Westport, California
Unincorporated community in California, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Westport (formerly Beall's Landing) is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California, United States.[1] It is located on California State Route 1, near the Pacific Ocean,[2] 13 miles (21 km) north of Fort Bragg,[3] and at an elevation of 125 feet (38 m).[1]
Westport | |
|---|---|
The Westport Community Store | |
  Westport Location in California  Westport Westport (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 39°38′09″N 123°46′59″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Mendocino |
| Elevation | 125 ft (38 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 60 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 95488 |
| Area code | 707 |
The first post office at Westport opened in 1879.[3] Originally called Beall's Landing in honor of Samuel Beall, its first white settler, the place was renamed in 1877 by James T. Rodgers, who built a timber loading facility for the name to remind him of his hometown of Westport, Connecticut.
As of July 2010, the population of Westport was 60.[citation needed] It has a community store with gas pumps, several inns, and, as of 2020, nine Airbnb or VRBO rental homes.[4]
Though small, the village of Westport has a strong community. The Westport County Water District is a municipal agency formed in 1978 that provides drinking water and sewer services for the town of Westport. It has 4 paid employees overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors. The Westport Village Society raised over $100,000 in grant funding to build a staircase from the Westport Headlands down to the town beach, and spearheaded grant funding drives of over $1 million to enable the purchase of land along the coast at DeHaven Creek and Bell Point to preserve them for public trails and access. The residents of Westport maintain a community garden from which organically grown produce is available year-round for consumption by Westport residents and visitors alike.
Westport and its vicinity have been the locale of several disappearances and homicides over the years, including:
- Linda Lee Lovell and Stephen Locke Packard, disappeared in June 1974;[5]
- Christine and Craig Langford, disappeared in January 1981;[6][7]
- Harlan Sutherland, homicide victim, remains found in August 1987;[8][9]
- Clyde William Stanley, homicide victim, remains found in March 1988;[10]
- Donald James Cavanaugh and David Virgil Neily, disappeared in March 2005 and April 2006, respectively, from the same address;[11]
- Matthew Coleman, murdered in August 2011;[12][13]
- Abigail, Ciera, Devonte, Hannah, Jeremiah, and Markis Hart, all murdered by their adoptive mothers, Jen and Sarah Hart, on March 26, 2018, when their SUV intentionally drove over a cliff in a mass murder-suicide, two miles north of Westport.[14] The family had been living in Washington State before the road trip which culminated in the fatal crash.[15] Both perpetrators were known to have abused their six children before the crash.[16]
See also
