After The Closing: Does Westport Live Up To Its Hype?

It’s daunting to move to a new town.

Things began frustratingly for Mike and Robin Clementi, who came to this area from New Jersey for his job. Realtor Karen Scott of KMS Team at Compass sold them on the schools, beaches, Longshore, restaurants and shopping. But they lost at least 6 houses, in bidding wars.

Finally they found — and bought — one. The location, a cul-de-sac off Compo Road South, was perfect. They could walk downtown, to the Levitt, and the water.

Then things got even better.

Even before they moved in 2 years ago, their new neighbors exchanged phone numbers. It was a young street — several families had arrived just a year or two earlier — and though their children were younger, they made sure the Clementis’ daughters (a rising junior at Staples High, and an incoming 7th grader — had someone to sit with at lunch the first day of school.

There was more. Lauren, the older girl, played varsity golf in New Jersey. The family reached out to Staples coach Patty Kondub. She spent an afternoon with them — and arranged a party for Lauren to meet her new teammates.

Robin Clementi and her family.

The shopping, restaurants and other amenities have been “great — worth all the hype.” But those two stories “sum up what this town means to me,” Robin says. “It was an exceptional, warm welcome we never expected.”

Not everything is perfect. Robin is an interior designer, and she thought she could keep her previous clients. Traffic on I-95 makes that difficult. So she pivoted. Now she’s got new clients — and has found great new designers and builders to work with.

The walk to the beach proved further than expected. But her daughter walks to town quite a bit. After school, she takes the bus to the Library — a spot Robin calls “magic. Kids love going there!”

Another surprise: Birchwood Country Club. Though Longshore is “beautiful and lovely,” tee times are tough to get. Someone suggested the club off Kings Highway South.

“It’s beautifully camouflaged and tucked in,” she says. “We love it.”

Birchwood Country Club: a hidden gem.

The Clementis’ experience is mirrored by other families who have moved here recently. “06880” wondered whether realtors’ hype — and newcomers’ expectations — were matched by reality.

In many cases, they are.

Jen Krichels is from rural Maine. Her husband, Matthew Johnson, grew up in Colorado.  She is a writer and editor for architectural publications; he’s in marketing.

They lived for many years in Brooklyn. During the pandemic, they and their 2 children spent 2 years in the Catskills, where they’d bought a fixer-upper.

They loved the community, and had many friends there. But it was spread out. Childcare was limited.

They could not envision moving back to a 2-bedroom apartment. They looked at homes in Westchester County, and elsewhere.

The couple remembered visiting a friend in Westport. The flags on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge, downtown, the beauty of the coastal beaches, the reputation for cultural life — all impelled them to consider the town.

Neither of them commutes regularly. But proximity to the train — and New York — was important.

KMS agent Mary Ellen Gallagher found them a home in the Old Hill area.

What’s the verdict?

Reality has lived up to expectations “in almost every category,” Jen says. She cites “the amenities for kids and adults, the schools, cultural opportunities, the and access to outdoors” — including Earthplace — among the highlights.

The Krichels family, at Winslow Park. (Photo/Matthew David)

Last summer, she surprised herself by not going away.

“We realized we were on vacation already!” Jen says. They attended concerts at the Levitt, and stayed late at the beach with friends and neighbors.

Traffic and parking are frustrations. She worries about her children walking and riding on local streets. At the same time, she walks with her kids to school. And she is heartened to see groups of youngsters riding bikes.

Her next door neighbor, Jenna Petok, is a director of Bike Westport. They’re kindred spirits, and have forged a strong friendship.

Jen is interested in municipal issues. She calls the Representative Town meeting an “interesting” form of government. “It’s nice to see peers involved in those discussions,” she says.

“Any town that can support growth, foster walkability, and include lower-income people will thrive. Westport can do that.”

Clara and Sebastian Krichels enjoy summer in Westport.

Meanwhile, is there anything Jen and Matthew have not tried?

“Anything after 8 p.m.,” she laughs. “I know people enjoy post-sunset drinsk at the beach. That’s nice. But it’s not our turn yet!”

Julia Dzafic has been here a bit longer. But the marketer and blogger says she and her husband Anel, who owns Countdown Fitness on Sylvan Road South (and who feels welcomed by other businesses), have had “the best 6 years of our lives. It’s even beyond our expectations.”

Working for herself, she appreciates the meeting rooms at the Library.

The family enjoys pizza nights at Compo and Old Mill, and restaurants like The Whelk and Bartaco (“we’re there once a week,” julia says of that family-friendly spot).

Her 8-year-old daughter’s 2 best friends live next door — a joy for any mother.

Julia Dzafic, and her family.

“We never felt we belonged to a community more,” she says. She and her friends — who recently returned from a 40th birthday trip together — share “values, kids and life situations.”

(One negative: “With a 2-year-old, I naively did not expect pressure on kids to do so much, at a young age.” However, she adds,” that may not be town-specific.”)

Fairfield County towns seem to be similar. However, Julia says, each attracts “a different group. Westport attracts a more laid-back type person. It’s got the feel of a beach town. Even the restaurants that aren’t on the water feel like that. There’s something about Compo that fills the whole town.”

Julia Dzafic and her husband Anel. He grew up on a farm in Bosnia. They keep 12 chickens in a large coop on their property. (Dazfic photos/Julia D’Agostino)

Julia speaks for many newcomers, who were enticed by Westport’s sizzle, and now enjoy its steak.

“We’re so happy to be here,” Julia says. “We don’t think we’ll ever leave.

“And we hope when our kids are much older, they’ll come back to visit.”

(“06880” keeps a sharp eye on every facet of Westport — old-timers, newcomers, and everyone in between. If you enjoy our coverage, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)