This Brooklyn family leaned into the town-first approach – and fell in love with Westport
When COVID-19 hit, the Corrigan family hunkered down in Park Slope with their then-four-month-old, working from home and trading off childcare responsibilities throughout the day. Despite being long-time Brooklynites – and loving their family-friendly neighborhood – Patton and his wife Ellie knew it was time to start exploring life outside city limits.
“We planned to stay in Brooklyn longer, but during COVID, we felt really cooped up,” Patton says. “Working from home and having a baby in a small apartment was overwhelming, at times.” With an eye on more space, the Corrigans started their search in 2021. Quickly, though, they realized starting with the house wasn’t the best approach for their wants and needs. “We’d find houses we liked but realized we didn’t feel connected to the area or the neighborhood,” Patton explains. “We knew we needed to focus on more than just the house.”
With these new-found insights in mind – and going off recommendations from two close friends – Patton and Ellie reached out to Suburban Jungle, connecting with Strategist, Alli Levine. “We felt confident in the process,” Patton says. “A close family friend and another friend recommended Suburban Jungle. So we got in touch”
Working with Alli, Patton and Ellie leaned into the town-first approach, focusing on finding the right community, then the right house.
“It was refreshing to take a step back and reverse the process by starting with towns instead,” Patton says. “Once we realized that we should be looking at towns first, the process was easy.”
Settling into the suburbs
In 2021, Patton and Ellie closed on a home in Westport and, after 15 months of renovations, moved in. Now, two years later, Patton says he and his family are loving life in Westport and taking full advantage of everything the community offers – especially summers at the beach.
“Patton and Ellie moved at a perfect time for their family,” Alli says, “and found an amazing neighborhood and school community. That can really ease the transition from the city to the suburbs. They even connected with other Suburban Jungle families!”
Weekends, Patton says, tend to center around Westport’s amazing outdoor and family-friendly offerings – including plenty of beach trips in the warmer months.
“A typical weekend will include two, if not three, visits to the beach,” he says. With young kids in tow, the Long Island Sound offers a relaxed environment where everyone can swim safely. “We can meet up with friends, the kids can play and run around – it’s a great way to spend the day.” Also popular: Wednesday night kids’ concerts at Levitt Pavilion. “We’re there all the time,” says Patton. The kids dance around. We bring lawn chairs and a blanket and have a picnic dinner. It’s great.”
The family also loves spending days at Wakeman Town Farm. “They have goats, alpacas, hens, and rabbits,” he says. Wakerman also hosts seasonal events throughout the year, including fall-inspired cooking classes, cake decorating, chef’s dinners, and even a beer garden. There’s also a small farm stand onsite every Saturday. “It’s the perfect spot to spend Saturday mornings with the kids.”
Another favorite? “On rainy days or when it’s cold, we’ll take the kids to the Maritime Aquarium,” located in nearby Norwalk. “The kids just don’t get tired of it. We bought a season pass and have gone at least 20 times.”
Recently, Patton says, they’ve even attended football games at the local high school. Having grown up in nearby Greenwich, “Westport was our high school football rival,” he laughs. “So it’s funny being there, on the other side.”
Up next: continuing to explore their new hometown – and with their oldest starting kindergarten this fall, there’s so much more to see, do, and experience. But, Patton says, once they got to Westport they never looked back.
“We’re more social than we were in the city,” he says. “As far as Westport as a community, it couldn’t be any better.”
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