A directory of belonging
Places where community is built into where you live — not another club to visit, but somewhere the people around you are part of daily life. Monasteries that welcome guests, cohousing, co-ops, ecovillages, seniors villages, and neighbourhoods that actually function. Start where you are.
Compiled with AI, checked by nobody yet. These are starting points, gathered for Ohio — real places as far as we know, but details change. Verify with a phone call before you set your heart or drive across the state.
A L'Arche community founded in 1974 where adults with and without developmental disabilities share homes and daily life on Cleveland's near west side. It is one of the earliest L'Arche communities in the United States.
The Village of St. Edward offers a faith-based continuum of care community for seniors, providing independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing. It emphasizes a supportive environment where residents can thrive and engage with one another.
Visit website →The Commons at Grant provides modern coliving spaces designed for students and young professionals, fostering a sense of community through shared amenities and organized social events. It offers a convenient and connected urban living experience.
Visit website →One of the largest student housing and dining cooperative systems in the country, run democratically by Oberlin College students since 1950. Members cook, govern, and live together in historic co-op houses.
Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community dedicated to ecological sustainability and social justice. Residents strive to live a low-impact lifestyle, sharing resources and working towards a greener future.
Visit website →The Wilds is a private, non-profit safari park and conservation center that also offers unique overnight lodging experiences. While not a traditional residential community, it provides a community-like immersion in nature and conservation.
Visit website →Breitenbush Hot Springs is a worker-owned cooperative and intentional community nestled in the Oregon Cascade Mountains. It offers a unique living and working environment focused on sustainability, wellness, and community values.
Visit website →East Wind Community is an intentional community in the Missouri Ozarks, established in 1974. Members share income and resources, operating several community-owned businesses to support their collective lifestyle.
Visit website →A community founded in 1970 by teachers and friends who bought Appalachian ridge land to save it from strip mining. Members live simply, build super-efficient earth-sheltered housing, and steward more than a thousand acres.
This community focuses on sustainable living and shared agricultural practices, bringing residents together through common goals and activities. It offers a unique blend of rural charm and communal responsibility.
The Farm is a spiritual intentional community founded in 1971, known for its commitment to nonviolence and sustainable living. Residents share resources and work together on various community enterprises.
Visit website →A small intentional community on wooded land outside Yellow Springs, founded in 1960 with Quaker influences. A handful of families share land, a spring-fed water system, and decades of quiet cooperation.
Twin Oaks Community is an intentional community and ecovillage in rural central Virginia, founded in 1967. Members share income and resources, living cooperatively and working in community-owned businesses.
Visit website →While primarily a shrine, it offers a unique spiritual community experience for visitors and those involved in its upkeep. The site has a rich history of religious community life and continues to be a place of pilgrimage and reflection.
Visit website →A Benedictine abbey founded by Slovak monks, whose community prays the daily office and runs Benedictine High School in Cleveland. Visitors are welcome to join the monks for liturgy and occasional retreats.
Shaker Lakes is a historic and affluent neighborhood known for its beautiful homes, tree-lined streets, and strong community associations. Residents benefit from numerous local events and a shared commitment to preserving the area's natural beauty and heritage.
Visit website →The Ridges is a historic campus transformed into a vibrant community hub, featuring residential spaces, businesses, and public areas. It fosters a strong sense of place and community engagement among its residents and visitors.
Visit website →A community land trust keeping homes permanently affordable in the famously close-knit village of Yellow Springs. It welcomes modest-income households into a town known for its arts, activism, and neighborliness.
The other path
If your state's list is thin, that's not a dead end; it's the reason this project exists. Three friends on one street is already a community. The guide walks you through the whole path.
Start a community — the guide Create or join a group Register your interestBrowse by state