A lot depends on the set up. For instance, our town is a satellite town next to a congested  megacity. Many people commute to work by boat or bus, even though they have cars - it's just more convenient. What happens is townspeople become acquainted with one another because we take the same transport to work - either boat or bus. The vehicles are operated by town employees so in addition to the townsfolk getting to know one another, we also get to know the town employees. Then, because the town is a concrete jungle, out of necessity we have three community gardens - again, same dynamic. Townspeople get to know each other as well as town employees that oversee the gardens, as well as the council members that raised money for the gardens to happen. Plus our mayor has a good memory. I went to one measly town meeting and a great deal of time later, as I was taking a walk, an SUV pulls out of the gas station as I was walking by. The driver rolled down the window and it was him! He wanted to say sorry - 'You are so supportive of me and here I am almost running you over in my car!' On a personal level, I used to volunteer teaching English at the library. I had international students and one local student who wanted to gain more confidence with his college-level writing. Completely different demographics than my own - it was great. Plus the library workers became acquaintances too. So if the infrastructure is there, then somehow, somewhere, you can't help but overlap with your fellow town residents and the civil servants that run the town.

Your Aquarius also trigger my own and I wanted to stand up and say, hell yeah! And then after reading your reaction to yourself, I thought…yeah, same.

Great topic. Community to me, right now, is my neighbors and my family. My mother doesn’t even live in my state but I feel I need to care and maintain that. My granddaughters and the kids don’t live near me (20-25 minutes away) but I feel so strongly about the ties there. 

This topic is especially interesting because I saw there is a public hearing at our town tomorrow evening. I feel that I should attend and speak. I will have to put together my thoughts and opinion so I can get up there and be succinct. My husband has done that but I never have. It’s a topic that I feel strongly about. I have no excuse not to be there and say something; I don’t ever feel heard.

Community: is it supposed to hear and consider you? My family and friends and neighbors do, even if we don’t agree on everything. 

Is community only policy? We can go speak, per town rules, but what then?

11th house Sun - I don't believe I could exist without community, and I like to think that I belong to many. I uprooted and moved about six years ago, and immediately established myself in my new community - I was inserted into my husband's existing community, but I also joined a community garden nearby, just to branch out so I'd have my own personal community apart from his. I'm on a leadership committee for the garden. Last year we built up more community participation, and this year we are going to work on improving communication and cooperation. I'm no hero, but I'm very involved. I came from a very privileged community and was raised to do "community service" in neighboring communities that were less fortunate than me/mine. I recognized early on how that enriched my life, and I have traveled the world doing more things like that. It's a part of me, more than I am a part of it.  

I think a group of like-minded people or people who share a common interest can become a community. I also think this is the best of the internet, though communities, forums, subreddits, etc. are created and infiltrated so you have to keep you spider senses on.