It is a community of people with common religious beliefs, with a panel of church elders who set policy for the community's common church, K-12 school, and private 4-year university, and a loose form of self- (municipal) government. An emphasis on community living is a key value in their lifestyle, such as taking most meals together in a common meeting place. The community was established during a Christian religious movement in the 1960s and 1970s, where many such communities were established in Alaska and Canada, with emphasis on self-sufficiency and at least partial agricultural independence. The latter lends to the term often used by outsiders as "The Farm", in reference to a single such community. Modern technology is not forbidden, nor discouraged, but due to remoteness and complete lack of public utilities, it is present much less so than in American and Canadian culture.
It is a community of people with common religious beliefs with a panel of church elders who set policy for the community's common church K-12 school and private 4-year university and a loose form of self- (municipal) government An emphasis on community living is a key value in their lifestyle such as taking most meals together in a common meeting place The community was established during a Christian religious movement in the 1960s and 1970s where many such communities were established in Alaska and Canada with emphasis on self-sufficiency and at least partial agricultural independence The latter lends to the term often used by outsiders as "The Farm" in reference to a single such community Modern technology is not forbidden nor discouraged but due to remoteness and complete lack of public utilities it is present much less so than in American and Canadian culture