The community aspect of this kind of place is very attractive, but I find the actual photos fairly off-putting. It's very suburban-sprawl-looking, and the article touches on how this is part of the "Margaritaville" mega-brand.
I wish there were more places in between this sort of life (too corporate) and the communes like twin oaks (too many sacrifices for communal life imo, e.g. almost no pets, restricted housing). Maybe what I want is just an ordinary friendly small town, but if people have suggestions for places where you can find deep community that would fit an academic/tech-inclined personality-type, I'd love to hear it.
> Maybe what I want is just an ordinary friendly small town
Life in Europe is not perfect by any means, but I had a better social life there and felt more in touch with people.
An anecdote: our home there was one unit in a six-plex that we owned, which is a pretty common arrangement for middle-class-ish people who live in a city rather than the countryside. Several times a year, another couple in the same building would organize a dinner where they'd put up a big table outdoors and grill up some food. Everyone else brought a dish or two, and of course there was lots of wine.
Padova, Italy. I also lived in Innsbruck for a bit, and I agree it's not quite as "friendly". It was difficult for me to compare too much though, because I speak Italian fluently, but don't speak German, so it's natural for me to be able to connect more closely with people in Italy. I found people in Innsbruck to be pleasant and polite and enjoyed my time there.
It's kind of difficult to describe what 'friendly' meant in Italy. Maybe 'social' is a better word. It's not like some movie where you chat with someone and all of a sudden they're you're best friend and invite you over for dinner. Just people are kind of 'easy going' socially where it's just pleasant and easy to have a conversation with someone.
I wish there were more places in between this sort of life (too corporate) and the communes like twin oaks (too many sacrifices for communal life imo, e.g. almost no pets, restricted housing). Maybe what I want is just an ordinary friendly small town, but if people have suggestions for places where you can find deep community that would fit an academic/tech-inclined personality-type, I'd love to hear it.