Westport, Washington
City in the United States in Grays Harbor County
About Westport
Westport is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 2,213 at the 2020 census. Westport is located on the Point Chehalis Peninsula, right on the entrance to Grays Harbor from the Pacific Ocean.
The public Westport Marina is the largest marina on the outer coast of the United States's Pacific Northwest. The marina is home to a large commercial fishing fleet and several recreational charter fishing vessels. A summer-only passenger ferry, discontinued in 2008, previously connected the town to Ocean Shores, across the mouth of the harbor to the north. It is home to the Washington Tuna Classic, which happens each August.
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How Westport is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
1 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Westport
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
- Ed Welter per Wikidata
The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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- Website
- ci.westport.wa.us
Looking for your county, state and federal representatives too? See who represents 98595 or everyone in Washington.
Population over time
From 2,099 in 2010 to 2,213 in 2020 (+5.4%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 2,213 |
| 2010 | 2,099 |
History
Westport was officially incorporated on June 26, 1914. Names for the area in the past include Peterson's Point, Chehalis City, and Fort Chehalis. The latter name is for a U.S. Army fort established in 1860 before the town was founded, "ts-a-lis" is the Lower Chehalis word for Westport, meaning "place of sand". Early explorers pronounced the word "Chehalis" and gave this name to the river and the people living up river who later became the Chehalis people or "People of the Sands". The area was used regularly during the summer by local Native American tribes (most likely the Shoalwater Bay Tribe, comprising Willapa Chinook and Lower Chehalis people) before Thomas Barker Speake and his family arrived early in the summer of 1857. Westport is also the home to a station for the US Coast Guard.
Tsunami shelters
In 2016, the Ocosta School District became the first in North America to build a publicly funded vertical tsunami shelter, located at Ocosta Elementary School. Measuring 53 feet (16.2 m), the structure is joined with the school, can hold 1,000 people, and is built to withstand a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake. The $13.8 million project was funded by a local bond.
A $15.2 million grant, with a 10% match by Westport, was awarded from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the city in 2023 for the construction of a community tsunami evacuation tower that is scheduled to be ready in 2026. Capable of also holding 1,000 people, the tower is planned to be part of a larger park complex near the town's marina and will stand around 50 feet (15.2 m) tall. With plans to add an additional three towers in the future, Westport also received a $2.0 million grant to complete a communications network that would continue to operate during a catastrophic event.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.