List of intentional communities
Encyclopedia
This is a list of intentional communities
. For directories, see external links below.
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
. For directories, see external links below.
Europe
- Community of the ArkCommunity of the ArkThe Community of the Ark is a small spiritual commune in southern France that was founded in 1948 by Lanza del Vasto. Lanza del Vasto was a non-violence activist and disciple of Mahatma Gandhi....
in La Borie Noble, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - Federation of DamanhurFederation of DamanhurThe Federation Of Damanhur, often called simply Damanhur, is a commune, ecovillage, and spiritual community situated in the Piedmont region of northern Italy about 30 miles north of the city of Turin. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the Valchiusella valley, bordering on the Gran...
in PiedmontPiedmontPiedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... - FindhornFindhorn FoundationThe Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish charitable trust registered in 1972, formed by the spiritual community at the Findhorn Ecovillage, one of the largest intentional communities in Britain....
in ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... - Kommune NiederkaufungenKommune NiederkaufungenKommune Niederkaufungen is one of the largest intentional communities in Germany. Founded in 1986, it is an egalitarian, left-wing, income-sharing commune with consensus decision-making. It is situated in a complex of former farm buildings in the historic centre of the village of Niederkaufungen ,...
in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - New Creation Christian Community in United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Freetown ChristianiaFreetown ChristianiaNot to be confused with Christiania, Norway, another name for Oslo.Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen...
in DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... - SvanholmSvanholmSvanholm is a country estate and former manor west of Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1978 an association of over 100 persons bought the estate to create Denmark's largest intentional community. The Svanholm Collective grows its own food and was one of the pioneers of organic farming in Denmark...
in DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... - Tinker's BubbleTinker's BubbleTinker's Bubble is an intentional community located at Little Norton near Yeovil in south Somerset, England. It was established in 1994 on of land consisting of about of woodland as well as orchards and pasture. The woods are mostly Douglas fir and larch but with patches of native species such...
in EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... - ZEGG in Germany
- Diggers and DreamersDiggers and DreamersDiggers and Dreamers: The Guide to Communal Living is a primary resource for information, issues, and ideas about intentional communities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - from urban co-ops to cohousing groups to rural communes and low impact developments.-History:Since 1989...
Uk directory - TameraTameraTamera is a peace research village with the goal of becoming “a self-sufficient, sustainable and duplicatable communitarian model for nonviolent cooperation and cohabitation between humans, animals, nature, and Creation for a future of peace for all." It is also often called a “healing biotope." ...
in PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Middle East
- Kibbutz KeturaKetura (Kibbutz)Ketura is a kibbutz north of Eilat in the Arabah rift valley. "Ketura" is the name of a hill nearby and the name of the second wife of Abraham . It has approximately 130 members and 150 children...
- Neve Shalom or Wahat al-Salam
North America
- Acorn CommunityAcorn CommunityAcorn Community is a medium-sized egalitarian, intentional community located in rural Virginia, USA and is a member of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities. Acorn was started in 1993 as a daughter community of the older, larger Twin Oaks. For reasons not entirely clear, the early 1990s saw a...
, Mineral, Virginia - AdelphiAdelphi, TexasThe Adelphi Community is an intentional community, population 16, 25 miles east of Dallas, Texas, USA. It has streets, private homes, eight townhouses, a community well, community gardens and a sewage treatment plant. It is also known as the "Adelphi Community."-History:The community was built by...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... - East Wind Community, Tecumseh, Missouri
- The FarmThe Farm (Tennessee)The Farm is an intentional community in Lewis County, Tennessee, near the town of Summertown, Tennessee, based on principles of nonviolence and respect for the Earth. It was founded in 1971 by Stephen Gaskin and 320 San Francisco hippies; The Farm is well known amongst hippies and other members of...
, SummertownSummertown, TennesseeSummertown is an unincorporated community in Lawrence County, Tennessee, USA. Summertown is surrounded by 4 counties: Lawrence, Lewis, Maury, and Giles...
, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area... - GanasGanasGanas is an intentional community founded in 1979 in Tompkinsville, Staten Island.Ganas has non-egalitarian, tiered membership groups, and is thus a partial member at the Federation of Egalitarian Communities. The community uses a group problem-solving process called "Feedback Learning", which was...
, Staten IslandStaten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York - Halcyon, CaliforniaHalcyon, CaliforniaHalcyon, California is an unincorporated community of approximately 125 acres in San Luis Obispo County, California, located just beyond the southern border of the city of Arroyo Grande...
- The Homestead at Denison UniversityThe Homestead at Denison UniversityThe Homestead at Denison University is a student-run intentional community with a focus on environmental sustainability and voluntary simplicity. Founded in 1977 under the guiding vision of biology professor Dr. Robert W. Alrutz, it is an evolving experiment in learning through living...
, GranvilleGranville, OhioAs of the census of 2000, there were 3,167 people, 1,309 households, and 888 families residing in the village. The population density was 790.4 people per square mile . There were 1,384 housing units at an average density of 345.4 per square mile...
, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... - Jesus People USA (JPUSA)Jesus People USAJesus People USA is a Christian intentional community in Uptown, on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1972, coming out of Jesus People Milwaukee in the Jesus Movement, and is the largest of the few remaining communes from that movement...
, ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... - Kiryas Joel, New YorkKiryas Joel, New YorkKiryas Joel is a village within the town of Monroe in Orange County, New York, United States...
- Koinonia Farm, near Americus, Georgia
- Lafayette MorehouseLafayette MorehouseLafayette Morehouse, previously known as More University, is an experimental community, or commune, established in 1968, on Purson Lane, Lafayette, California. The community is known by residents in the area as "the purple people", a nickname derived from the community's characteristic use of the...
, Lafayette, California - Nottingham Housing Cooperative
- Orange Twin Conservation CommunityOrange Twin Conservation CommunityThe Orange Twin Conservation Community is a limited liability company formed to create a pedestrian-based eco-village and preserve open space on more than of land located five miles north of downtown Athens, Georgia...
, AthensAthens, GeorgiaAthens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788... - StelleStelle, IllinoisStelle is an unincorporated village located in northern Ford County, Illinois. Its estimated population as of 2008 is 101. Stelle is an example of an intentional community.- Geography :...
, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, until 1982 an intentional community of the Stelle group - Sunward CohousingSunward CohousingSunward redirects here. For the company manufacturing model rockets, a trebuchet, a catapult, and hobby products, see Sunward Aerospace Group Limited.Sunward Cohousing is an intentional community located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA...
, Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".... - The Abode of the MessageThe Abode of the MessageThe Abode of the Message is a Universal Sufi community founded in 1975 by Vilayat Inayat Khan. The Abode is the central residential community of the Sufi Order International, a conference and retreat center, and a center of esoteric study. It is also home to the current spiritual leader of the Sufi...
, New Lebanon, NY - The Twelve Tribes (New religious movement)The Twelve Tribes (New religious movement)The Twelve Tribes , formerly known as The Vine Christian Community Church, Northeast Kingdom Community Church, The Messianic Communities, and the Community Apostolic Order is an international confederation of religious communities founded by Gene Spriggs that sprang out of the Jesus Movement in...
Worldwide - Twin Oaks Community, LouisaLouisa, VirginiaLouisa is a town in Louisa County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,401 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Louisa County.-Geography:Louisa is located at ....
, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... - The WerehouseThe WerehouseThe Werehouse is an artist collective grown for one grand purpose: to provide Winston-Salem, NC and the world at large with a space to experience original and thought provoking art.-Early years:...
, Winston-SalemWinston-Salem, North CarolinaWinston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
, North Carolina - Miccosukee Land Co-opMiccosukee Land Co-opThe Miccosukee Land Cooperative is an intentional community on 344 acres in Northwest Florida, United States. It was formed in May 1973 by the Small Change Foundation led by James van Pelt , Anna Coble van Pelt, and Chris and Carol Headley. The first members moved to the land in June 1974...
, Tallahassee, Florida
New Zealand, Australia and Oceania
- Riverside CommunityMotuekaThe town of Motueka in the South Island of New Zealand lies close to the mouth of the Motueka River, on the western shore of Tasman Bay. It is, after Nelson and Richmond, the third largest centre in the Tasman Region, with a population of 7125...
near Motueka New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... - Mahana CommunityColville, New ZealandColville is a small town in the north of the Coromandel Peninsula in the North Island of New Zealand. It lies 26 kilometres north of Coromandel and is the northernmost town of any note on the peninsula...
near Colville New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
South Africa
- Orania near KimberleyKimberley, Northern CapeKimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
in the Northern CapeNorthern CapeThe Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of an international park shared with Botswana...
See also
- CohousingCohousingA cohousing community is a type of intentional community composed of private homes supplemented by shared facilities. The community is planned, owned and managed by the residents – who also share activities which may include cooking, dining, child care, gardening, and governance of the...
- Communities DirectoryCommunities DirectoryThe Communities Directory, A Comprehensive Guide to Intentional Community provides listing of intentional communities primarily from North America but also from around the world...
- EcovillageEcovillageEcovillages are intentional communities with the goal of becoming more socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. Some aim for a population of 50–150 individuals. Larger ecovillages of up to 2,000 individuals exist as networks of smaller subcommunities to create an ecovillage model that...
- Egalitarian CommunitiesEgalitarian communitiesEgalitarian communities are groups of people who have chosen to live together, with egalitarianism as one of their core values. A broad definition of egalitarianism is "equal access to resources and to decision-making power." For example, decision-making is done by consensus or another system in...
- Intentional communityIntentional communityAn intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
- New Age communitiesNew Age communitiesNew Age communities are places where, intentionally or accidentally, communities have grown up to include significant numbers of people with New Age beliefs. The intentional communities have specific aims but have a variety of structures, purposes and means of subsistence. These include...