Agritopia® community is something of a modern day village set within the urban fabric of the Phoenix metro area. The name says it all: Agritopia® is about preserving urban agriculture and integrating it into the most neighborly, well-designed community possible. It is a principle-driven development that puts people and relationships ahead of money and trendiness. We believe that a simple life with friends and family is a rich life. The design of the community is intended to breakdown traditional barriers between people to encourage formation of real community among people of varied backgrounds .
During the early 1900’s, Gilbert was known as the “Hay Capitol” of the world due to the dominance of alfalfa hay on the local farms. In 1927, the Reber family homesteaded a farm on the dirt roads named Higley and Ray. They built barns, sheds, and a small home and began farming hay. By 1960, when the Johnston family bought the farm, the crops of choice had changed to cotton and wheat. Jim Johnston and his wife, Virginia, thought that this farm would be the perfect size for a family farm and an ideal place to raise their three boys, Joe, Steve, and Paul.
They built a home on the farm (which is now Joe’s Farm Grill)
and lived a very rural, independent life. The boys all attended Higley
Elementary School and Gilbert High School and worked on the farm during
the summers and as needed by Jim. After Steve and Paul graduated from
University of Arizona, majoring in agriculture, they returned to the
farm and continued the family farming tradition. By the late 1990’s,
Gilbert was growing rapidly and it became clear that the farm would soon
be surrounded by housing. The family made the decision to start
planning what would become of the farm after nearly 40 years of farming.They now have four different places for residents and non-resident's can enjoy.
- Barnone AZ - A Craftman Community
- The Coffee Shop
- Fire & Brimstone
- Joe's Farm Grill
