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 Pennsylvania — 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 Camphill community supporting young adults with developmental disabilities through education, work crews, and shared living. It emphasizes each person's voice, craft, and path toward greater independence.
Visit website →A Camphill lifesharing community on a 432-acre biodynamic farm where adults with developmental disabilities and volunteers live and work side by side. Its dairy, bakery, and cafe welcome the wider public into community life.
Visit website →A small rural cohousing community near Gettysburg with solar homes and innovative shared water recycling. Residents tend orchards and gardens together and welcome those seeking quiet, sustainable country life.
The Catholic Worker House provides hospitality and community for those in need, rooted in the Catholic Worker movement's principles. Residents and volunteers live simply, sharing resources and serving the poor.
Visit website →The Philadelphia Project offers urban ministry and community living experiences for young adults. Participants live together, serve the city, and grow in faith and leadership.
Visit website →An intentional homestead community founded in 1940 where about 75 families lease their home sites from the community and govern it together. Wooded lanes, a shared community center, and work days sustain its cooperative culture.
A land-based intentional community in central Pennsylvania dating to the 1970s, with homes scattered across shared forest and meadow. Members value ecological building, consensus, and rural neighborliness.
Koinonia Farm is an intentional Christian community focused on hospitality, service, and simple living. They welcome guests and volunteers to share in their daily life and mission.
Visit website →A Quaker study, retreat, and conference center founded in 1930, with a residential community of staff, students, and sojourners. Guests of all faiths are welcomed for worship, workshops, and seasons of communal living.
Visit website →Following the Catholic Worker tradition, this community provides hospitality to the homeless and engages in works of mercy and social justice. It offers a simple, communal living experience focused on service.
Visit website →The Common Place is a Christian community focused on urban renewal and holistic development in Southwest Philadelphia. They offer shared living opportunities for individuals committed to their mission of service and community building.
Visit website →The Farm at Doe Run is a working farm and intentional community dedicated to sustainable agriculture and shared living. Members collaborate on farm tasks and enjoy a close-knit rural lifestyle.
A Norbertine abbey on Philadelphia's Main Line whose canons live a common life of liturgy and ministry. Its spirituality center welcomes laypeople for retreats, concerts, and quiet days.
The oldest Benedictine monastery in the United States, founded in 1846, home to a large community of monks who run a college and seminary. Retreatants and visitors are welcomed to share in the abbey's prayer and hospitality.
This Benedictine monastery offers a life of prayer, work, and community for monks. Guests are also welcome to experience their contemplative rhythm and hospitality.
Visit website →A community land trust developed with the Women's Community Revitalization Project to keep Philadelphia rowhome neighborhoods permanently affordable. It welcomes long-time residents into homeownership without fear of displacement.
A vibrant senior living community offering independent living, personal care, and skilled nursing options. Residents enjoy a rich social calendar and proximity to university amenities.
Visit website →The Village at Penn State is a vibrant senior living community offering independent living, personal care, and skilled nursing. Residents enjoy a rich array of activities and a strong sense of community.
Visit website →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