Slab City

About

Slab City is "a snowbird campsite in the Sonoran Desert 156 miles northeast of San Diego California, used by recreational vehicle owners and squatters from across North America."[W]

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A comment on a Google+ post describes it thusly:

Reading how one likens Guatemala to a libertarian utopia, I'd like to say that one can see what true libertarian society looks like right here in the USA. Check out Slab City, California. No taxes, no mortgages and you are on your own. Although you won't find online libertarians claiming it as their model, when I visited, I never met a person there that claimed to be anything other than libertarian. So why don't libertarians embrace this as their utopia? Why are they embarrassed to even mention it as they did when it began? Because it shows exactly the reality of a society they envision.

Complete chaos with little to no meaningful order of any kind. No planning for water, sewage, garbage, medical, food or electricity. Dogs run loose. People fear locking their doors because the thieves will destroy them when you aren't 'home'. You have to go to the statist nearby towns if you want to have water, competent medical care and food. For electricity, you could always hook up some solar (hope the sun is out) or hook up a generator - which many people run all night long. Be careful though, if you piss someone off, the self appointed 'sheriff' there might just decide to slash your tires when you are away. For $500, he'll make sure you know you aren't wanted there by burning down your rv or trailer. When I was there, there were two places that offered free wi-fi. Neither was connected when I needed it. I had better luck at McDonald's in town. Need to use the bathroom? Dig a hole and dump a loaf. Everyone else does, who cares if it is illegal?

Retirees that frequent there have it pretty good, if they have a pension. Otherwise, you see a huge amount of donation cans at almost every 'craft' setup some people run. Some don't try to sell crafts but you'll see the cans in front of their campsite. You can take a bath at the communal pool if you like. You will have to share it with the dogs though. Watch out for the snakes, tarantulas and scorpions. They are attracted to water in the desert, ya know. Garbage collection is simple. Throw it on the nearest pile. You'll find one within an arm's throw everywhere. They aren't called garbage piles there though. They are called recycle areas. Hey, someone might find use for those cans, bottles and diapers.

Notes

Slab City's web site lists a number of other "off the grid" communities.