Like many areas in the region, Westport was affected by Wampanoag raiding parties during King Philip's War.

He was a Quaker businessman, sea captain, patriot, and abolitionist who developed a shipyard on the banks of the Westport River.

Of Wampanoag and Ashanti ancestry, Cuffee became one of the richest free man of color in the United States at the time.

He later helped the effort to resettle freed blacks to Sierra Leone in West Africa.

The Macomber turnip traces its ancestry to seeds brought to Westport from the 1876 Centennial Exposition.

Horseneck Beach State Reservation, located to the north and west of Gooseberry Island, is a popular summer destination for many in the area.

Because of the west branch of the Westport River, Acoaxet is inaccessible by land except by passing through Adamsville, Rhode Island.

The coldest time of the year in Westport occurs during January, in which residents can see temperature plummet into the teens and single digits.

The hottest time of the year in Westport occurs in mid-July where temperatures can climb to highs in the 90s.

The most favorable period for tropical systems in Westport are in mid to late August and during the month of September.

There is bus service along Route 6 provided by the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA).

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.

National airline service can be reached at T. F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island, 36 miles (58 km) away.

Upon completion, these will offer railway connections from the south coast to cities including Taunton, Brockton, Braintree, and Boston.

[7] 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 before terminating near Massachusetts Route 88.

The town is also represented by Senator Michael Rodrigues (D-Fall River), Assistant Majority Leader in the state senate in the First Bristol and Plymouth district, which also includes Fall River, Freetown, Rochester, Somerset and Swansea.

On the national level, the town is part of Massachusetts's 9th congressional district, which is represented by William R. Keating.

Westport is governed by an open town meeting, led by a five-member board of selectmen.

The fire department also staffs two Advanced Life Support ambulances 24 hours a day.

Their team name is the Westport Wildcats who have won multiple championships in the Mayflower League.