There are thousands of contemporary communes — now commonly called “intentional communities” — across the country, from rural Tennessee, Missouri and Oregon to downtown Los Angeles and New York City. …

Inside Off-the-Grid Virginia Commune Where Everything From Housing to Child Care Is Shared. The community is called Twin Oaks, a commune where 92 adults and 13 children live on 450 acres. They have Internet, but no television, video games, bank accounts or high-paying jobs.

Community life is possible for anyone. It just takes a lot of work and searching, both for a literal place and within yourself. “It’s often one of the hardest and most rewarding things,” Tina said.

Today, there are about 200 co-housing opportunities in the U.S.; in general, they are considered a more independent and formalized form of communal living. Flannery: What were some of the lasting influences in the U.S. among individuals that lived in American communes back then?

Residents pay rent and dabble in organic farming, but typically work two to three days a week outside the commune to cover their outgoings.

For a small family, 1/4 acre is enough to grow most of your own food and live self sufficiently. If you want to harvest your own timber for heat, then 5 – 10 acres is plenty to survive off grid.

How much does it cost to live in an intentional community? This varies widely by community. In general income-sharing groups are the least expensive to join (often there is no fee at all). Others, based on location and lifestyle, may require buying a $500,000 home.

Communes, which are income sharing, pool their money before costs appear. No matter how little or much money each member makes, it is put into a collective pool, out of which the group’s expenses are paid. In theory, the answer is simple: find a group of people and start pooling your incomes.

There are thousands of contemporary communes — now commonly called “intentional communities” — across the country, from rural Tennessee, Missouri and Oregon to downtown Los Angeles and New York City.

10 of America’s Hippie Hideouts

• Boulder, Colorado. With an unofficial motto of “People’s Republic of Boulder,” this northern Colorado town marches to the beat of its own drum.
• Arcata, California.
• Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
• Missoula, Montana.
• Bisbee, Arizona.
• Ithaca, New York.
• Burlington, Vermont.
• Berea, Kentucky.

A commune tends to be self-managed, more like a co-op. But unlike co-ops, which at least in New York real estate terms describes a group that co-manages an apartment building but largely lives separate lives, in communes the residents share the majority of their space and resources.

World’s top 10 hippie and alternative lifestyle destinations

• ZIPOLITE, MEXICO. There’s not much to Zipolite, a small beach community on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast.
• EUGENE, US.
• CHRISTIANIA, DENMARK.
• ANJUNA, INDIA.
• NIMBIN, AUSTRALIA.
• CHEFCHAOUEN, MOROCCO.
• SAN MARCOS LA LAGUNA, GUATEMALA.
• SAN FRANCISCO, US.

The most famous commune in the United States today has got to be The Farm, founded in 1971 and still thriving. The settlement has gone through some economic turbulence and change in the 80s, when the all-pooling way of life wasn’t sustainable anymore and people had to begin self-supporting themselves.

The commune was founded in 1993 and operates through a non-hierarchical, consensus based structure. Its 72-acre plot is a vista of big open fields, hilly grassland, a pond, and large woodland. After the lengthy admission process, members can enjoy this pastoral paradise as well as a society where everyone has an equal voice.

Many of Virginia s active adult communities are located within easy distance of the state s major metropolitan areas. A few of Virginia s most well known and most populated areas include Northern Virginia, Fredericksburg, Richmond and Virginia Beach.

Though Virginia does not have the sprawling 10,000+ home communities found in some popular retirement states, there are many mid-sized communities that feature a wide variety of amenities in country club settings. Indoor and outdoor swimming pools, state-of-the-art fitness centers and tennis facilities are commonly found at many communities.