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Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. [edit] History
The earliest known inhabitants of the Westport area as identified through archaeological finds date back 7,500 years.[1] 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.[2] 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.[2] The community had its own ecclesiastical society, supported by independent civil and religious elements, enabling it to be independent from the Town of Fairfield.[3] 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.[1]
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.[1] 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 center 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 center in part to transport onions to market. Starting around 1910 the town experienced a cultural expansion.[1][4] 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.[5] 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."[1] 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.[4] 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."[1][6] By this time Westport had "chic New York-type fashion shopping"[7][8] and a school system with a good reputation, both factors contributing to the growth. By the 21st century, Westport had developed into a center for finance and insurance, as well as professional, scientific and technical services. [edit] Research Tips
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