Westport, WA is located at the mouth of Grays Harbor on the southernmost peninsula known as Point Chehalis. The area was in regular use as a summer resort by local Native American tribes before Thomas Barker Speake and his family, the first white settlers, arrived early in the summer of 1857.

By 1914, Westport was busy, though a small center for fishing, shellfish harvesting, seafood processing, and tourism. Among the earliest structures built at Westport, the Westport Lighthouse, dedicated on April 14, 1898, still stands as a majestic beacon for weary mariners anxious to return home from the sea. The City of Westport was incorporated on June 26, 1914.

Today, Westport with a population of 2,110 still relies on fishing, shellfish harvesting, seafood processing, and tourism for much of its livelihood. More recently, boat building has also become an important part of Westport's economic base.