Westport

Westport (Massachusett: Acoaxet) is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was first settled by English colonists in 1670 as a part of the Town of Dartmouth by members of the Sisson family. In 1787, the growing town, along with the town of New Bedford, seceded from Dartmouth. Horseneck Beach State Reservation, located to the north and west of Gooseberry Island, is a popular summer destination for many in the area. 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 Rhode Island, to the west. The town 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 A coaxet, an early name. The Macomber turnip traces its ancestry to seeds brought to Westport from the 1876 Centennial Exposition. During the Second World War, a coastal defense installation was raised on gooseberry Island. The majority of that water area is from the Watuppa Ponds along the border with Fall River, as well as West port Harbor, where the two branches of the Westport River meet before emptying into Rhode Island.

History

The town of Westport was founded in 1670 by members of the Sisson family. In 1787, the town seceded from the town of Dartmouth. The town is now mostly residential, with a large number of summer homes. The Westport River runs through the center of the town, and is the source of the name "Westport" The town's name is derived from the name of the first town in the area, Westport, Massachusetts, which was established in 1672. The name Westport is now used to refer to the western part of the city, which is located on the banks of the Westport river. It is also known as Westport-on-the-Rhode, which means "West of the River" or "The River" because of its location on the Rhode. The city's name was first used as a name for the town in 1770, when it was first established. The word "West" means "west" in English, and means "the river" in the local dialect. It was also used as an abbreviation for "west of the river" when the town was first founded, and "westport" for "the town" when it became a city in 1787. The current name is " Westport" and refers to the town's location along the west bank of the East River, which runs through Westport. The river was once known as the "West River" due to its location in the middle of the state.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 64.4 square miles (167 km²) 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 approximately 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and approximately 60 miles (97 km) south of Boston. The town 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 to the west. 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 theWestport River, AcoAXet is inaccessible by land except by passing through Adamsville. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the town's population at 1,856,000 (1,857,000 in 2010). The town's area is 64.5 square miles, or 167 km², including 50.1 square miles of land and 14.3square miles of water, or 22.27% of which is water. It is located on the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border.

Climate

Westport is located in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico. The town is home to a population of about 2,000 people. The hottest time of the year in Westport is in mid-July when temperatures can reach the 90s. The coldest time is in January when temperatures plummet into the teens and single digits. 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 most favorable period for tropical systems to hit the area is in late August and during the month of September, according to the National Weather Service. The city is also home to the U.S. Coast Guard, which is based in the town of Westport and has a base at the Port of Los Angeles. It is also the home of the National Guard and the Coast Guard Air Station, which can be found on the coast near the town's southern tip. The U.N. has a consulate in the city, which opened in 1881 and is located on the tip of the southern tip of California. The port is the only one in the state that has been declared a state of emergency by the federal government. It has been the location of the World War II Memorial, which was built in honor of the late President George H.W. Bush. It was also the site of the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in 1858.

Transportation

The town is accessible via Interstate 195, U.S. Route 6, and Massachusetts Route 177. Massachusetts Route 88 is the longest state highway in Massachusetts to be entirely located within one town. The nearest airport is New Bedford Regional Airport, 8 miles (13 km) away. National airline service can be reached at T. F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island. Plans have been in the works to bring South Coast Rail service to Fall River, and New Bedford, and is set to be completed in 2024. A short segment of railway, officially known as the North Dartmouth Industrial railroad and informally referred to as the Watuppa Branch, passes through northern Westport. The track runs from Westport through Dartmouth and into New Bedford where is connects with the New Bedford Secondary. The primary operator of freight rail in Westport is Bay Colony Railroad, which operates along the Wat Puppa Branch and interchanges with Massachusetts Coastal Railroad in New Bedford. Upon completion, these will offer railway connections from the south coast to cities including Taunton, Brockton, Braintree, and Boston. There is bus service along Route 6 provided by the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) During the summer, service is extended to Horseneck Beach. Regional bus service can also be reached in Fall River and Middleborough/ Lakeville, and in Providence. The town is located on the Massachusetts Turnpike, which runs from Boston to New York City. The turnpike runs from New York to Providence.

Government

Westport is governed by an open town meeting, led by a five-member board of selectmen. The town is patrolled by the Westport Police Department along with the 3rd (Dartmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police. Westport has a full-time fire department, (which also has on-call firefighters). The two fire stations are located in the north end (on Briggs Rd.) and in the south end (on Hix Bridge Rd). The fire department also staffs two Advanced Life Support ambulances 24 hours a day. There are four post offices for the town's two ZIP codes; The main post office on Route 6, a smaller branch (on Old County Rd.) at the Head of Westport, and the branch (on Adamsville Rd.) in Central Village serve the ZIP code 02790. The 02791 ZIP code (Westport Point) is served by the Central Village station and at the point itself, on Main Rd. In the November U.S. Election of 2012, 59% voted for Barack Obama, and 39% vote for Mitt Romney, with the new Massachusetts state senator, Elizabeth Warren edging out former Senator Scott Brown in the election. On the national level, the town is part of Massachusetts's 9th congressional district, which is represented by William R. Keating. The state's senior Senator, elected in 2012, is Elizabeth Warren. The other senator is Ed Markey, who elected in 2013.

Education

Westport has its own school system. There are three schools: Alice A. Macomber School, Westport Elementary School, and Westport Middle/High School. The school is a member of the Mayflower League, and competes against mostly division 3 and 4 schools in the region. In addition to their schools, incoming high school students may choose to attend Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School or Bristol County Agricultural High School in Dighton. 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 18, located in the Westport Factory neighborhood. Westport High School graduated 94% of its class in 2013. The Wildcats are one of the few teams in theMayflower 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 colorsWestport using brown and white after Brown University). 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 and Bishop Stang High School. It was formerly known as Saint Joseph's MontessorI, and was located in FallRiver.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 15,532 people, 5,386 households, and 4,082 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 98.01% White, 0.17% African American,0.14% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.,02% Pacific Islander, 0,37% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population. The town's 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%. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there are 96.0 males. The median income for a household was $55,436, and $64,568 for a family. The per capita income for the town is $25,281. About 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.9%. of those age 65 or over are living below the poverty line, including 4.9% of people aged 65 and over. The average household size is 2.62 and the average family size is 3.01. The population of Westport has grown from 15,000 in the 1950s to 15,500 in the 2010s. The city's population is expected to grow to 16,000 by the end of the decade.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts = 52. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 47. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Westport = 3.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 86,395 individuals with a median age of 43.7 age the population grows by 7.62% in Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 250 residents per square mile of area (98/km²). There are average 2.56 people per household in the 5,953 households with an average household income of $70,667 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.80% of the available work force and has dropped -5.30% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 18.60%. The number of physicians in Westport per 100,000 population = 141.2.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Westport = 44.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 34.9 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 125. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 201. 82 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 22.2 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 51, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts which are owned by the occupant = 71.59%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 38 years with median home cost = $236,910 and home appreciation of -13.76%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.66 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,941 per student. There are 15.6 students for each teacher in the school, 962 students for each Librarian and 481 students for each Counselor. 8.34% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.50% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 11.76% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).