Location: About 30 miles southwest of Atlanta (25 minutes from one of the world's busiest airports).

Category: Greenfield

Number of homes: 100 occupied out of a proposed 600-plus.

What $300K will buy: Add $20K and you can pick up a 1,263-square-foot, 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath flat in a townhouse.

Closest latte: Blue Eyed Daisy Bakeshop on the main drag of Serenbe's Selborne village.

Look around the neighborhood with our virtual tour of the Serenbe community.

Video: Learn the history and vision underpinning Serenbe.

"We're close to Atlanta, but at night we can see a million stars," says Maripat Newington, who moved to Serenbe from Atlanta with her husband, Greg, and two children. "It's the combination of great food, art, nature, and people." The core philosophy is growth that allows for land preservation. Begun in 2002 with an expected build-out of more than 600 homes, the 900-acre greenfield community will leave 70 percent of its woods, meadows, and wetlands untouched.

Today, there's a village called Selborne, with homes, shops, restaurants, and other businesses, and two other villages are in the works. All homes at Serenbe face a village street and back up to one of four types of preserved land: forest, wildflower meadow, organic farm, or pasture. "It suits the split personality in each of us," says Serenbe founder Steve Nygren. "If we wake up and want to interact with others, we go out the front door for a Sunday paper or cappuccino. If we want to retreat, we step out back." Farther out back, residents find an organic farm that supplies a local farmers' market, a pair of Serenbe restaurants, and members of the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

Cottage Connection

Serenbe Sales Center; 770/463-9997 or serenbe.com

Living the Simple Life in Serenbe, Georgia
Atlanta shop owners Courtney and Randy Tilinski left the chaos of the big city for this quiet cottage community that celebrates the simple life.

Inn at Serenbe
Rent a cottage in the woods or stay in the restored 1905 farmhouse; 770/463-2610 or Serenbeinn.com