Adjusting to the Slow Pace: Moving from City Life to Rural Living

Welcome to our blog. We are the Bakers, and we plan to take you on our journey from the city life to the country life. We are a family of four that decided to hang up our keys to the city and put on our boots and head to the country.

In 2020 we were blessed with twins and decided that we would prefer to raise them in more of a country setting with less of a hustle and bustle environment. One that would allow us to dig our hands into the soil and teach our children where food comes from. So, we packed up our bags, loaded down the moving truck, sold our house in Savannah, GA and headed west, but not too terribly far.

We landed in the quiet small town of Quitman, GA, with a population of a little over 4,000, this was a substantial change from the 339,000 people who reside in Savannah. We left a foodie city that was a culinary lover's dream. One with luxurious bistros, eloquent oyster bars, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisines and three local craft breweries.

Our new community, in Quitman, has an establishment that is the oldest restaurant in Georgia, The Royal Cafe. They serve up a delicious southern cooking buffet for lunch Monday through Friday and offer a menu option for breakfast. I grew up eating there with my grandma. Her favorite item to order was either a hamburger steak with onion gravy or a delicious handmade burger with a "full slab of onion" as one of the toppings. Just walking in that establishment reminds me of her. It also reminds me of the days I would have to call the restaurant to see if my father was there. Back then (the late 80's early 90's) cellphones were not a thing just yet.

Quitman also has J&J Fried Chicken which is fried chicken like grandma cooked it. They have been in business since before the 80's. Other than those two places there are two fast food establishments and a Hardee's, which is now closed. But this is where we chose to be.

After settling down in our home we quickly got to work to become more sustainable. We bought fifteen hens for egg production, dove off into the produce world and got busy building our small farm. We have had trials and tribulations along the way, but we would not change any of it.

We hope that by sharing what we have learned along the way, we can help others realize that you too can separate yourselves from the go-go-go lifestyle and get back to what matters most; God, family, nutrition and growing your own food.

-The Baker Family