So You Want to Flee the City and Become a Farmer

When Jenni and Paul Callahan got married, they lived in Alexandria, Virginia, a satellite city of Washington, D.C. Paul commuted to his job as a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill, and after they had kids, Jenni ran an at-home daycare. On the Hill, Paul focused on his district’s agricultural issues and frequently traveled to rural areas on behalf of his member of Congress. What began as a work requirement turned into a personal fascination—with farming.

Like many urbanites who haunt the local farmers’ market or order their produce through a CSA, the Callahans dreamed of escaping the rat race and setting up as small farmers. “We had already started to feel like it was time to get out of the D.C. area,” Jenni says. “In spite of the many conveniences of public transportation and access to museums, we wanted a slower-paced life. We already had a family support system in South Carolina, where we had both grown up, so it seemed like a natural choice.”