text: "by Amy Hart: Utopian communities or communes enjoy a long, diverse tenure in the United States. From isolationist and anti-technology Christian communities like the Shakers and Hutterites to primarily economic-equality-focused utopias like Oneida and Brook Farm, communes have existed and even thrived in the United States for centuries ... The social and political events of the late 1950s and ‘60s produced the ideal environment for the rise of new religious movements, and out of them, new religious communities. 
  Until this period, most religious communities shared at least some link with the Judeo-Christian tradition, but the new communes of the 1960s adopted the emerging religions of the East as well as the “New Age” spirituality made popular during this time."
  Certainly constitutional, but the neighborhood folks can feel uncomfortable with things that they aren't familiar with. Get to know them, mingle, put your apprehensions to rest. They're normal people and they don't bite.