Westerly is a town on the southwestern coastline of Washington County, Rhode Island, United States, first settled by English colonists in 1661, and incorporated as a municipality in 1669.

The Town of Westerly was known historically for local important granite mining and stone-cutting industry, which ran until the quarries stopped operating in the 1950s.

[5] Both It is believed that Aboriginal people arrived in Rhode Island 5,000 years ago, based on sites located in what is now Washington County.

[11] Physician, American Revolution general, and Rhode Island Supreme Court justice Dr. Joshua Babcock was born in Westerly.

Rhode Island Governor and Chief Justice Samuel Ward also lived here for many years.

[11] In the early 1800s, prior to the War of 1812, Westerly had become a shipbuilding center under U.S. Navy Officer Oliver Perry, having built Gunboats.

[23] Westerly in 1938 would be struck by the 1938 New England Hurricane, causing severe damage, with the village of Napatree Point being completely destroyed, with buildings being sent into Little Narragansett Bay, and Sandy Point being disconnected from the rest of Napatree to where it remains today.

[24] Misquamicut, Galilee, Jerusalem, Green Hill, and Quonochontaug being heavily destroyed, and a storm surge of 12 to 15ft tall along the coast of Rhode Island.

[25][26] Many factories, mines, houses, and more structures collapsed during the hurricane, and the New Haven and Hartford Railroad was damaged, shutting down transport to Westerly, RI.

Built in 1843, Mill had units from Ashaway, Rhode Island being the first to respond, and then Westerly Fire Department arrival.

[28] Many years following this incident in 2020, the Town of Westerly was given $100,000 in a grant from the NOAA Restoration Center, matched by the Town of Westerly, and other sources, to study fish migration improvements, and flood mitigation improvement, continuing into 2024 with Westerly stating on the town website: "Addressing the dam and the old mill building will eliminate public safety hazards and significantly increase recreation for the community.

"[29][30] In 2012, Hurricane Sandy left beaches along the Westerly shoreline devastated and nearly unrecognizable, including Misquamicut.

The shooting was done by 66-year old Joseph Giachello, who was found dead in his room after taking the life of 47-year old Julie Cardinal, the manager of the complex.

[35] All schools would initially be ordered to remain closed until April 3, 2020, to set up distance learning for all the students.

In August of 2021, Tropical Storm Henri made landfall in Westerly, causing significant damage and power outages.

[37] In January 4, 2022, the Westerly Public Schools system had reopened to the public with mask policies still in place in place, and extended quarantine times for students and faculty who got sick, while many had chosen to remain home due to the ongoing at the time COVID-19 pandemic still infecting many.

Westerly Public Schools plans for the students and staff to transition to the new building in the summer of 2026 following the completion of its construction, after which the existing elementary will be demolished.

Westerly sits atop a glacial moraine, a series of small hills of debris left behind by receding glaciers in the last Ice Age.

A pristine sample of the moraine encompasses a 140-acre (0.57 km2) preserve owned in perpetuity by the Westerly Land Trust.

Within the trust land are the rare kettle formations that extend out under the sea to Block Island.

Downtown Westerly on the Pawcatuck River is the municipal seat of the area, with the old town post office, library, YMCA, railroad station, former police headquarters (the current headquarters is located on Airport Road), granite buildings, and Wilcox Park.

Other villages include Avondale, with antique colonial-style and Queen Anne-style homes; Bradford, with its own post office and postal code; Dunn's Corners; Mastuxet; Misquamicut, a beachfront community with small amounts of nightlife and several hotels; Potter Hill, where the Town Forest is located; Shelter Harbor; Watch Hill, with beaches and summer cottages; Weekapaug; White Rock; and Winnapaug, with public golf courses.

[46] Annual events include the Pawcatuck River Duck Race in April, Virtu Art Festival in May, Shakespeare in the Park and the Summer Pops in June, and Riverglow in July.

[47] Movies are shown outdoors on the beach in July and August, and there is a Columbus Day parade in October.

[50] Located within the Town of Westerly are two regional banks headquartered in the town, including Washington Trust Bancorp Inc., a publicly traded regional bank with operations in Rhode Island and Connecticut, and the Westerly Community Credit Union.

Additionally, there have been proposals for CT rail to extend its Shore Line East service eastwards to Westerly station.