America is in the middle of a rural land grab. Just last year, it was revealed that Bill Gates had acquired almost 270,000 acres of American farmland. Chinese companies and investors reportedly own 380,000 acres. It is estimated that investment firms own 1,650,000 acres.
Millionaires and billionaires are swarming to buy up rural land as stories about food insecurity and potential social breakdown increase. Also, following the Covid-19 lockdowns, laptop workers are dispersing across flyover country, disrupting rural real estate markets in a way Peter Thiel compares to the railroad.
Everyone, it seems, wants a piece of the rural action before it’s too late. A deep yearning for a sense of agency and sovereignty, situated within a natural human way of living, is rising in response to the nagging feeling that such a life may not be attainable for future generations. That’s driving the “farmsteading” trend.
There is massive market demand for real estate projects that connect with this emerging segment. But be forewarned.
We Try a Fraction of Bill Gates’ Buy, Media Melts Down
Earlier this year, I announced leading a joint venture between New Founding and the Appalachian real estate developer RidgeRunner to start what you might call a charter community: developments explicitly anchored in the traditional American way of life, appealing to innate aspirations for leaving a legacy for family, building thick faith-based communities and having a shot at a more self-determined future.
We are starting by buying small-town holdings in rural Appalachia — commercial
