Southport (Fairfield)

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Southport is a distinct section of the town of Fairfield, Connecticut, located along Long Island Sound between the Mill River and Sasco Brook (the Westport town line). Settled in 1639, the downtown area has been designated a historic district since 1971, when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Southport Historic District.^[1] The historic significance of Southport is because of its harbor, churches, public buildings, and the homesteads of some of the first families in southwestern Connecticut.

Contents 1 History 2 Public services 3 Demographics 4 Notable people 5 Movies filmed in Southport 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] History

Southport Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic District
Location:	Roughly bounded by Southport Harbor, RR, Old South Rd. and Rose Hill Rd., Fairfield, Connecticut
Coordinates:	41°7′55″N 73°17′4″W / 41.13194°N 73.28444°W / 41.13194; -73.28444
Built/Founded:	1800
Architectural style(s):	Greek Revival, Romanesque, Federal
Governing body:	Local
Added to NRHP:	March 24, 1971
NRHP Reference#:	71000898[1]

In the eighteenth century, Mill River village, a part of Fairfield, was a small hamlet of a few houses and a wharf at the mouth of Fairfield's Mill River. Farm products from the surrounding area were shipped from Mill River's small harbor to ports in New York and beyond.^[2]

By 1831 the village had changed its name to Southport and was a bustling commercial area with warehouses, churches, schools, stores and elegant houses. Before 1853, Southport had its own local government as a borough within the town of Fairfield.^[3] Southport became a leading coastal port on Long Island Sound, its ships carrying produce and goods back and forth to New York City. A measure of Southport's success is the fact that throughout the 1800s it possessed the only two banks in town. However, competition from steamboats and the railroad took its toll on prosperity. Resourceful shippers teamed with local farmers and businessmen to keep the port going; the Southport onion, a high quality onion was developed and grown on Fairfield's hills and shipped in Southport market boats, keeping the harbor profitable until the end of the century. In the 1890s, 100,000 barrels of locally grown onions, carrots, potatoes, and other goods were shipped annually from Southport harbor.^[2]

Today, much of the old village area is part of a historic district, where buildings from three centuries are protected for future generations.

[edit] Public services

Southport has had its own firefighting service since 1895. The Southport Fire Department was organized that year as a volunteer fire department after a large arson fire in the village. However, it is also protected by Fairfield Fire Department's Engine 4, out of the Southport Firehouse.^[4]

The community's public library is the Pequot Library, housed in a Romanesque building designed by Robert Robertson and built in 1887. The library is reputed to have a large collection of old and rare books.^[3] The library's annual summer book sale featured more than 140,000 volumes on sale in 2007.^[5]

The neighborhood's ZIP code is 06890, whose scope extends further north from the historic village area to include the Mill Hill area.

[edit] Demographics

The main village of Southport corresponds to census tract 606. As of the census^[6] of 2000, there are 2,201 people in the village, organized into 998 households and 606 families. The racial makeup of the town is 95.6% White, 2.3% Asian, 0.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. 1.6% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 998 households out of which 22.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% are married couples living together, 8.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% are non-families. 33.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.21 and the average family size is 2.81.

The median income for a household in the village is $90,307, and the median income for a family is $123,023. Males have a median income of $91,695 versus $55,475 for females. The per capita income for the village is $66,432. 2.0% of the population and 1.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.5% of those under the age of 18 and 2.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

[edit] Notable people

The following are among the notable people who have lived in Southport:

• John Akers, former chief executive officer of IBM^[3]
• Anatole Broyard, author^[3]
• Samuel J. Palmisano, chief executive officer of IBM
• Jason Robards, actor, producer and director^[3]

[edit] Movies filmed in Southport

• Revolutionary Road (2007)

[edit] See also

• Southport railroad station, separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Southport Conservancy (organization for preservation and restoration of historic properties in Southport)
• The Southport Globe (a website focused on the community)
• Living in Southport, Conn. (New York Times photo collection)

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