Our Communities
Little Compton, Rhode Island
St. Andrew's by-the-Sea is located at The Commons, the center of governmental and cultural activity. The Town Hall, the Little Compton Community Center, the Grange Hall, the Brownell Library and the Wilbour-McMann Elementary School are all located a few steps apart on The Commons. Two other churches, the United Congregational Church and St. Catherine’s of Sienna Catholic Church are also located there. The Commons is also home to two restaurants, a bank and Wilbur’s, a wonderful historic general store. The Commons is a busy place, particularly in the summer when the town population swells with our many summer residents. Elsewhere in town there is an award winning vineyard, several nurseries and a number of charming roadside stands. Commercial fishing operations are carried on at Sakonnet Point.
The town is 23 square miles and primarily rural. About 19 percent of the land is devoted to agriculture, 10 percent to residences, and about 60 percent is not in use, being ponds, wetlands, and woodlands. The Town has an Agricultural Trust that buys up land to be preserved as open space. There are relatively few town-wide services, and the tax rate is accordingly very low. Public schooling is provided through the eighth grade, and high school students are bused to Portsmouth, RI, a distance of 15 miles. There are also independent and parochial schools at both the elementary and high school levels in the surrounding area. Residents love Little Compton and strive to protect its beauty as well as support its institutions.
The Little Compton town website is: www.little-compton.com
Sakonnet Light
Overlooking Sakonnet River
Sunset at Sakonnet Harbor
Westport, Massachusetts
Westport is a town of several villages: The Head, and old industrial area now purely residential; the Point, still the center of fishing operations, but also primarily residential; the Harbor, originally a summer colony, now home to a number of retirees as well and the location of a beach club, a yacht club and a country club; Central Village, the governmental center and the center of retail commercial activities.
The town, spread over 61 square miles of land, contains a number of working farms, a well-known vineyard and many acres of stonewalled countryside. It has some of the most beautiful sandy beaches in the area. The Westport River's East and West Branches split the town an provide beautiful watersheds for wildlife and human activities, such as boating, kayaking and fishing. Westport's population (14,000) is much larger than Little Compton's (3,339) and the town has a full public school system.
The Westport town website is: www.westport-ma.com
Horseneck Beach
South Tiverton, RI
The southern part of Tiverton is rural with farms and open spaces occupying much of the land. The center of activity is Tiverton Four Corners, a historic section of Tiverton that is over 300 years old. There you will find many arts and crafts shops with merchandise made by local artisans, fine food (the Groundswell Cafe & the Four Corners Grille), great ice cream (Gray's Ice Cream) and wonderful cheese (The Cheese Wheel).
Tiverton borders the Sakonnet River and Fogland Beach is a prime spot for swimming and sunbathing.
The Tiverton town website is: www.tiverton.ri.gov
Fogland Beach
