With the economy going down the tubes and many folk being unable to afford to buy or keep their dream homes many are going to be looking for other options.

While intentional communities, or communes as they were once called, have been around for hundreds if not thousands of years the idea came to prominence in the 1960s. The State of Delaware was founded as and in some respects remains a commune to this day.

Intentional communities are everywhere people live. There are in-fact several here in Greensboro, North Carolina with the most well known being the home of local blogger, author, journalist, activist and homeless advocate, Liz Seymour.  While few if any of today's communities are the free love hippy communes that were rumored to exist in the 60s they are a viable option for many people especially during hard times.

Many communities are religious in nature while others abstain from religion and religious practices. Most lean towards sustainable living but others are simply put together out of necessity. North Carolina has many intentional communities but the last time I checked Virginia laws were more open to forming intentional communities. Not all communities are listed for various reasons from legalities to wanting to maintain their privacy.

Intentional communities have been at the forefront of the environmental and renewable energy movements since those movements began and are responsible for many new innovations in conservation and reduced energy usage.

If you're interested in finding an intentional community or want to start a new one there are lots of resources at IC.org.

Note: Avoid the Center For Purposeful Living like the plague. You'd be better off in Bushville.