Twin Oaks
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Twin Oaks is an intentional community in rural Virginia, located about halfway between Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia, that has sustained itself since 1967. It was one of of the first secular egalitarian communities in the US in the 20th century. It is a founding member of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities (http://www.thefec.org). Twin Oaks uses a communal shared-labor system involving community work, organic gardens, hammock-making, and a tofu factory. Members work in community-owned businesses, with the community providing for all basic needs (housing, food, healthcare, etc.). All income from the businesses is shared, as are vehicles and houses. As of early 2005, just over 100 people live at Twin Oaks - 15 of them children under 18, the rest adult members. The longest-staying members have been there over 30 years, but more than half of the community members have been there 5 years or less.
Twin Oaks is a living experiment in creating an alternative culture to the mainstream. Values include economic models based on cooperation instead of competition, ecological living, egalitarianism (equal access for all members to resources as well as to decision-making power), and political activism/feminism. Twin Oaks was originally based on the ideas found in the utopian novel Walden Two by B.F. Skinner, but Skinner's behaviorism was set aside within a few years of the founding and plays no role in the community today.
They also have a pond, sauna, and two composting toilets. A different person bakes fresh bread every morning.
Twin Oaks has helped establish two daughter communities, Acorn Community about 7 miles away, and East Wind Community in southcentral Missouri. Throughout its existence, Twin Oaks has maintained an active visitors program through which outsiders can come live in the community for 3 weeks, and then may choose to apply for membership at the end of this visitor program.
External links
- Twin Oaks (http://twinoaks.org/)
- Federation of Egalitarian Communities (http://www.thefec.org/)