[jerf]

Less sizable communes survive to at least some extent. I work in the Ann Arbor area and I hear from my coworkers that there's a lot of them around here, farther out of town where the land is cheap. I don't know any details personally, though, so I don't know where they range from what you'd really consider a "commune" through to "a fancy homeowners association" or "coop with a hippie-friendly label". Partially I post this to solicit anyone who does know better to contribute.

[toasterlovin]

But the fact that there always seem to be communes in existence doesn't imply that they are successful. All it means is that there is some baseline portion of the population who are interested in the idea of living communally and who then start communes.

Go on something like IC.org (communes like to call themselves intentional communities). If you dig into them, most of the listings do not seem to be for successful, thriving endeavors.