Half a century ago, a legion of idealists dropped out of society and went back to the land, creating a patchwork of utopian communes across Northern California. Here, the last of those rogue souls offer a glimpse of their otherworldly residences—and the tail end of a grand social experiment.
David Jacob Kramer GQ Sep 2021 Permalink
Barbara Williamson co-founded Sandstone, one of the most famous radical experiments in group sex and communal living of the 1970s. Then she got wild.
Alex Mar Atlas Obscura Jun 2016 25min Permalink
Visiting a semi-secret LGBTQ commune in the middle of Tennessee.
Alex Halberstadt New York Times Magazine Aug 2015 20min Permalink
On two gay men in Pennsylvania who tried, and failed, to build a commune of their own.
Penelope Green New York Times May 2015 10min Permalink
Best Article Crime World Religion
Twenty-five years ago, a guru from India showed up in rural Oregon with 2,000 followers. Here’s what happened next: they legally turned their multi-million dollar ranch into an incorporated city, imported homeless people to swing local votes, poisoned hundreds and attempted to assassinate the state’s U.S. attorney.
Les Zaitz The Oregonian Apr 2011 30min Permalink
Why utopias are best understood as fiction games, and how they quickly become dystopias when realized.
Paul LaFarge Bookforum Jun 2010 15min Permalink
