As noted in my last post, HGTV’s 2012 Green Home is located in the bucolic and “sustainable” community of Serenbe, Georgia. I find the idea of building a “sustainable community” from scratch to be quite intriguing, so I read a bit about Serenbe on HGTV’s site and on the community’s own web page.
An Overview: The 900-acre community is located in one of the “last undeveloped stretches of land in the Atlanta area” and emphasizes “balanced growth, a mix of architectural styles, sustainability and land preservation.” For stormwater, they use vegetated strips instead of concrete spillways. They re-use graywater for irrigation. They have a big community vegetable garden.
Sweet! Go Serenbe! It’s all very positive and utopian, right?
So why does the place creep me out so much? Take a look at these photos from HGTV and see what I mean:
Problems with Serenbe:
1. There appear to be no human occupants. (Okay, okay I’m sure there are people living there. I just think it’s funny that the community bills itself as pedestrian-centric, but the only signs of humans in the HGTV pictures are their cars.)
2. The name “Serenbe” comes from a fusion of the words “serenity” and “be”. Gag me.
3. It looks like the fantasy community of say, Ed Begley, Jr., instead of a real community. It looks like Disney’s version of sustainability. It kinda looks like the Hollywood set for “Little House on the Prairie.” Phony, ersatz, precious.
4. Serenbe’s master plan is based on “English hamlets and villages.” Since when does being “sustainable” mean being completely hokey? I am an American! I refuse to live in a hamlet! (Though the look they really seem to have achieved is some sorta midwestern frontier town.)
Anyway, it gets weirder. One part of Serenbe called “The Grange” will soon feature: a “blacksmith’s shop, a glass-blowing studio, weaving center, feed store, tack store, and farm grocer.”
I guess if you’ve always wanted to work as an actor in Colonial Williamsburg, this community is for you. But what sort of bizarre economy is this place going to have? Will there be an Arby’s? A 7-11?
5. It looks too perfect and homogenous. Okay, I know I’m just being mean to this poor little town that’s just trying to do the right thing. But seeing these photos made me realize that — just as with people — part of the charm of a community comes from its flaws. Just like I don’t want to be married to a Stepford-type spouse, I don’t want my town to be too perfect and predictable. A bit of litter here and there, some dodgy businesses, the odd loiterer on the street corner, it all contributes to a community’s character.
6. Too many rules (probably).
It’s cool that Serenbe builds smaller houses on smaller lots and has no lawns.
But I’m guessing (because I couldn’t find out for sure) that the restrictions on what you can do with your property in Serenbe are pretty fierce. What if I did want to plant a bit of lawn? What if I wanted to park my giant boat on the street and cover it with a blue tarp? I’m guessing Serenbe would have a big problem with me if I did either one. I prefer to live in a community where those things are totally allowed and neighbors’ only recourse is to bitch incessantly about it and shoot dirty looks rather than call the HOA.
7. Who’s being helped by these efforts? My final thought about Serenbe involves the rather difficult issue of environmental justice. In its intro to Serenbe, HGTV’s site tells the story of a family that moved from a wealthy neighborhood in Atlanta out to a 60-acre farm in the countryside. This family, who now runs the farm as a B&B, was instrumental in creating the community of Serenbe. Apparently, they were alarmed when the area around their farm was threatened by “encroaching development” so they joined with some partners, bought up land, and established an area of 40,000 acres (in which Serenbe resides), 70% of which is protected from development.
Okay, so moving from the city to a huge farmstead sounds great, I’m all for it. And I know the idea of Serenbe was to create this agrarian-type community that wasn’t just another big splotch of urban sprawl.
But it just seems inappropriate to wave the sustainability flag with too much enthusiasm when there are so many people living next to sewage plants, so many toxic dumps sited in minority neighborhoods, so many kids who don’t have safe parks to play in…..and you’re boasting about buying up all this land so you don’t have to look at an unsightly strip mall?
Am I being too hard on Serenbe? Has anybody actually been there?
Black Walnut Dispatch 
I have been there and the photos here don’t show the lushness of many of the gardens. It really is much better in person.
Thank you, Erica. Since you are the only one who’s actually been there, you definitely have a better idea of the atmosphere of the place than the rest of us. I’m happy to hear that it’s more “lush” than the photos indicate.
I really enjoyed Serenbe Farms.
There is a really nice farmers market at Serenbe every Saturday 9-1 April-November. I plan on being a vendor this year selling gourmet pastries and artisan breads. You should check it out!
Suzanne@ The Farmer Can Cook
I love visiting Serenbe
It’s a lovely place
You are an idiot. This is all about Agenda 21. It is pure evil. All about total control of everything, everyone, and no private property, no freedom what so ever!! look up Agenda 21. Go to Democratsagainstagenda21.com and find out for yourself. While you are at it, missy, check out The temple of Understanding, and The Rio Summit garbage 20 years ago. If you want a return of pure hell, Stalin style, just buy into this evil crap. Get a clue
You are mentally ill and need to be committed to an insane asylum. Conspiracy theory on meth. Go back to California or New York and hide from life, socialist/communist!
But there’s too many white people living there and no blacks….which means no crime and you can walk down the street without being afraid to get hit in the back of the head with a brick:)
Somebody get its:)
I wonder why this guy really hates this community that has went to all the trouble to write this negative stuff about this community ? There is a deeper issue when someone goes to his extent just about a community! who cares! If you dont like it you don’t like it. I am sure alot of people don’t like the way he lives but, why use your energy so so stupidly? I can guarantee there is a reason behind his anger. Learn to use your energies in a positive way who ever you are.
Amen Gigi
I think part of it is that for people who are interested in urban planning and city design as an antidote for sprawl, this town seems to check all the boxes… on paper. In reality, though, something about it definitely seems off. It’s a step in the right direction for sure, but the idea still needs tweaking. I don’t think anybody’s hating, and it’s a valuable discussion to try to nail down exactly what’s so eerie about the place. Otherwise we won’t do better next time!
I find this all very entertaining. But google Serenbe and watch the actual news media features from folks who have actually visited or, gasp, live there… it’s a truly special community and hopefully copycats abound
He’s writing a first person narrative and discussing his suspicious vibes about the place. If the response to criticism is becoming rabidly defensive then it doesn’t show much confidence. If you want to convince a hater then show them the truth. If they still want to be willfully ignorant the most strategic response is to ignore them.
I’m skeptical about projects like this because my father worked as a surban community developer. And him and my Mom (who did general contacting for the custom homes) built a farm. I’ve also seen one of them throw an iPad in the trash. AA’s with hazardous chemicals. You name it. Global warming is something they choose not to think about.
These are finance guys. Fiance as the great Tony Deden said “gives us the tools by which to deceive ourselves.”
But finance (broadly as a concept) also is a means by which we can coordinate for a better future.
We can hate and post into the void. Or we can steal the keys the masters kingdom.
This project is beautiful. But it probably doesn’t work for the vast majority of the world.
So what. It saved a corner of Atlanta. And it’s world beyond what this man would be doing if he didn’t have a higher vision. BS or not BS if rich people are trying to be good I’m encouraging it. If we wait to act until everything is pure and perfect we will fail.
As a certified organic produce farmer, the concept for their farmers market actually promotes healthy living. You must be either certified organic or naturally grown certified to sell produce or farm products, and products sold are encouraged to be produced with organic ingredients. Artisans that participate are juried and are truly artists, not crafters. I live in SC and the markets around here consist of produce resold from the state market where no one has a clue about where it came from or how it was grown. Knowing your farmer is so important. I like that about Serenbe.
I don’t like the exclusiveness of the home prices or the amount of Realestate taxes they incur. They seem unusually inflated. But, it is a beautiful part of Ga and their certified organic community garden is at the center of it all. Call it whatever you want, the concept of growing food for your community is a utopia to me.
It is beautiful in some parts, mostly the original parts, well thought out in operation if not look, and a lot of positive stuff goes on behind the scenes. But it is super wealthy and not trying to be inclusive whatsoever. In that way, it feels a bit like a new plantation system, without abusing the workers, just not including them.
It’s central planning from people who know what’s right for you. It’s what happens when you take spontaneity out of life. It’s the kind of place where they go through your garbage to make sure your recycling. If they see something out of the ordinary you can be sure you’ll be called before the “tribunal” and told to shape up or else…
You tell ’em, Trey. I do think (hope) that there’s something in the American character that will resist these highly controlled communities. Although so many of us already live in cookie-cutter suburbs, maybe I’m wrong about that.
Sorry, but what would a better community look like? I go to Serenbe regularly and it’s the community that I will one day relocate to. The reason it feels unoccupied is because it is only 30% of the way developed. This place is as close to a Georgia utopian community as it can get. It’s the happiest community I’ve ever seen in the state. Live music, bustling restaurants, horse stables and pastures, miles of trails to walk, art conferences, seasonal plays, ponds, untouched forests, gardens, a weekly farmers market. What else do you guys want? It warms my heart that such negative individuals aren’t interested in this community. More of a reason to move there, right?
Are Americans self centered undisciplined ornery slobs who embrace the fast food, binge Netflix, the earth is ours to pillage culture? Plenty are and you can seek them out, no problem. What’s hard to find is the opposite, like this community so judge less please. We need alternatives and balance. Btw, I’m kind of a slob
Where is the diversity? Looks like only rich white people to me.
Rich white people ? You make that sound like a crime. I dont pass Atlanta and yell poor black people.
Get a job and education. Better yourself. Quit being a racist jerk. I bought Serenbe and live there. If you dont like it, move to Atlanta.
I think you got it right when you said it felt like a movie set. The picture of the storefronts looks like the Universal Studios lot. Cue people.
And I expect whatever people are there to be dressed in costumes…with their kids in little sailor suits and stuff.
i expect farmers and artists, hippies and families – horrors!
Glad that you piped up about the lush gardens, Erica, because my initial reaction is Gardens? What gardens? In the first several shots the only plants visible besides the minimal number of left behind trees and a couple of fruit trees stuck in looked more like mis-placed foundation plant evergreens and leftover weed-shrubs – the infamous Lonicera mackii perhaps? – and the last two, although showing front yards (?) with some plantings didn’t do a lot towards changing my initial impression. And what’s the deal with celebrating so much mulch vs any lawn space? While I’m not a big supporter of huge monoculture lawn areas, I do prefer a bit of green over just lots of shredded trees or tires. Maybe I’m just not seeing the big picture here.
Agreed, Jonathan. The few shots of homes reveal less than stellar gardening.
Healthy? How many of them took the carrot?
Hee, my first reaction upon seeing the pictures was “Where are all the people? Has the zombie apocalypse finally arrived?”
I know…I really think they made a mistake showing the community without any people in it. It’s really people that bring a “space” to life. I remember several years ago my husband and I visited the newly revamped waterfront in Wilmington, DE. On the surface, it looked a bit like a mini-Inner Harbor — it had been fixed up to be a lively pedestrian area — but there were no people! It was totally dead. It was a really depressing experience.
Actually, it has…right down the road in Senoia. Ga., where they film The Walking Dead!
A worthy conversation! Too many of the places we live in are dictacted by developers, and there’s little to no dialogue in our country about the spaces we live in.
I don’t think you’re being too hard on it. I think you’re general critique is one I have for all New Urbanist projects: in embracing traditional forms of architecture, they re-create mini-fantasies. Rem Koolhaas has this great essay, “Whatever Happened to Urbanism,” in which he robustly criticizes New Urbanism. He calls it, “the belated rediscovery of the virtues of the classical city at the moment of their definitive impossibility . . . (they are) making sand castles. Now we swim in the sea that swept them away.” It’s a really great essay that may have launched what is now the major challenge to new urbanism: landscape urbanism. Charles Waldheim at Harvard and James Corner at UPenn are leading advocates of infrastructure-based urbanism. Accept the chaos, they say, control the infrastructure. There are some great online debates between Andres Duany (new urbanism founder) and Charles Waldheim (landscape urbanism champion) online.
New Urbanism has some great principles: connectivity, density, human-scale architecture, pedestrian focus. The problem is that their forms have been perverted by developers who market these silly nostalgic communities that are creepy, as you say. Plus, they end up not really being connected to larger parts of our cities, but isolated (and sometimes gated) subdivisions off in the exurbs.
I see the limits of New Urbanism, but I think the critique you made could probably be applied to most suburban areas in our country. Almost any housing that is massed developed by a single company produces banal and sterile places. Maybe brick-fronted, vinyl-sided, garage-in-the-front subdivisions are not pretentious, but that’s because no one even cared to try. I live in a ranch house in Arlington. While my street does not look homogenous now (after 60 years of patina and different owners who have changed the look of the houses), it probably looked pretty much like Levittown in 1951.
A great post. I’m glad your tackled this one!
Here is a link to the short Koolhaas essay on New Urbanism
http://www.princeclausfund.nl/urbanheroes/abert/texto4.htm
Whoah, that is quite a piece. Back in college, I took a course called Urban Geography, which was fascinating. From what I remember, we mostly studied patterns of settlement and development in urban areas…there wasn’t really any critiquing involved, it was pretty much just descriptive. I’m glad I’m not an architect or urban planner, trying to make judgements and attempting to shape the future of cities….what a quagmire.
Thank you for this thoughtful and informative response, Thomas. I was only vaguely aware of what “New Urbanism” really was, and had no idea about this other approach called Landscape Urbanism. “Accept the chaos, control the infrastructure”…I am going to have to wrap my head around that one and look up those guys you mention. It sounds like a fascinating debate. Thank you!
This is another intelligent and insightful discussion, Mary G! I haven’t been there, but it reminds me of that Disney planned community, Celebration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebration,_Florida), It has the same vibe as The Truman Show, parts of which were filmed in Celebration. I went on the website for Serenbe and could feel my mind being controlled. “There are not the droids we’re looking for…”
Yes! Just like Seahaven in The Truman Show! It also reminds me of one of those episodes of the Twilight Zone where there is a nice little town but no people. Oooooooooo….
I went to Serenbe for the Sleepy Hollow play last weekend and was totally creeped out by the town. I live in Alpharetta and no stranger to planned development but this took things off the deep end. It was a Sat night at 6:30 which should be the busiest dining out night but driving through the town it was totallly dead without a single person walking around. It was also really dark, poorly lit streets and my teen son and I both felt like we had entered the movie set of Twilight Zone or Get Out! All the shops that were sparse as it is were closed except for the The Hil. It was very unnatural seeing all these modern furnished decorated homes lit from inside being in the middle of nowhere. We took some very long back roads glad my car was full on gas and had a recent check-up. There was a homeless person walking around the outskirts of the area. Seems like an experiment gone wrong. It was very depressing and I won’t be back!
Isiah 58,,”Take the poor thqt are cast out unto thyhouse…If you had taken in that homeless person you might have known the truth,
I have been there several times, and have met the developers, etc. Yes, there is a legit case to be made about “rich people going into the country to create an ideal community”, BUT it does show that sustainable development is economically viable and desireable. In an area where there are a lot of naysayers. Also, having that kind of new urbanist example has helped us in neighboring Carroll County in trying to preserve the rural character and agricultural economy. We can tell our county commissioners “We want Serenbe, not Paulding County.”
Thanks for your input, Felicity. I’m not familiar with Paulding County, but I’m guessing it is a sea of sprawl like my county, Fairfax. And Fairfax, too, has a neighboring county that has the same mantra as you — Loudoun County, which has until recently been quite rural, is always saying “we don’t want to be another Fairfax” I can certainly understand wanting to preserve the character of your community.
If they really wanted to promote sustainability, urbanism, and eco-friendliness…then how about leaving those last undeveloped 900 acres alone and, by golly, undeveloped! How about revamping a run-down part of town instead? Bulldozing a forest and paving it over, no matter how many “sustainable” practices they employ, is never “green” living.
I know what you mean, Julie. My problem is not so much with the fact that they developed the area but more about the “sustainability” hubris that comes along with it.
I know this is a really old thread, but Serenbe has committed to maintaining 70% of the total property as farm or forest.
I chuckled after reading the Rem Koolhaas article…would have made just about as much sense if left in the original Dutch. Thomas, if you can succinctly put into a sentence of 25 words or less where he’s coming down on Urbanism vs New Urbanism vs architecture vs let’s-put-our-hands-up-and-walk- into-the-Matrix-because-we’re-all-doomed, I would very much appreciate it. Really Rem, “…a pretext for Nietzschean frivolity,” wow, I’d like a double scoop of that. Just hold all those toppings of pretentiousness. And if he’s arguing against architects creating set-pieces, then just what the heck was his Seattle Public Library?
I’ve not been to Serenbe, but did spend a long weekend at Seaside, back when Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co. was still getting a lot of architectural press over it. Pleasant as a vacation spot or maybe a time-share/second home opportunity, but just a little too much, too cute. Same goes for the Watercolor community next door–felt sort of like that Village from “The Prisoner” only in a tropical setting…”I’m not a number, I’m a free man.” Nevertheless HGTV got me to entry to win their house…could really use the $100K they’re tossing into the prize package.
I’m glad you said that about the article, Stephen…I was afraid I was just being dense, so it’s nice to hear that someone actually in the profession thought Mr. Koolhaas was being a tad verbose as well. His critique of “New Urbanism” seemed sound, though, from what I could piece together :o)
At least there’s the ocean there!
You know, one of my favorite television shows as a youngster was about a place just like this. Clean, efficient, with friendly people without a mean bone in their bodies. The opening credits always ended with Patrick McGoohan yelling “I am not a number! I am a free man!”
You never fail to say exactly what I would think if I had blogged about said topic first (only you’re about 500 times better at saying it in ways that don’t come off as arrogant and abrasive). I don’t think I could handle living in a place like this…the north shore of Chicago is sterile enough, this is just absurd!
My neighborhood is pretty bland, too, Tom, at least aesthetically. There is one woman who has a big tacky vegetable garden in her front yard, and another that always has about six dumpy cars in the drive, and I actually enjoy walking by their houses because at least there’s something to look at.
Interesting. I can see good and bad in the place, and I’ve seen worse. But that said, it is a bit programmed, cheesy, etc. I would like to see not only economically viable “green development”, but for the average joes like me, not just “the other half”…I.E. middle class to lower income class.
A creepy, made-for-TV movie called The Colony comes to mind…it was based on a real gated community in Orange County CA, complete with monitoring of conversations. I also see shades of the Truman Show, partly filmed at Seaside near Destin FL, though that subdivision and Watercolor nearby are actually well-done, not too over-done. But Verrado outside Phoenix really creeped out some of our group on a tour, since it was not a movie, but right there to see…uber-programmed to a fault.
Like you, I hope the American spirit comes out there, but as some would say, we have the right to live elsewhere, too. A right I’ll exercise, even if I had the $$!
David, I actually find it difficult to believe that so many Americans are willing to live in places with strict HOA’s…seems so counter to our individualism. I guess they’re sort of hard to avoid, but my husband and I chose our current house partly because the neighborhood has no HOA.
Us, too: husband and I bought our little Cape Cod in Falls Church in a community built in 1948, no HOAs, but a few remaining widows who moved in with their spouses when the houses were first built. I think part of the problem is that people have been convinced that they should get “as much house as they can get” for the money, which generally means McMansions in newer developments, which generally means HOAs. When did it become so important to own so many large rooms??
Creepy indeed. I’m always hesitant about places like this. I’ve read too many dystopian novels to ever think a pre-fabricated wonderland will ever be anything more than plastic.
I do look forward to having time to read the Rem Koolhaas piece. When I was in college, I worked for several architects who did some work for OMA and they regarded Koolhaas very highly.
I’d love to hear what you think about it.
I’m a little late to the table but echo the concerns here though you do really have to visit a place to be sure. So if you want to visit a “real neighborhood” with planted tree strips and wonderful front yard gardens and very few rules I invite you to visit the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul. I had the express joy of living for two years in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis. The city was designed so that no dwelling is more than six blocks from a park. The result are many, many unique and fantastic neighborhoods each with their own culture. It is the real deal and proof that it can happen.
Have to run. Thanks for this post. Just wanted to let all know that there are such places for real!
I have heard great things about the Twin Cities, Linda. I don’t think I could deal with the winters up there, but otherwise the neighborhoods you describe sound fantastic. Thanks for chiming in.
I remember a customer that had moved to the “countryside” for its wide open spaces and to get away from the dictatorial atmosphere of an HOA community. She built her Martha Stewart dream home on fifty acres and contacted me to come up with a plan for the foundation landscape. On the way in I passed trailers, yards with chckens and sofas, and still smoking burn-barrels from burning the previous weeks trash (red neck fire pit). Halfway through the meeting she started to complain about the “scenery” that I had passed and I reminded her of why she had moved out to the “country”. Maybe she’s purchasing the countryside right now to create her own SERENBE. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Out to the burn barrel…..
Ha! Great story. Sometimes the aesthetics of the country aren’t necessarily what some people expect. Too funny!
I in no way thought of deleting DMs in any way. Since it7;&218#s not a difficulty for me, I just leave them intact. Even so, I’ve like 60 DMs. Haha, maybe it is time to clean up.
While there are some aspects of this type of development that I applaud, (70% conservation land, greywater harvesting, etc) I wonder about that “reuse” part of sustainability. What about buildings that are setting vacant because they are in less than desirable areas? There is also the feeling of being “nowhere”. Where is the vernacular architecture and the sense of place?
I am no landscape professional, but what happens when they get a good rain? Are they not already experiencing erosion problems?
For all of you who haven’t been to Serenbe, you are judging it unfairly. The community has a small town rural feel, which is what was intended. It is not supposed to have painstakingly manicured gardens, but more so the feel of natural foliage on untouched land. On the weekends the fresh market is full of residents and visitors to the community. The programs that have been installed here have prevented it from becoming just a dream. And yes Mary, you are being way too hard. Pictures don’t do it justice, so I suggest you get down to Serenbe before passing anymore judgement
I knew it was only a matter of time before a Serenbe defender emerged…I really wasn’t passing judgment on the gardens or anything….more just the contrived look of the place based on what I saw in the pictures. If there are lots of happy people living there and visiting, that is certainly a good thing — people are really the key to the spirit of a community after all. I actually have relatives who live in Atlanta so maybe one day I’ll drive out there and take a first hand look at the place. Thanks for your perspective.
Of course, I don’t have room to complain overmuch. My own hometown was a gag in the first five minutes of Zombieland.
Good stuff. And now you’ve got me hooked on those funny movie trailers. I’m dying over here. Did you see the mrs doubtfire one reimagined as a horror? Omg.
Oh, you should see “West Side Story” reimaged as a zombie film. That one still damages my fragile little mind.
My two cents: I’d probably move there if I won.
For the question of ‘Are there actual people living there or has the zombie apocalypse happened?’ here’s a Serenbe community site with community event pictures from 4th of July, Halloween, etc.:
http://www.serenbecommunity.com/photos.html
They look like pretty real people to me — even if the place they’re living sometimes rings a bit fake. Lots of kids and families, it looks like.
I think if you have an issue, keep it to yourself and don’t enter. No one is forcing you to. HGTV is being great to many families who win the homes/cash prizes/vehicles. They are under no obligation to remain in the home nor does anyone force them to mail or email their entry.
What I am curious about is the diversity in this community. I get the impression that although they are trying to establish a natural and serene enviorment, what are the real attitudes of the people of Serenbe? I wonder if they would be accepting to a diverse population? When I was viewing the pictures, the people of serenbe seemed pretty flat. I enjoy living in a culturally diverse population. I like teaching my children there is so much to embrace in this world, and we dont live in a protective monotone bubble.We live life.
Thank you for saying this. I scrolled through two photo albums and my over all impression was upper and upper middle class white folk with a few “tokens” thrown in. And thank you, too, for the original article. As I read about the community and looked at the pictures, all I could think of was Stepford Wives. Since I also have friends and relatives in Atlanta, and only live about 5 hours away, I might try to visit this community. I don’t think I’d like to live there, though.
Ive been to Serenbe community quite a few times.Let me just tell you I respect everyones opinions but you were to quick to judge. The few pics you posted were only a small percent of the life and the story you told was less than a small amount of what the serenbe community has to offer. I think you are 2 quick to judge here and if you actually visited serenbe, it is a very laid back atmosphere. There are many children in the neighborhood. Even part of the land is being donated to a charter school. Most of it’s students will be under served and minority population just living in the surrounding communities also on, reduced price lunches, serenbe donating the land is giving these kids opportunities and new way to live and learn. The drive ways here are gravel drives not paved, you may have wealthy people living there but they are continuing day after day to make every holiday an event to raise money for non-profits in the outlying community surrounding serenbe. When you visit the people are friendly, they are in there casual blue jeans, they are driving dirty cars becasuse lots of local roads are dirt roads. There kids are not glued to technology, there actually outside playing, skipping rocks on the lake and fishing in the pond across the street. They have pot belly pigs in fences and goats as you drive the main drag in Serenbe, Horse pastures and a barn with the grass very high and needs to cut in some places.Serenbe is just a subdivision or community, it’s not a city. There is no such thing as Sernebe, GA. HGTV got that wrong. Serenbe is located in and part of the city of Chattahoochee Hills, GA. The 70% of greenspace is located in the whole city. Also Yes there are parks and mills and horse riding trails in serenbe and the surronding community. It’s probably not uncommon to smell manure from the organic farming and equestrian stables in serenbe and the livestock cattle and sheep farms just minutes outside of serenbe. Also, Serenbe has parks and Chattahoochee Hills has parks. They also have Cochran Mill Nature Center with wildlife, reptiles, birds, deer, and fishing & 2 Parks owned by the city and one with in walking distance for some people.Chattahoochee Hills is a new city est. in Dec. 2007 in Fulton County the only rural space left IN Atlanta. You should visit Serenbe before passing this judgment because you are only getting a small part of the story from HGTV. There is more to it. You really must visit to appreciate it. You really have it oh so wrong.
I’ve been there a handful of times. I love it but, you are right, it is a pretentious. But there is a lot to love. Amazing and ground breaking outdoor theater troup, basically a petting zoo, wandering long horn cattle and other free ranging farm animals that help keep the land healthy, hundreds of acres to wander and play on, always stuff going on in the community, delicious food and NO RULES! Seriously, it’s private property so you can really get away with a lot. Want to drive around on a golf card and swig a vodka martini – no problem!
Steve Nygren, the founder, is really hands on, I’ve seen him pick up stop in middle of the road to pick up a small piece of trash. His family is lovely. He makes a habit of frequenting Serenbes businesses and greeting patrons himself. The cabins, b&b and other housing are some of the most beautiful and relaxing I have had the pleasure to stay at. Every house building and even road sign is unique and interesting and beautiful. It’s really an amazing place.
Thank you for your review. I think we will visit and check it out.
Good Lord where do you live? What do you suggest to someone moving to Atlanta from a very small town in Texas? We are used to space and small friendly towns with breathing room. Have you been too or stayed there? Are you going stictly by pictures? I’m so frustrated by these sites on the Internet. I dont understand your dislike for this town. Your comments just do not seem helpful. Some people do not want to be in the city and would like to find a nice small community to live close enough to commute to Atlanta.
Glad your not for it-I’m thinking about moving there and would never want to live with a Boat out front of my house-some people that live in country do. They don’t care about junking up their property-I do- and serenbys website shows people everywhere- mayb in these photos that are working…in their offices
I have been here and to be honest..it kinda is creepy. I mean its a nice place very beautiful and definitely a place to raise a family. However, the atmosphere is really creepy it reminds me of a show called “bates motel”. It definitely does look like a movie set. Other then that though i’m sure this community is really nice.
I love your article!!! I agree with you.
I’ve been there a few times — I live 45 minutes away. I can guarantee you there are a lot of people walking on the streets, mainly tourists. The town has also expanded to add theatre, lectures, jazz concerts, and other attractions. The stores are few and don’t seem to get a lot of business but the restaurants are very good. I do wonder how the people who live there actually make a living though. It would take a commute of over an hour each way during the workweek to downtown Atlanta and there’s not much industry around Serenbe. Either folks are independently wealthy or have a telecommute job or don’t mind the drive.
I’ve visited Serenbe several times for events and it’s very quaint. Quite simply, Serenbe is the crown jewel of Atlanta’s privileged White Flight. In Serenbe, you will find precious little ethnic or economic diversity. One bedroom homes start at $400,000 and most residents are white. Its “spiritual centers” are markets and restaurants. No churches or places of worship were included in their urban plan. Serenbe is an island within the historic city of Palmetto, Georgia. Yes, Mary your observations were correct. It’s a Disneyesque community that appeals to a new American utopic ideal: white, wealthy and atheist.
The fact that it is all White is great. Why wouldn’t that be? Whites have every right to want to be around people that look, act, and think the way they do. Anyway, the fact that there are no churches, no actual agriculture or insular economies and everything is trucked in is what makes this place a non-starter and hypocritical in my eyes.
racist moron. gtfoh. jeez.
Your reasons for not liking Serenbe are incredibly lame and petty and are strictly of your own opinion. I’ve never been there and it sounds like you haven’t either so maybe you commented a bit too soon. Go there and experience it first then you might have reason to moan about it.
It is amazing how so many people on this site were convinced that this place is so contrived, sterile, creepy, etc. Has no diversity and is just a haven for the white rich. To me , it is an attempt to create a backwater of quiet and tranquility in a time that is guided by base values ; acceptance of city noise pollution, traffic tension ,unbridled urban and endless suburban growth, overpopulation by peoples who take little or no personal responsibility for their lives . The only thing this development lacks is medium income housing. You cannot have low income housing as that would bring in a demographic that would not appreciate nor could uphold the quietness and civility and discipline to take care of things that one can find here . To make this work on a more dynamic scale , there would have to be several more Serenbes necklaced together with a central core downtown district at the heart of it all . Home is where the heart is and if quietness and civility defines that, that’s what matters most.
“You cannot have low income housing as that would bring in a demographic that would not appreciate nor could uphold the quietness and civility and discipline to take care of things that one can find here.”
That quote right there is EXACTLY the ignorant and bigoted attitude that people are intuiting when they read about and see footage of this community.
How much money someone earns has nothing to do with their demeanor as a person. Nothing. Shame on you for looking down your nose at a huge demographic you clearly know nothing about.
No the quote is the truth that comes from experience and science. All you bleeding-heart liberals have is name calling and a false sense of moral superiority that comes from ignorance. You have no facts and no vision other than the try and bring excellence into mediocrity by pushing evil communist notions of “equity”. Seethe more.
I had hoped that this article would touch on the HOA — how it is managed, the cost of HOA etc. I find it unreasonable to accept an HOA with dues that essentially dictate rules for upkeep and essentially step off from that — so that I wonder, what are the costs driving this HOA upward of $1K annually?
HOA boards may start out being reasonable and frugal — but we see time and again, these HOA boards morph into dictatorships, ones that ignore the prohibition of short-term and long term rentals (and subletting of those rentals) that raise the risk and liability of the community, HOA boards that get more expansive and diligent in trival terms and conditions (not that play gym, THIS play gym — not that color green, this one, etc.) while ignoring those issues that genuinely protect and affect the sustainability and standards of a community that drew the original homeowners to live there. HOA boards that are uneven in their citations of fines and notices among their friends and/or neighbors within that community.
If this community had an HOA with minimal overreach while finding that nice balance of preventing short-term rentals, sublet housing/rooms, ordinances against keeping motorhomes, boats parked in yards and within view (easily remedied by creating a space to park them for the community somewhere at a fee for those homeowners who need that), disallowed parking in streets overnight and on lawns, maintained/enforced nuisance ordinances while clearly identifying those nuisances so there is no misunderstanding among members — and required a majority vote on all matters changing the rules/CE — that would be the community to live.
No one should visit without visiting a place first. It has become expensive due to supply and demand. The best places always cost more.
Shouldn’t comment without a visit….
I know the family that founded it: Steve and Marie Nygren. They used to live in Ansley Park, but were straight-up wanting to escape the demographic shift in Atlanta for their three young daughters, although they’d never say it in such words. So I find it rather amusing that Serenbe is now totally surrounded by a minority population.
I’ve lived there since 2008. The community is the antithesis to the sprawl the Atlanta area is going through (beginning in the mid ‘90s). Of course it’s not perfect, but at least like minded folks can come together and attempt to solve multiple problems. No one is forced to live here.
Don’t Judge this place. People their are thriving unlike the many depressed people you see in cities. Here you can become a healthy individual to live your life free. It is not Communism, or a Cult, it’s an experiment in new urbanism. Stop judging people and places based on your biased views. If you go here you will see kids and adults playing in the street having fun. People are healthier from the farm fresh food and to make, and the nice way of life. It is to stop against the urban sprawl which is happening. Why do we have people who make awful mean things to these places. Like come on didn’t they say in school treat others the way you wanted to be treated. Plus you pathetic people just put down the happy people just for your own petty jealousy.
I’ve been here. Absolutely charming! I understand about the solitude of the community that you speak of…what I find so pleasent. I have thought about living there, just can’t afford the price that it cost to pay for this dream. I accidentally had dinner with the man that started it all one evening (pop up dinner they offer occasionally) he was very kind and cordial. I do love to visit and find it quite relaxing, a place of great tranquility and unique charm.
I understand what is written and agree to an extent. I asked a genetic engineer why everyone cannot live in a “controlled” community. He said without genetic engineered food and farming practices, the planet could only sustain 1.7 billion people. I was heart broken with the idea everybody could not live like a hippy or in a more controlled sustainable community without snubbing the other 6 Billion people. That is really what it comes down to. Of course it is a lot easier to believe I deserve to live in a nicer place than the other 6 Billion people for whichever reason I can make up such as I worked harder, or I am not harming the planet, etc. The end result still applies. If you displace people, there is still cause and effect. We are on a big island sharing resources. If I want to use more of them than others, I will have to tell them a story which may sound (pick the word ) not be so good.
UTOPIA means NOWHERE
What is the owners retirement plan? What happens to the community when he is no longer is able to be a part of it?
Ok, ok, ok….
1) I understand the creep out factor: when I first discovered Serenbe online, I watched the video and said to myself, “is this a cult?!”
Yesterday, I went to check Serenbe out, and I was expecting weird stuff. Instead, I found fun-loving, friendly people – who are REAL! I think it’s important to point out that there are a lot of people living there who have worked very hard their entire lives and are sick and tired of the daily grind, and big city life. For example, I’m in my 40’s, retired military, and now (after grad school) snagged a nice job in Atlanta. My spouse and I have lived in ATL for less than year, and I have been in TWO, non-personal fault, car accidents – mind you, I have never been in a car accident before these two. All day and night we are surrounded by city noise from gun shots, sirens, traffic, neighbors that are too close with their screaming kids.
After spending a few hours at Serenbe yesterday, I appreciated the quiet. There are restaurants, bars, shops and opportunity to build your own type of house you like – not a cookie cutter community. There are opportunities to live in one of the small towns with homes side by side, or buy Serenbe land and do what YOU want – there are very few limits on what you can/cannot do.
2) I am excited about potentially diving into Serenbe, however, the next step is gaining my spouses approval. I sent him the video last night, and he asked the very same thing, “is that a cult?!”!! We laughed, I explained that his comment was my first comment, as well. I’m excited to show him.
3) I fully understand I only spent a few hours there and that is hardly enough time to see the underbelly of Serenbe, but I plan to explore more.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the continued growth, great farmers market every week starting April and the individuality you have there. It is so serene. We hope to downsize and one day move there when we get down to one dog! My soul is happy when I can live so close to nature and no traffic!
I did a temp 3-week job at the Mado Showhouse last year and yeah, some of the residents definitely thought they were amazing living there. The owner’s daughter (I don’t remember which one) came and went on her golf cart with friends and didn’t do a great job managing (or even being a little bit appreciative of the volunteers & workers). Some folks were nice, met some of the contractors and architects. There is a lot of cool sustainability projects with the houses and farmland there though (geothermal HVAC)
I live about 20 miles from Serenbe and it is definitely pretty to visit, but I don’t think I could live there. Everyone seemed to know everything about everyone in that community.
Check out Pinewood Forest – also newish – slightly different concept, they are tiny homes. Not so much trying to be its own community – lol just saw a photo of a barn on Pinewood farmland with the caption “The developers are going to maintain this barn as an ode to where the property came from. It could become a staging area for Uber and Lyft drivers.” – so unfortunately they are bringing the city to them.
I thought your article was funny. Ive been to places like this and none of them felt authentic, but I applaud them for trying, I guess. I make my living designing houses, some of which go in such places.
Coming into this community (due to work), I’ll admit that it looked spooky & too perfect. However, anything that humans do not understand or do not have a complete understanding of, will think it to be “weird”. I am on a journey to build a wellness compound. Everytime in lead to places like these, I get a better view on how these communities a perceived amongst outsiders. I urged myself to gain more info, with these types of communities, before judging off of my thoughts. I know that my heart is pure, as well as knowing that everyone is not the same but I can’t fully comment on someone else’s just by what I see. Fore, we think with our eyes n so we’re easily mislead at times.
For the sake of us all, I hope that Serenba is all about the wellness that their mission is about.
Listen to Steve Nygren describe his journey in building Serenbe by listening to the first 10 episodes of the Serenbe Stories podcast. You will understand that what he has created is an absolute masterpiece…and that every new development should at least use Serenbe as a benchmark. There is much more to this place than what meets the eye, and frankly, I think it’s quite beautiful.
I have not only been to Serenbe, but I got married there before the land was developed into the new community that it is. It used to be this really endearing rustic B&B on a farm. And now it’s this very sterile and heavily zoned community that’s devoid of any real character. It screams “rich white community.” The only people I saw were in the restaurant. Not a single black, Asian, or Latino in the place. No people out and about walking around on what was a gorgeous spring day. No kids playing in front yards because yards are non-existent there. It all just felt waaaay too “perfect” and a little too planned. After I got married there, I received a brochure in the mail asking if I wanted to get in on the action before the plots were released to the public for purchase. Starting prices were “From the 700’s”. So not exactly affordable, especially for the housing market in 2005. Honestly, when I finally went there to check it out and see how it had all changed, it felt more like a community of rich white people escaping the “horrors” of a metropolitan area. Take that to mean what you will.