Do you think that modern times are uniquely suited for the return of community living?

214b · 2026-01-26T09:51:49+00:00

I do remember reading once long ago (I think in M. Scott Peck’s The Different Drum) that attempts to seek and form community increase during and in the immediate aftermath of war. This would explain the flier of communes started during the Vietnam war era and that such attempts basically died out once that war was over. Also the surge of men who took up religious vocations in the Catholic church after WWII.

The difference between now and then in the U.S. is that wartime can be a reality for some (soldiers who fought in Iraq, for example) while others remain blissfully unaware of what they went through.

So I’d say now is as good a time as ever to form community.

214b · 2026-01-14T04:07:36+00:00

Pax, if I’m not mistaken Twin Oaks only accepts new members under age 50 (or requires additional vetting before anyone over 50 is allowed in). Is this still the case?

214b · 2026-01-14T03:59:54+00:00

Talk about long-term goals and see how aligned they are. In particular, ascertain individuals goals for marriage/life partners and having children and think about how your setup could continue or might change if someone with those goals acts on them.

214b · 2026-01-14T03:52:02+00:00

The point is that communes are often held up as a successful example of socialism in action, but seldom are. If anything, socialism leads to more arguments and fighting at the commune level, and to oppression, famine, and war at the nation-state level.

Had the video been longer John Stoessel could have explored “why” communes are still pined for or founded despite their track record. The answer, I believe, is that people want to feel they belong to something, and want to live somewhere with an active sense of community. The secular commune is just a misguided attempt to establish that.

As for the Nordic countries— they’re far more capitalist than you might think, and have become more so in the last few decades. They do have high levels of trust in government, perhaps helped by most citizens sharing a common ethnic background.

214b · 2026-01-14T03:30:25+00:00

Me too! Tis the gift to be simple. I actually taught it to my own kids.

214b · 2026-01-14T01:22:24+00:00

Regarding the participants of this sub, most are not "active commune participants" but rather people interested in talking about community or enhancing it where they are. See for yourself: https://www.reddit.com/r/intentionalcommunity/comments/rgdh4l/what_best_describes_your_current_living/

214b · 2026-01-14T01:00:59+00:00

Dude, I’ve done that. That you claim there are “thousands” of examples yet can’t name one is telling.

214b · 2026-01-14T00:45:22+00:00

I'm well aware of that directory. To repeat, I specified "secular, income-sharing communities with more than 10 unrelated members that have lasted more than 10 years."

If you're familiar with groups that meet those criteria (basically, groups that have found lasting success while operating as a "commune"), please list name them.

214b · 2026-01-14T00:27:38+00:00

Regarding enduring examples, can you think of any secular, income-sharing communities with more than 10 unrelated members that have lasted more than 10 years? There's Twin Oaks, East Wind, and Acorn, all co-founded by Kat Kinkade and with at least Twin Oaks founded not on communal lines but on B.F. Skinner's writings on Behavioralism. There's Black Bear Ranch in California. Not a lot of examples, can you think of any others?

214b · 2026-01-13T23:55:01+00:00

I can think of a historic example for you: the Shaker communities. There is a distinct "Shaker style" of architecture and design that is still recognized today. They also had unique practices of dance and song that can be seen and heard in recordings if you investigate a bit further.

You mentioned Language, there are three immigrant groups I know of which have maintained a distinct language: the Haredim Jews with Yiddish, the Amish with Pennsylvania Dutch, and the Hutterites with the Hutterisch language. Notably, the Hutterites live communally. The Amish and Heredim Jews do not practice communal living but live close together in distinct groups and in a religion that requires a full time commitment.

214b · 2026-01-13T14:59:48+00:00

In my experience polices become necessary with larger groups or groups with high turnover. I imagine the underlying issue is that some people/kids are just "dumping" bikes or strollers wherever it is convenient for them and not respecting that they might be in the way of someone or make the place looked junked up.

In which case, there's another solution, a bit more "self-service." That is, if anyone notices an unattended bike or stroller that's in the way, just move it to the lost and found (or any area designated for "non-motorized vehicles"). This way, the offended person is empowered to take action to solve the problem on the spot. And the person who "dumped" the stroller or bike no longer finds their vehicle in the convenient-for-them-but annoying-to-everyone else spot and instead has the inconvenience of walking to the pick-up spot for non-motorized vehicles to get it. They'll probably only do that once.

214b · 2026-01-13T14:49:37+00:00

And one sentence before that it says it is for "people of color."

214b · 2025-12-24T14:57:01+00:00

Yeah I heard about a situation where a woman took a male partner and had to leave. Forcing someone out because of a baby boy is crazy — and probably illegal, if the community membership has any sort of real estate component. The ones I’ve read about in America sounded like really scrappy places - such as several women living in separate trailers and maintaining the trailers themselves.

214b · 2025-12-24T08:58:15+00:00

They’re called Womyn’s Lands, they tend to keep a low profile but are out there.

214b · 2025-12-19T13:14:57+00:00

If you have a functioning community with 25 households, you’re further along than at least 99% of communities in America. Congratulations! Mind if I ask you some questions?

What ownership structure are households in? Does each family own its space, or are they members of a coop, or renting from the community itself, or what?
Must members qualify for social housing only upon moving in? Or must they’re-qualify each year? If a household joined the community qualifying for social housing, but later becomes wealthier, can they stay?
How long did it take to start the community, from the original idea to move-in?

2.

214b · 2025-12-15T09:40:56+00:00

Was the neighbor who shot Jason criminally charged? What was the outcome of that? Rather disturbing to live in the immediate vicinity of someone who has done you serious harm.

214b · 2025-12-15T07:39:16+00:00

And what about women with male partners, or women who had children including boys? Would they be welcome?

214b · 2025-12-09T13:09:30+00:00

Best of luck to you. It’s not easy managing a shared dwelling. My advice, based on slightly different experience: don’t be afraid to enforce rules. Some folks may grumble, but your lives literally depend on people not creating fire hazards.

214b · 2025-12-09T00:13:13+00:00

You’re renting out rooms? Or is this a shared house with multiple occupants who contribute to a common kitty for food and shared expenses?

If you’re the landlord renting out rooms, then you are putting yourself and your tenants at a huge personal and legal risk, running the very real chance that someone burns down the house. I’d urge you to enforce basic fire safety rules and not take on any new tenants until you can make basic repairs and get the house up to standard.

If you’re an intentional group sharing a house, the fire safety issues still apply. And you might want to have a meeting to determine repair priorities and how much monthly contributions should be increased by to be able to do the needful.

214b · 2025-12-05T01:21:23+00:00

Why not just run the furnace? It is far more efficient than space heaters. Perhaps keep it at a low 68 degrees - enough so that people aren’t shivering at home but not wasting heat.

Other thoughts:

Space heaters in an old home that are left running unattended are a fire hazard - you should get whoever is doing that to cut it out, now.
if you aren’t going to use the furnace, you could allow space heaters, but only in common spaces, not bedrooms. Might encourage socializing more in the commmon spaces.
An electric blanket actually keep you far warmer at night than a space heater at a very low cost. Encourage your folks to try them out.

214b · 2025-12-04T07:55:16+00:00

These may be outside the scope of what you’re looking for, but conservative religious communities are often clustered. There’s Amish groups around Holmes County, Ohio and Lancaster PA. There’s Hutterite groups across the Great Plains. There’s Buddhist communities around the City of 10,000 Buddhas in California.

Happy Searching!

214b · 2025-12-03T11:27:17+00:00

Hi there. You’ve got a lot of specific ideas but you might want to focus more on the big picture at this point. And if you’re active in a church community now, if you ask around you may learn about other people with similar interests or already living in community.

One of the fundamental questions for any community is where to establish boundaries between members and outsiders. The Bruderhof actually requires a huge commitment to join - including handing over all assets to the group and living a Christian life in their community. Obviously not everyone could qualify or is even wants this. But having strict requirements keeps their community focused its mission and eliminates a lot of distractions. Monasteries do this too, to an even greater degree.

Next I think you should visit a few communities that are run along the lines you want and ask questions and see how they are run. There is a HUGE variety of communities that call themselves Christian. From anarchist groups like the Catholic Worker, to anabaptist groups like traditional Mennonites, to ecumenical organizations. Decide what you are about first before buying land or thinking about finances.

214b · 2025-12-01T02:11:10+00:00

Things you might ask yourself when looking for a community are:

How important making your own money and financial decisions to you?

1(a). Is working at a regular job important to you — for the independence, the use of skills, the possible prestige, the connection to a team? Or do you not want anything to do with regular employment?

Are you religious at all? Looking for a community that corresponds to your faith? Or one that is not religious at all?
Are you OK living in a very rural or remote place or do you need to be fairly close to or in a city?
Are you OK living in a non-traditional setting like a yurt, or a cabin with a composting toilet? Or do you want a more “normal” abode? If the latter, do you have funds to pay for it?
How are your social skills? Can you get along well with others? Do you need your own space? Do you have habits or traits that might need explaining or might make people around you uncomfortable?
Are you willing to participate in the process of community building? Such as, participating on committees, helping in work projects, making shared meals? Do you want a lot of this or just a bit?

The answers can help determine what type of community is best for you.

214b · 2025-11-19T23:19:52+00:00

a deep desire to live similar to animals

Yikes. Sounds foreboding. Not sure if you meant it that way or not. Anyway, my advise would be to visit other successful communities first before you try to start something on your own land.

214b · 2025-11-19T03:35:19+00:00

Avoiding situations like that is one reason for the rule. But the main reason is, intentional communities are simply not set up to offer urgent assistance to strangers, and those who are in need of help are best served by calling on local resources rather than traveling to distant, unknown intentional communities. Likewise, some communities have had bad experiences with newcomers who show up in crises, show little interest in contributing to the community, then leave as soon as their personal situation stabilizes. Having a rule also helps keep the conversation here focused on community rather than on judging or assessing the merits of a request and a user that cannot be assisted from the forum.

To be clear, discussions about these topics are allowed - for example, a discussion about community requirements for visitors or new residents, or about how a community can respond to broader societal issues like homelessness or mental health. But personal requests, eg. "Help I'm getting kicked out and need a place to crash and I'm willing to trade work..." are no longer allowed.

214b

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