I’ve lived in Serenbe for over 10 years. Love it. Changed my life. Can’t imagine living anywhere else, and I’ve lived in some very nice places, mostly out West.
Serenbe is mustachian in that people truly focus on community and quality of life. However it is not cheap, so a better fit for the Fat FIRE crowd. The surrounding community of Chattahoochee Hills is quite affordable and FIRE folks who like Serenbe could look there.
Regarding the OP’s question, with enough capital you could use the same principles
to build a community anywhere. You can design it to be affordable, but if you do the job well the market will drive up prices over time.
If you’re truly interested, check out the Serenbe Stories podcast. The founder, Steve Nygren, goes into extraordinary depth regarding the history and design of the community.
Nygren is coincidentally from MMM’s hometown of Longmont, CO. One reason Chattahoochee Hills kept its rural character is Nygren brought the concept of Transferrable Development Rights (TDRs) here from Boulder County. That is all covered in the podcast as well.