Westport is a historic town in Fairfield County with a population of 26,544 (2004 estimate). It was incorporated in 1835. The 22.4 square mile community was taken from Fairfield to the east, Weston to the north, Norwalk to the west, and Long Island South to the south. It is a shorefront town that stretches north into wooded hills and south to Long Island Sound, with abundant recreational opportunities.

Although Westport is a community with almost no industries, many companies have their corporate headquarters here, and many commercial designers and graphic artists work out of Westport. While Westport is often thought of as a commuter community, many of its residents work in the area as more corporations move to Fairfield County.

Transportation

Many highways cross Westport, giving fast access to mid-Manhattan (50 miles away), Boston, and all of Northern New England. The main highways are Route 1, known as the Boston Post Road, the Merritt Parkway (Route 15), and Interstate 95, also known as the Connecticut Turnpike. Frequent rail service via Metro North and Amtrak increases Westport’s accessibility from New York and all parts of New England, and it is no more than an hour’s limousine ride from New York’s airports.

Westport has two stations, Saugatuck and Greens Farms, on the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven line, which serves Grand Central Terminal in New York and Union Station in New Haven. This line is shared with Amtrak trains, as it is part of the Northeast Corridor, but no Amtrak services call at Westport. The nearest station at which these services stop is Stamford.

Famous Places and Events in Westport

Westport's Compo Beach was the site of the British invasion of Danbury, also known as Tyron's Raid.

Also near Compo Beach is the famous Minuteman Statue. One may notice that this statue was built facing away from the beach. This is because it commemorates the way the Minutemen hid and waited until they could attack the large British army from behind.

Westport houses the Westport Country Playhouse, a theatre scene active since 1930.

The city was made famous by the I Love Lucy television show, as it is where the Ricky and Lucy Ricardo (played by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball) moved to after purchasing their new home. It was also the fictional residence of Darrin and Samantha Stephens on the television series Bewitched. The movie The Stepford Wives (both the original and the remake) are based on Westport. The original was filmed in Westport, and the remake takes place in Westport.

The Gregory Peck film "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" (1956) was filmed, in part, in Westport.

Joe Arcudi (1993-1997) was the first and as yet only Italian-American First Selectman in town history.