Five Truly Strange Stories of Communities from Around the World

In Charles Vogl's latest book, he tackles the task of building resilient and supportive communities. Communities can be built around a multitude of things ranging from spiritual beliefs to political statements, and everything in between. 

Of course, there are many communities that exist or once existed which can definitely come across as unique or even downright odd. Here are just five intriguing examples from around the world:

1. The Yellow Fleet: This was the name given to a group of fourteen ships trapped in the Suez Canal from 1967 to 1975. They were blocked on both sides of the canal by ships, mines, and other obstacles as a result of the Six-Day War. They were called the Yellow Fleet because desert sand coated the ships as they simply sat on the water for eight years. The officers and crews of the ships came together to build a community called the Great Bitter Lake Association. The association organized social events, held church services, played soccer matches, and even had movies. The fleet also hosted its own version of the Olympics. They had their own postal system.

2. Coober Pedy: This Australian town exists mainly underground. Known for its incredibly high heat on the surface--which can often reach 125 degrees fahrenheit--over 80% of the population lives underground in caves which are significantly cooler. But it's not just homes you find underground but bars, stores, even places of worship thanks to a series of abandoned mine tunnels that connect all places in the same way streets do above ground. The underground homes have all the amenities of traditional homes including electricity, water, internet, but no sunlight. The majority of the population lives by artificial light for most of the Summer months where the temperature below ground remains at a comfortable 75 degrees.

3. Slab City: Located in the Sonoran Desert in California, the name comes from the concrete slabs that still remain from the abandoned WW II Marine Corps barracks that used to stand there. During the winter months, several thousand people descend on the area and join the 150 or so permanent residents in living off the grid as Slab City has no electricity, running water, sewers, toilets, or trash pickup. Most residents use generators or solar panels. Often called "the last free place in America," there are also no stores and no law enforcement. The area is home to eccentrics, drug addicts, army vets, hippies, and others -- all united by an urge to be left alone.

4. Manshiyat Nasser: This settlement located within Cairo, Egypt's huge metropolitan area is home to a very interesting community. It is called "garbage city," and with good reason: every space of the town is covered in garbage including the streets, rooftops, alleys, and anywhere else. The city of Cairo has never established a comprehensive garbage collecting system despite having almost 40 million residents. The inhabitants of Manishiyat Nasser have acted as garbage collectors for over seventy years. They go to Cairo's residents door-to-door and collect garbage for a fee and then return to their homes in Manshiyat Nasser with the garbage. They then sort through the garbage for recyclable material. Almost 90% of the garbage is recycled, which provides steady income for many residents. However, recently, the threat of swine flu led to the government killing of the thousands of pigs in the area which were brought in to consume the trash, ironically resulting in trash problems for the residents.

5. The Villages: This retirement community in Florida is quite unlike any other. The hundred thousand residents (all of whom must be over 55) who live here are anything but "retired." The community has a strong reputation for all manner of sexual debauchery, heavy drinking, and rather hedonistic pursuits. But the people who live there love it, and in the end, isn't community all about sharing common interests and passions?