Company town

A company town is a kind of intentional community, established by a corporation to supply labor to a factory or other large-scale operation in a single geographic area. The economy of the company town is typically tied deeply to a single company, hence the name.

Below are some examples.

• Goodyear, AZ
• Lake Buena Vista, FL
• Hopedale, MA

Distinguishing characteristics

Beyond the core economic dependency on a single company, company towns are distinguished by a profound level of control and influence that the company exerts over virtually every aspect of daily life for its residents.

This often includes:

• Ownership and Control of Infrastructure and Services
  • Housing: The company typically owns most, if not all, of the housing in the town. Workers are often required to live in company housing as a condition of employment. This gives the company significant leverage, as they can dictate rent, evict workers, and control who lives in the town.
  • Company Store (Monopoly Retail): A central feature of many historical company towns was the "company store." This was often the only place to buy groceries, goods, and supplies, creating a monopoly for the company. Prices could be inflated, and workers were sometimes paid in "scrip" (company-specific currency) that was only redeemable at the company store, further limiting their economic freedom and often leading to debt.
  • Public Services: The company often provided and controlled essential services that would normally be run by a municipal government, such as schools, churches, libraries, medical facilities, utilities (water, electricity), and even recreation facilities (parks, clubhouses, theaters).
  • Law Enforcement: In some cases, the company even controlled the local police or employed private security forces (like the Pinkertons) to maintain order and suppress labor organizing.
• Social and Political Control (Paternalism and Authoritarianism)
  • Lack of Independent Governance: Company towns often lacked an independent, elected municipal government. Decisions about the town were made by company management, not by residents.
  • Restrictions on Freedom: Companies could exert significant control over workers' personal lives, dictating behaviors, prohibiting alcohol, imposing curfews, or even banning unionization. This paternalistic approach, sometimes framed as a utopian ideal to foster healthy communities, often masked a desire for control and to prevent unrest.
  • Surveillance: The company often kept a watchful eye on its employees, made easier by the fact that they were also tenants and consumers within the company's ecosystem.
  • Limited Mobility: While not always explicitly forbidden, the debt incurred at company stores and the reliance on company housing could make it difficult for workers to leave the town and seek employment elsewhere, effectively trapping them.
• Physical Layout and Architecture
  • Planned Layout: Company towns were often meticulously planned, sometimes by prominent architects, to reflect the company's vision for efficiency, order, and sometimes, a certain aesthetic.
  • Uniformity: Housing and other buildings often had a uniform architectural style, reflecting the company's ownership and control. The company manager's house might be more imposing and prominently located.
  • Central Focal Point: The town's layout would typically revolve around the company's primary operation (e.g., a factory, mine, or mill), with residences and services radiating outwards.

In summary, a company town is distinguished not just by its economic reliance on one entity, but by the pervasive and often authoritarian control that single company wields over the infrastructure, services, social life, and even the personal freedoms of its residents. It's a place where the lines between employer and government, landlord and shopkeeper, are blurred, with the company holding the dominant position in all roles.

Influence on the Humankind Land Trust

The Humankind Land Trust aims to provide sustainable housing to local residents, which is similar to what company towns might do for employees and residents. Otherwise, the Trust imposes much fewer restrictions and constraints on residents, compared to company towns.