Seeking Future Members for a Decentralized Intentional Community in the Upper Midwest (10–13 Year Ho

We’re planning a long-term intentional community in rural northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The plan is for 20 to 70 families or individuals to each own private land, live nearby, and voluntarily collaborate on shared infrastructure.

This isn’t a commune or co-op. No shared income, no central leadership, no ideological litmus tests. Everyone owns their own land. Participation in shared projects is optional. The model is simple: self-sufficiency with mutual respect and basic coordination.

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Why This Project Exists
• Urban areas are becoming more expensive, dangerous, and unstable.
• The countryside offers land and security, but it’s not always safe for individuals or minorities alone.
• Many of us want to raise children outside of cities, but still around people we trust.
• Good land is still cheap in the target region, often $1,000 to $2,000 per acre for large, forested parcels.
• Cold winters mean fewer pests and less pesticide drift from nearby agriculture.
• Starlink and rural fiber are expanding, making remote work realistic even in remote areas.

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Who’s Involved Right Now

We’re a group of about 20 college-aged men from across the U.S. Most are students or early in their careers. The current group includes Jews (religious and secular), Christians (Catholic and Protestant), a Buddhist, a Hindu, and some atheists. No one’s pushing religion or politics. The common ground is safety, respect, and long-term planning.

Some want to homestead full-time. Others want a standard house and remote job. Some are politically conservative, others more liberal. The group includes a mix, but everyone values discussion over outrage.

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Basic Outline of the Community
• Land will be purchased individually, in adjacent or nearby parcels.
• Everyone keeps full ownership and legal control of their own property.
• We’ll plan optional shared spaces like a gathering hall, trails, or a storm shelter.
• The shared hall would serve as a community meeting space, synagogue or church, and event venue. No religious symbols or images by default.
• One small room will be kept for silence and meditation. No noise, no talking, no exceptions.
• The rest of the layout is flexible based on what people want and can contribute.

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Who Should Consider This
• Young adults planning for a long-term future outside cities.
• People who want to live near others they trust without giving up autonomy.
• Anyone who can work remotely or build useful skills over the next decade.
• People who can disagree without losing their minds. No ideologues. No cultists. No hand-holders.

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If You’re Interested

Reach out in the comments or message directly. We’re doing virtual meetups with people who seem aligned. There’s no commitment now. It’s early-stage planning. But if you think you’ll want in when the time comes, now is the time to get on the radar.

The window to help shape this from the ground up won’t stay open forever.

Something I like about this is that this involves sharing and connection without the chalenging entanglements of co-owning land.  Like creating a village.

Riona Abhainn wrote:Something I like about this is that this involves sharing and connection without the chalenging entanglements of co-owning land.  Like creating a village.

Yea, that’s kind of the idea. I don’t want to have problems a generation later, since all people grow apart at some point, even if it takes a few generations. I have to assume it won’t last forever or will change a lot over the generations. So I don’t want it to fall apart bad. Instead, people would likely profit in the end form taking this rural land, reasoning it, and making a micro economy with good land, 50Xing the cost of their originally bought property.