A family traded Connecticut for retirement in a car-free Costa Rica beach town

Adrian Bogdan

For years, Allyson and Andrew Rappaport spent their days caring for animals at the veterinary practice they owned in New York , often working six days a week. At night, they returned to their cozy four-bedroom home in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where they lived with their two sons. Although they had built a comfortable life, they found the cost of living high and dreamed of slowing down. They were also worried about school safety and their kids growing up in what they saw as a highly competitive,