)|Westport station]]
}}
[[Interstate 95 in Connecticut|Interstate 95]], the [[Merritt Parkway]], and [[U.S. Route 1 in Connecticut|U.S. 1]], as well as the [[Saugatuck River]], run through Westport.
Westport has two train stations, [[Green's Farms (Metro-North station)|Green's Farms]] and [[Westport (Metro-North station)|Westport]] on the [[Metro-North Railroad]]'s [[New Haven Line]], which serves [[Stamford Transportation Center|Stamford]] and [[Grand Central Terminal]] in New York City or [[Union Station (New Haven, Connecticut)|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 (Metro-North station)|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=As Connecticut struggles to boost electric vehicles on the road, Westport punches above its weight |url=https://www.courant.com/business/hc-biz-electric-vehicles-westport-20210724-n2hjz34pojctfkuuvkih6uqhi4-story.html |access-date=
==== "Main to Train" study ====
A recent initiative by residents of the Town of Westport, Connecticut, culminating in a 2019 report.<ref>{{cite web |title=Westport Main to Train Study Recommendations Report |url=https://westcog.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/FINAL-Main-to-Train-Recommendations-Report-08272019.pdf |publisher=WestCOG |access-date=
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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Department Information {{!}} Westport, CT|url=https://www.westportct.gov/government/departments-a-z/police-department/about-us|access-date=
===Fire department===
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{{Main list|List of people from Westport, Connecticut}}
Among the many actors, singers and other entertainers who have lived in town is [[Paul Newman]] who resided in Westport from 1960 until his death in 2008. His wife, [[Joanne Woodward]], still resides in town.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/movies/28newman.html |newspaper = The New York Times |title = Paul Newman, a Magnetic Titan of Hollywood, Is Dead at 83 |first = Aljean |last = Harmetz |date = September 28, 2008 |access-date = April 6, 2010 |archive-date = December 8, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081208234243/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/movies/28newman.html |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="The Encyclopedia of New York City Second Edition">{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of New York City Second Edition |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lI5ERUmHf3YC&pg=PT3240 |access-date=December 12, 2011 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-18257-6 |pages=3240– |date=December 1, 2010
==In popular culture==
* In the television series ''[[The West Wing]]'', [[Josh Lyman]] is a native of Westport
* Westport was the location of the fictional residence (1164 Morning Glory Circle) of Darrin and Samantha Stephens on the television series ''[[Bewitched]]''<ref name="Terrace1993">{{cite book|author=Vincent Terrace|title=Television character and story facts: over 110,000 details from 1,008 shows, 1945–1992|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jUbAQAAIAAJ|access-date=November 13, 2011|date=October 1993|publisher=McFarland & Co.|isbn=978-0-89950-891-7|page=46}}</ref>
* In the sixth and final season of ''[[I Love Lucy]]'', the Ricardos and Mertzes leave New York and move to Westport
* ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' had one episode called "[[A Stop at Willoughby]]", wherein the main character worked in NYC and commuted by train to his home in Westport.<ref name="Feldman2010">{{cite book|author=Leslie Dale Feldman|title=Spaceships and Politics: The Political Theory of Rod Serling|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sD1Rj8rRDiUC&pg=PA91|access-date=November 13, 2011|date=November 30, 2010|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-2045-3|pages=91–92|archive-date=March 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308125443/https://books.google.com/books?id=sD1Rj8rRDiUC&pg=PA91|url-status=live}}</ref> It aired on May 6, 1960, and the episode was written by then-Westport resident [[Rod Serling]]
* The 1955 film ''[[The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit]]'' includes a scene where [[Jennifer Jones]] meets [[Gregory Peck]] at the [[Westport station (Connecticut)|Westport station]]
* ''[[The Swimmer (1968 film)|The Swimmer]]'' (1968), a film starring Burt Lancaster, is based on a short story by John Cheever. Most of the film was shot in backyard pool locations in Westport<ref name=Donovan1990>{{cite news|last=Donovan|first=Elisabeth|title=Just Pooling Around|newspaper=
* ''[[The Stepford Wives (1975 film)|The Stepford Wives]]'' (1975) was filmed in various Westport locations and used a colonial house in the Williamsburg district as the home of the main characters<ref name="NewYorkTimes1985April21CharlesEleanor">{{cite news |
* [[Don DeLillo]]'s ''[[Underworld (DeLillo novel)|Underworld]]'' (1997) features an ad executive named Charlie Wainwright who in 1961 lives in Westport<ref>Don DeLillo, ''Underworld''. New York: Scribner's (1997), pp.
*The 1998 production ''[[This Is My Father]]'' was partly filmed in Westport<ref name="BessièreOdin2004">{{cite book|author1=Irène Bessière|author2=Roger Odin|title=Les européens dans le cinéma américain: émigration et exil|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MVEXawZ3zD0C&pg=PA217|access-date=November 14, 2011|year=2004|publisher=Presses Sorbonne Nouvelle|isbn=978-2-87854-261-5|page=217|archive-date=March 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308125456/https://books.google.com/books?id=MVEXawZ3zD0C&pg=PA217|url-status=live}}</ref>
*The 2004 film ''[[The Girl Next Door (2004 film)|The Girl Next Door]]'' was vaguely based on Westport – director [[Luke Greenfield]] grew up in town. It was filmed and set in California. That same decade parts of the 2008 production of ''[[The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2]]'' were filmed in Westport<ref>{{cite news|last=Meyers|first=Joe|title=Major movies filmed scenes in Conn.|newspaper=Connecticut Post Online|date=September 10, 2008
* ''[[American Housewife]]'' takes place in Westport<ref name="NewYorkTimes2016October10GenzlingerNeil">{{cite news |last1=Genzlinger |first1=Neil |date=October 10, 2016 |title=Review: In 'American Housewife,' a Plus-Size Mom in the Land of Fitbits|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/11/arts/television/review-in-american-housewife-a-plus-size-mom-in-the-land-of-fitbits.html
* [[Robert Lawson (author)|Robert Lawson]]'s children's novel ''[[Rabbit Hill]]'' depicts a colony of anthropomorphic rabbits living in the countryside near Westport
* In ''[[The Last Olympian]],'' the final novel of the ''[[Percy Jackson & the Olympians]]'' series by [[Rick Riordan]], the titular character, [[Percy Jackson]], travels to Westport to visit antagonist [[List of characters in mythology novels by Rick Riordan|Luke Castellan's]] childhood home
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==Sister cities==
{{As of|2023|}}, Westport has four [[Twin towns and sister cities|sister cities]]:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westportct.gov/index.aspx?page=190|title=Town of Westport, CT : Sister Cities Committee|work=westportct.gov|access-date=February 19, 2014|archive-date=January 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123172425/http://www.westportct.gov/index.aspx?page=190|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Lyman, Ukraine|Lyman]], Ukraine<ref>{{Cite web |date=
* [[Marigny-le-Lozon]], France
* [[Yangzhou]], [[Jiangsu]], China
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* {{official website|http://www.westportct.gov}}
{{Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut}}
{{Fairfield County, Connecticut}}
{{Connecticut}}
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[[Category:1835 establishments in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1835]]
[[Category:Towns in Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut]]
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