Westport's housing reflects its identity as a working fishing and tourism town. The community holds a mix of modest single-family homes, beach cottages, and vacation properties, with many residences oriented toward the marina, the harbor, or the ocean beaches. A notable share of housing serves seasonal and vacation use, reflecting the town's role as a coastal destination, while year-round homes support the fishing, seafood, and tourism workforce. The market is oriented toward locals, second-home buyers, and those drawn to surf and fishing culture, with the marina district and the beachfront areas as the most sought-after settings. Prices reflect the town's rural coastal location rather than the larger Puget Sound metro.

Westport is a compact coastal town organized around its waterfront. The Marina District anchors the community, with the marina, boat launch, fish markets, and charter docks at its center, surrounded by restaurants and marine businesses. Residential streets fan out from the harbor toward the ocean side, where beach cottages and vacation homes cluster near the dunes and the state parks. The Grays Harbor Lighthouse and Westhaven State Park mark the town's ocean-facing edge, and the residential areas blend into the surrounding dunes and wetlands. Because Westport is small and built on a peninsula, its neighborhoods read as a continuous maritime community rather than distinct subdivisions.

Westport offers a working waterfront lifestyle rooted in the sea. The marina is the center of the community, home to a large commercial and charter fishing fleet, and the rhythm of the town follows the seasons of salmon, crab, and razor clams. Residents and visitors can buy seafood directly from the boats and markets, and the charter fleet draws anglers from across the region. Surfing has become a defining part of the culture, with consistent breaks and events such as the Westport Longboard Classic. The beaches, lighthouse, and state parks provide a steady backdrop of outdoor activity, while Aberdeen supplies larger shopping and services. The result is an authentic coastal town with a maritime character distinct from the region's more developed resort areas.

Westport is served by the Ocosta School District, a small rural district based in the city that also serves the South Beach communities of Cohassett Beach, Grayland, Markham, and Tokeland across Grays Harbor and Pacific counties. The district operates a few schools for its roughly 600 students, providing preschool through twelfth grade education in a close-knit coastal setting. Because the district covers a long, rural stretch of the coast, school sites are shared across communities. For additional educational options, residents look to Aberdeen and the larger Grays Harbor region.

Westport is reached by State Route 105, which runs south and west from Aberdeen along the southern shore of Grays Harbor, placing the city about 25 miles from Aberdeen's shopping, healthcare, and services. The marina provides water access for boaters along the coast, and the U.S. Coast Guard maintains a station at Grays Harbor. For longer trips, residents use the highways connecting Aberdeen to Olympia, Tacoma, and the Interstate 5 corridor, with the drive to the central Puget Sound taking roughly two hours or more. The city's remote coastal location is part of its appeal, balancing isolation with a self-contained fishing and tourism economy.

Westport's recreation is defined by the ocean. Charter fishing for salmon and bottomfish departs from the marina, and the beaches and harbor offer crabbing and razor clamming. Surfing is a major draw, with consistent Pacific breaks at Westhaven State Park and events such as the Westport Longboard Classic. Westport Light State Park provides beach access, dune trails, and views of the Grays Harbor Lighthouse, Washington's tallest, and the Westport Maritime Museum preserves the town's seafaring history. Beachcombing, kite flying, and storm watching round out the coastal activities, with the broader Grays Harbor region adding birding and wildlife viewing.