Disappointed by the demise of the Macedonia Cooperative Community, in which he had become a member, Staughton Lynd wrote in 1958: “Let us hope that some contemporary group will demonstrate by a living example that disintegration and authoritarianism are not our only alternatives.” Indeed, these have been the twin perils in the experience of many American intentional communities throughout the years, particularly those that have sought a high degree of integration as an antidote to what their members perceive to be the inequality and competitiveness of conventional society. Because such ideals cut across the cultural grain, the casualty rate is high. But the primary ingredient in the survival of some may be the very factor responsible for the mortality of others: the almost inevitable quest for a common center, characterized by insistence upon deeper levels of commitment, an increasing degree of homogeneity, and a greater sense of common purpose. Recent works by sociologists like Rosabeth Moss Kanter and historians like Laurence Vesey support this conclusion, as does the judgment of many earlier observers. The quest for such a communal center lay at the heart of the Macedonian experience.