Free Acres is an
unincorporated community located along the border of
Berkeley Heights in
Union County and
Watchung in
Somerset County, in
New Jersey, United States. Free Acres was created in 1910 as a
social experiment
A social experiment is a type of psychological or sociological research for testing people's reactions to certain situations or events. The experiment depends on a particular social approach where the main source of information is the point of v ...
by
Bolton Hall, an Irish-born New York entrepreneur, reformer and follower of
Leo Tolstoy.
Hall believed in economist
Henry George's idea of
single tax
A single tax is a system of taxation based mainly or exclusively on one tax, typically chosen for its special properties, often being a tax on land value. The idea of a single tax on land values was proposed independently by John Locke and Bar ...
ation, under which residents pay a
land value tax
A land value tax (LVT) is a levy on the value of land (economics), land without regard to buildings, personal property and other land improvement, improvements. It is also known as a location value tax, a point valuation tax, a site valuation ta ...
to the community based on the value of the land alone, and in turn, the community pays a lump sum to the municipality.
The wooded community of 85 households is located about west of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. Residents own their houses, but pay a lease for the land, which is owned collectively by the community. Free Acres contains a farmhouse and a
spring-fed pool. Residents of Free Acres still pay tax to the Free Acres Association, which is now a more common version of the property tax, based on the value of the land and any improvements. The association maintains the community's streets and swimming pool, approves architectural changes to homes, and pays a lump sum in taxes to the two municipalities.
Among the early residents of Free Acres were author
Thorne Smith and his wife Celia, and actor
James Cagney and his wife Billie. It has been home to scientists who worked at the nearby
Bell Labs Murray Hill.
See also
*
Commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
*
Tragedy of the Commons
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy i ...
References
External links
A history of Free AcresHistoric Photos of Free Acres
Georgist communities
Watchung, New Jersey
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
Unincorporated communities in Somerset County, New Jersey
Unincorporated communities in Union County, New Jersey
Unincorporated communities in New Jersey
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