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Decorative drawing: a small American settlement seen from a low hill. Not a photograph of this place.

North Westport, Massachusetts

31 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Westport town. It lies in ZIP code area 02790. It stands on Yellow Hill. The Survey maps it on the Fall River East quadrangle. 4,720 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 138 feet above sea level.

North Westport within Bristol County

Population over time

2 figures

North Westport grew from 4,571 to 4,720 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20104,571
20204,720+149 (+3%)

Then and now

1888 to 1985

The same ground, surveyed 97 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of North Westport, surveyed 1985
Topographic sheet of North Westport, surveyed 1888

Topographic sheets covering this place

31 sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

In the county-history sources

119,038 words on this township

History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1883 names this settlement in its chapter on Westport Town. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

Documentary History. - The following is a record of the first town-meeting, with names of officers elected, together with other interesting votes, among which appear the votes concerning the location and building of the first town-house, which seemed to have given the good j>eople of the town considerable vexation :

Passage source: History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1883.

Nineteen years later the militia of ancient Dartmouth had been increased to nine companies, and that part of these forces in what subsequently became Westport appeared under these officers, viz. : Robert Earl, captain ; Sylvester Brownell, lieutenant; and John Hix, ensign.

Passage source: History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1883.

Barber, in his " Historical Collections," published in 1848, in speaking of Westport, says, "This town, previous to its incorporation in 1787, was a part of Dartmouth. There are two small villages in the town, one at the head of East River, the other at Westport Point. The people are much divided in religious sentiments. There are five meeting-houses : two for Friends, two for Baptists, and one for Methodists. There is also a small society of Congregational ists. The village at the head of East or Nochacuck River is about eight* miles from New Bedford, eight from Franklin, and twenty-one from Newport. Formerly considerable quantities of timber were obtained in this town. The whale fishery is now an important branch of business ; eight whaling vessels now go out from Westport Point. There is a cottonmill in this town having 3072 spindles, which in 1837 consumed 300,000 pounds of cotton ; 270,000 pounds of cotton yarn were manufactured, the value of which was $67,500."

Passage source: History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, published 1883.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Westport Town - it names this place 6 more 6 times.

Fires near this place

31 since 2001

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 31 fires within 5 miles of North Westport between 2001 and 2020, burning about 62 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning9
Missing data/not specified/undetermined9
Arson/incendiarism4
Recreation and ceremony3
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Fireworks1
Natural1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Equipment and vehicle use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 August 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
8 August 2002Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMassachussetts State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
3 August 2020Debris and open burning1.0 acresMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
23 August 2016Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 July 2018Fireworksunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
29 July 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
17 July 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
16 July 2020Natural8.5 acresMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire ControlCOPICUT WOODS FIRE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Bristol County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 1,672 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,672 specimens collected within 10 miles of North Westport between 1824 and 1975: 614 Animalia, 579 Fungi, 416 Plantae, 57 Chromista, 4 Unrecorded, 2 Bacteria. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A E Schuyler, A. B. Gridley, A. B. Hervey and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
A photograph of the species Gamochaeta purpurea, not of this specimenGamochaeta purpurea (L.) Cabrera1824T. A. Greene
A photograph of the species Lythrum salicaria, not of this specimenLythrum salicaria L.1831T. A. Greene
A photograph of the species Mentha aquatica, not of this specimenMentha aquatica L.1831Collector unknownNew Bedford. [Inferred county from precise loc.]
A photograph of the species Trypethelium virens, not of this specimenTrypethelium virens Tuck.1848ex herb. OakesNew Bedford.
A photograph of the species Ranunculus bulbosus, not of this specimenRanunculus bulbosus L.1850not recorded
A photograph of the species Vitis labrusca, not of this specimenVitis labrusca L.1850not recorded
A photograph of the species Carex spicata, not of this specimenCarex spicata Huds.1859Collector unspecifiedPortsmouth.
A photograph of the species Menegazzia terebrata, not of this specimenMenegazzia terebrata (Hoffm.) A.Massal.1860H. WilleyNew Bedford
A photograph of the species Scolopax minor, not of this specimenScolopax minor J.F.Gmelin, 17891860Alan PooleWestport
A photograph of the species Abrothallus parmeliarum, not of this specimenAbrothallus parmeliarum (Sommerf.) Nyl., 18691862Willey H.Weymouth, New Bedford
A photograph of the species Agyrium rufum, not of this specimenAgyrium rufum (Pers.) Fr.1862Willey HenryNew Bedford
A photograph of the species Anaptychia palmatula, not of this specimenAnaptychia palmatula (Michx.) Vain., 18991862H. WilleyNew Bedford.

All 1,672 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

6 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of North Westport: 5 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Boan Farm PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Dartmouth PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Louis Fernandez Sand and GravelSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Pine Hill Sand and GravelSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Westport DivisionSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Bristol County

Storms near this place

6 since 2012

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names North Westport in 6 storm reports between 2012 and 2025: 4 flash flood, 2 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 2012Flash FloodNorth Westport$1,500,000Four to six inches of rain fell across Fall River, three of which fell in 45 minutes. Numerous roads and intersections were flooded, stranding many cars. There were 6 high water rescues, that occurred on Davol and Pearce Streets. Water was up to car windshields on Pearce Street. Four feet of water flooded the intersection of Lindsey and Ballard Streets. Forty to sixty cars became stuck in high water on Eastern Avenue near the rotary with President Avenue. Airport Road was closed due to flooding. A daycare center was evacuated because water began entering the building. More than 50 houses experienced flooding up to or on the first floor. The basement of Kimwell Nursing Home on New Boston Road was flooded. The emergency room at St. Anne's Hospital was flooded. A massive sinkhole opened up on Crescent Street, taking the cab of one of Fall River's new trash trucks with it. The North End Senior Center was flooded and closed for several days to repair flood damage. A newspaper account cited approximately $100,000 to the Sagamore Mill.
September 2025Flash FloodNorth Westport-In Fall River, Brayton Ave at Reeves St was flooded and impassable. A section of Brayton Ave by the bus terminal was heavily flooded.
August 2024Flash FloodNorth Westport-In Fall River, the on-ramp from 24 SB to 195 WB completely flooded over at the lowest part of the ramp. Traffic due to vehicle having to maneuver around flooded part.
July 2023Flash FloodNorth Westport-In Fall River, a section of Country St was flooded and impassable with cars stuck in floodwaters.
October 2015FloodNorth Westport-The northbound lane of Plymouth Avenue between Globe and Slade Streets was closed due to flooding. Bedford Street was closed due to flooding. Manhole covers on Globe Street in the four corners area popped off. Rhode Island Avenue was flooded with one foot of standing water. Stafford Square was closed due to flooding. Portions of Pleasant Street were closed due to flooding.
September 2015FloodNorth Westport-Pleasant Street and Clay Street were closed due to flooding.

Every storm recorded in Bristol County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Beulah Corners0.2 miles31
Hillcrest0.8 miles31
Lakeside1.1 miles31
Berryman Corner1.4 miles31
Suburban Park1.7 miles31
Brownell Corner2.4 miles31
Westport Factory2.5 miles31
Giffords Corner2.7 miles37

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on North WestportAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q7057380The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1867310. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.