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Twin Oaks Intentional Community
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Welcome To Twin Oaks Community

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Twin Oaks is an intentional community in rural central Virginia, made up of around 70 adult members and 15 children. Since the community's beginning in 1967, our way of life has reflected our values of cooperation, sharing, egalitarianism, income-sharing, nonviolence, and ecological sustainability.

Twin Oaks Community is located on the traditional territory of the Monacan and Mannahoac peoples (now merged as the Monacan Indian Nation), known to its inhabitants as Amai Amañuhkañ ("The Country of the People of the Land"). Our bylaws call for us to strive to eliminate sexism, racism, ageism, and competitiveness. We believe that this also includes a call to dismantle colonialism and acknowledge our position as settlers on stolen land. You can find out more about current tribal issues and join us in supporting the Monacan Indian Nation.

Looking for a home in community?

We are currently looking for new members—we have space for 90 adult members. If you are possibly interested in making Twin Oaks a home for yourself, please read our Visitor Information and send in a Letter of Introduction. The dates for our 2023 visitor periods are here.

 

Events at Twin Oaks This Summer
You are invited to participate. Please see links below for information and registration:
Twin Oaks Queer Gathering Aug 4 - 6
Twin Oaks Women's Gathering Aug 18 - 20
Twin Oaks Communities Conference Sept 1 - 4

 

 Addressing racism at Twin Oaks
Last Updated: June 2022

Twin Oaks was founded in 1967 by a group of white people who intended to create an egalitarian non-violent community that sought to address the inequalities of mainstream society. However, by refusing to recognize race as a key element of power and privilege, the injustices of our broader society against BIPOC individuals were recreated and engrained into the structures and culture of Twin Oaks. The murder of George Floyd was a moment of reckoning for Twin Oaks and its history of trivializing and dismissing the voices of its BIPOC members. The efforts of our BIPOC members, which had historically been met with resistance and skepticism, finally resulted in community conversation that forced many, though not all, of our white members to grapple with the discrepancies between our stated values and their own racial blindness. The white membership of Twin Oaks, which has consistently constituted about 90% of our population, failed to see how their apathy, prioritization of white comfort and, in some cases, explicit racism, ignored and marginalized the wants and needs of the few BIPOC individuals who have lived in the community. These patterns have directly led to their exodus and discontent with the communities movement. The largely color-blind attempt at equality at Twin Oaks created a culture that is unwelcoming for BIPOC people, a culture which must be dismantled.

You can read more about some of the culture, structure and history of Twin Oaks as it relates to race and racism, as well as our current efforts to untangle ourselves from white supremacy and colonialism in the Racial Justice section under the Culture tab at the top of this page.


We do not have a group religion; our beliefs are diverse. We do not have a central leader; we govern ourselves by a form of democracy with responsibility shared among various managers, planners, and committees. We are self-supporting economically, and partly self-sufficient. We are income-sharing. Each member works 42 hours a week in the community's business and domestic areas. Each member receives housing, food, healthcare, and personal spending money from the community.

Our hammocks and casual furniture business has generated most of our income in the past. Making tofu as of 2011 has become roughly equal in importance to hammocks. Indexing books and now seed growing are also significant sources of income. Still, less than half of our work goes into these income-producing activities; the balance goes into a variety of tasks that benefit our quality of life—including milking cows, gardening, cooking, and childcare. Most people prefer doing a variety of work, rather than the same job day in, day out.

A number of us choose to be politically active in issues of peace, ecology, anti-racism, and feminism. Each summer we host a Women's Gathering, Queer Gathering, and Communities Conference where we welcome both experienced communitarians, and seekers who are new to community living.

We are once again offering Saturday tours, with some covid-cautious requirements. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information or to arrange a tour. As part of our cooperation with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, we are offering the option of specific tours of our garden, following the regular tour of the community (during spring to autumn months.) If you are interested in this, please mention it when you contact us. 

We offer a structured three week visit designed to give the visitor some general education and experience in living at Twin Oaks. Read about the Visitor Program here

Please do not drop in and expect to get a tour or be able to stay overnight. Tours and visits must always be pre-arranged, and to be a guest here, a member must agree to be your host before you arrive.

Twin Oaks Community
138 Twin Oaks Road # W
Louisa, VA 23093 USA

540-894-5126
888-424-8838 Fax
Email Us

When communicating with us by email please do not send attachments. Please send only plain text email, not HTML formatted mail. When you write, please tell us how/where you heard about Twin Oaks. If it was through another website, we'd like to know which one, and the URL if possible.

More about Twin Oaks

Bumper Sticker for an Income Sharing Community:
"My other car isn't mine either"
Read about Income Sharing

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