Acorn Community

Acorn is a farm based, anarchist, egalitarian, intentional community located in rural Louisa County, Virginia, United States, and is a member of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities. Acorn was started in 1993 as a spin-off community of the older, larger Twin Oaks Community. In the early 1990s the Twin Oaks population swelled to capacity, with there still being many more people who wished to join. The pressure of the large number of people desiring to live in the community encouraged Twin Oaks members to form another community nearby to accommodate more people. This effort resulted in, on a 75 acre farm 7 miles away from Twin Oaks, the formation of Acorn.

Group meetings are held weekly and decisions are reached through consensus. Members share a strong sense of environmental awareness, therefore they strive to live lightly on the land. Although structured in areas such as membership, policies are kept to a minimum; it is preferred that a calm anarchy prevail. Of the policies that are in place, the culture encourages personal responsibility rather than supervision. The community takes on issues on a case-by-case basis, keeping in mind that needs are varied amongst individuals.

The population and stability of Acorn has fluctuated significantly in its relatively short history. Financial crisis and interpersonal conflict have brought the community close to an end on a number of occasions. Having survived these difficult times, Acorn is now thriving (2013) as it enjoys a full membership of 30 members (currently its self-imposed maximum number) as well as the presence and participation of provisional members, interns and guests. There is also a waiting list of people who have been approved for membership and are waiting for space to become available.

Acorn supports itself through its non-GMO heirloom seed business, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. The income from this business is held in common and used to support Acorn's members, as well as a number of other activities (such as maintenance of a fund to support the formation of other cooperative egalitarian communities). In this vein Acorn purchased a nearby property in 2013, in order to form and support the growth of a new community, which is named Sapling.

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