Smithsonian

How Farms Became the New Hot Suburb

A new real estate trend has developments planted around working farms. How are these communities sustainable?

Smithsonian

How Farms Became the New Hot Suburb

A new real estate trend has developments planted around working farms. How are these communities sustainable?

By Franz Lidz

Possibly the most enthusiastic embrace of farm livin’ these days is found deep in the woods of Chattahoochee Hill Country, southwest of Atlanta. There lies Serenbe, a 1,000-acre suburban Eden comprising two neighborhoods (and counting) bunched around Ye Olde English village-style town centers. The hamlets are shaped like omegas to conform to the undulations of the land. Peach and pecan trees shoot up from the sidewalks; goats and llamas browse in dells; and lambs caper along the walking trails that curl through glens and glades.