Group of children playing with water in a community setting at Twin Oaks.

Twin Oaks Intentional Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 1967

What we do

Twin Oaks is an income-sharing community of 100 people living on 485 acres of farm and forestland in Virginia. We were founded in 1967, and our lifestyle reflects our values of egalitarianism, ecology, and nonviolence. We welcome scheduled visitors throughout the year. We are economically self-sufficient.
Members work full-time in our community businesses–growing, packing, and shipping organic heirloom seeds, indexing books, making tofu and other work. These businesses provide about one-third of our work; the rest goes into the tasks needed to support a rural village of 100 people–organic gardening, milking cows, equipment and building maintenance, cooking, office work, and more. Our work schedules of 40 hours each week are very flexible. In return for member’s labor, the community provides all basic needs, including housing, food, clothing, etc. Twin Oaks has an intricate community culture.
Our everyday lives include many recreational activities–social and support groups, performances, music, games, dance, and art. Our culture values inclusivity and sustainable living. We share our vehicles, we build our own buildings, and we share houses of 10-20 people. Some of us do sustainability activism and work for economic, racial and gender justice. Each summer we host a Communities Conference, Women’s Gathering and Queer Gathering ; see our website for details.
We offer a two-hour tour on many Saturday afternoons; please email or call during business hours to reserve a place. Our Three-Week Visitor Program is a prerequisite for membership and must be arranged well in advance of the proposed stay. Information about visiting is available on our website.

Our Mission

egalitarianism, income-sharing

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Ecovillage
  • Commune
  • Activities
  • Farming
  • Experiences

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1967
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1967
  • Started living together

Video

  • 100 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
115

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Read our website visiting section and then correspond with us to arrange a Saturday tour and/or a three-week visit. Arrangements must be made well ahead of any visit.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Decision-making process

  • Leadership Decides

A single person, couple, or small group makes most major decisions.

Governance structure

  • Founder/Leader-led

Primary authority rests with the community’s founder(s) or designated leader(s).

Economic model

  • Complete Income-Sharing

All member income goes into common pool for community use.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a labor obligation

Additional economic information

Labor: Yes (42 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Weekly work quota, 40 hours.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Swimming pond or pool, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately all meals

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • Volunteer, Internship, or Apprenticeship, or WWOOF’ing
  • WWOOF'ing, Guest Farming
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Family-focused (many children and parents)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Community type

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

  • Commune

    Communal living with shared resources, property, and often income or work responsibilities

Self-produced energy

  • 33 - 66%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Greenhouse / aquaponics
  • Land area size
    485 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • Virginia, United States

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
Offer
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
4 weeks ago

3000sf House+Apartment, Rosewind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA

We are a retired couple who are downsizing, still living within the community. We are selling our large, flexible, comfortably rustic house, perfect for a multigenerational household, a family with kids or for 2 separate households. It’s 3000 square feet on 3 levels. The house is on a slope, with 2 main entrances. At one time it housed a large blended family. The current setup is a 2250 square foot, 2 bath main house with a 700 square foot rental apartment, also called an auxiliary dwelling unit (ADU). There is a staircase between the main and lower floor, with a lockable door. If desired, the ADU kitchen can be removed. The main floor has a very large kitchen/dining area, large living room, two small bedrooms, a bathroom with 2 sinks and a shower, a laundry room and a large mudroom. The non-bearing wall between the 2 bedrooms can be removed to turn it back to a single primary bedroom. The top floor has two bedrooms, one of which is primary with a large bright sitting area, and a large open middle area between them (game room, TV room, kids sleeping area, etc.). There is a bathroom with a claw-foot tub, no shower. The lower floor is the ADU, a finished storage area and a stand-up “crawl space“ which is used as a second pantry and storage.Attached to the house there is also a 150 sq ft wood paneled office/hobby space with its own electric and propane lines. Features: – straw bale construction, which is energy-efficient, great sound insulation, and provides a warm, soft, feeling. -very large functional kitchen with a long granite countertop. The dining area fits 10 people. -natural construction, with solid maple floors in the middle and upper level, marmoleum floor in kitchen and oak floor in the lower level. The two small bedrooms have painted wood floors. The doors are all solid wood. -large, functional, low maintenance patio area. Room for a table for eight and an additional sitting area. Propane hook ups for grills and smokers.
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
7 months ago

Worktrade Opportunities on Big Island Hawaii

We are continuing our work-trade program at Bridge Hawaii for the right people on this beautiful 86-acre land located along the Hāmākua Coast. Ideally, we want to host those individuals who can help with the garden and who can support with build projects for up to a 3 month stay. This work-trade would include lodging, food staples, community kitchen, running hot water showers, off-grid electricity, and laundry. There is access to high speed wi-fi. We often have a car that can be reserved. We also have full bar signal strength with Verizon cellphone service. We have about 2 acres of permaculture garden that needs to be cared for including; weeding, planting, picking up mulch, some tree trimming, ect. We are currently in a building stage on the land. We have a few current grant projects we are working on and some build projects that are underway. We are an intentional community with about 8 permanent residents. There are rescue dairy cows, mini cows, mini donkeys, horses, a donkey, cats, dogs, and active bee hives. We are a drug and alcohol “free” space. A glass of wine or beer with dinner is fine, but absolutely no day drinking or parties. We have a meditation temple and many waterfall pools that are wonderful for swimming. Close to some of the nicest beaches on island. We have snorkeling gear and a kayak. Since this is an animal sanctuary, we limit the consumption of meat on the land. Fish, eggs, honey, and dairy are fine. Let me know if you’re interested by sending an email or text for our application. Maomi (801) 623-0738 ma***@*****************ii.com
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
4 weeks ago

3/2 Townhome in Atlanta-Area Co-Housing Community

https://cfortuin.wixsite.com/1804dancingfox The property currently features 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, open floor plan kitchen/dining room/living room with atrium ceiling, a window-lit bonus area, two rear balconies with great views, and a covered front porch. The front porch and 1st floor features a zero-step entrance, wide interior solid wood doors, with a bedroom, bath and balcony on the main floor.  The 2nd floor features 2 bedrooms, the master with access to the 2nd floor balcony, a bath with a jetted tub and shower, a window-lit bonus area, and a new washer and dryer.  9’ ceilings and custom wood millwork throughout the home, combined with the solid wood doors, add both a unifying coziness and class to this 1400 sqft home. There is also framed-out, unfinished space that could be converted to expand the unit into a 7 bedroom, 4 bath home. The walkout basement floor has a private entrance, and is framed out for being a 1 bedroom, 1 bath, “mother-in-law” apartment with a living and dining room, with a total of 7 windows.  The third floor is framed out for 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, with a foyer and 2nd master bedroom with vaulted ceilings.  Architectural drawings for this build out, which adds 1485 sqft of finished space, are available to interested buyers. The townhome is in the friendly East Lake Commons Co-Housing Community.Details on ELC and its amenities are at EastLakeCommons.org Price: $435,000 I will not sell to brokers or investors; I am interested in selling to people who will live in the home and join the community. Interested parties should take a tour of East Lake Commons, attend a community potluck, and read the Community Covenants, Bylaws, and Book of Commons before the closing. Community participation helps keep our Community vibrant! The unfinished square footage may qualify for a “203K” mortgage, allowing licensed contractors to finish the framed-out space. Questions? Contact John Fortuin: Email: Re***********@***oo.com Text: 404-438-2389 Thank you!

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