- Communal living surged in the 1960s and ‘70s as part of the hippie movement. Today, Gen Z and millennials are increasingly turning to co-buying homes with friends or family—not for countercultural reasons, but as a practical response to high housing prices, student debt, and mortgage rates.
The 1960s and ‘70s were one of the most colorful and plentiful examples of communal living. Younger generations—baby boomers, at the time—developed communes that were welcoming of anyone willing to reject mainstream culture and escape urbanism.
