Developers are building more and more residential communities around organic farms, banking on increased resident demand for locally grown food, outdoor recreation space, and small-town charm.
Across the country, a growing number of new housing developments are beginning to dramatically lessen the distance that produce travels from farm to table. However, these organic farm communities attempt to offer more than just a steady supply of fresh produce. Inspired by old-fashioned farming towns, many of the developments aim to foster a good dose of small-town charm and interaction amongst neighbors.
As The Los Angeles Times reports:
"Their emergence has banked on the growing demand for locally grown food and a changing outlook by some homeowners on what an upscale community should offer."
" 'People are willing to pay more for a smaller lot, because the lot comes with a 100-acre farm and 300 acres of forest or green space,' said Ed McMahon, a senior fellow with the Urban Land Institute in Washington."
"'Agriculture is the new golf,' he said."
Read the full story: Suburban living, down on the farm
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