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is a town on the south shore of Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1669 by John Babcock, it is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state. The population was 22,966 at the 2000 census.
Westerly's primary industries today are textiles and tourism, but historically Westerly was also famous for its granite, mined from quarries in Bradford and Potter Hill.
Westerly was named for the settlement's location, respective to Rhode Island's geography, being the westernmost town in the state.
There is also a possibility that Westerly got its name from the English village of Westerleigh. The English village was the home of one of Westerly, Rhode Island's founding fathers, Elder John Crandall (abt. 1612-1676). Elder John settled in Westerly in 1661 and the early history of Westerly contains many references to him and to his sons.
Westerly sits atop a glacial moraine, which is a series of small hills of debris left behind by receding glaciers in the last ice age.A pristine sample of the moraine encompasses a preserve owned in perpetuity by the Westerly Land Trust. Within the trust land are the rare "kettle formations that extend out under the sea to Block Island.
On the western border of Westerly flows the Pawcatuck River, once renowned for its own species of Westerly salmon, three of which are on the town's crest. The Pawcatuck River flows from some fifteen miles (24 km) deep into neighboring towns in the north and empties in Little Narragansett Bay. The Pawcatuck River also serves as the boundary between Westerly and Pawcatuck, CT. Along the coast of Westerly lie salt ponds, which serve as shallow reeflike pools, whose outer walls form the long, white beaches for which the town became renowned. From west to east, these ponds are called Winnapaug Pond, Weekapaug Pond and Quonochontaug Pond. The town also has a fresh water lake, Chapman's Pond, which is undergoing revitalization. Also, Westerly granite is mined here, some of it even made the Georgia state house.
Westerly becomes a large tourist attraction during the summer months - some argue that the population nearly doubles. Famous beaches, from west to east are Watch Hill Beach, East Beach, Misquamicut Beach, Westerly Town Beach, and Weekapaug Beach.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 74.8 square miles (193.8 km²), of which, 30.1 square miles (77.9 km²) of it is land and 44.7 square miles (115.8 km²) of it (59.78%) is water.