At Aberlin Springs, we believe our story is best told in our own words. Following recent coverage in The New York Times about our community, I want to share the heart of what makes Aberlin Springs unique. We are more than headlines — we are families, neighbors, and friends building a sustainable agri-community in Ohio rooted in unity, healthy living, and family values. This is our response to the NYT article on Aberlin Springs, and a fuller picture of the life we’ve created together.

Life at Aberlin Springs: A Community Beyond Politics

By Leslie Aberlin

When I first envisioned Aberlin Springs, it wasn’t about politics. It was about people. I dreamed of a neighborhood where families could gather around fresh food, children could play outdoors without constant screens, and neighbors could know one another in a way that is increasingly rare in modern America.

A recent article in The New York Times portrayed our community through the lens of controversy, focusing on individual beliefs about health, medicine, and motherhood. While those conversations do exist here, they are not the heart of Aberlin Springs. What truly defines us is something simpler, and more profound: the pursuit of healthy living and strong community across differences.

A Community Rooted in Shared Values

At Aberlin Springs, families come together around a farm at the center of our neighborhood. Every week, residents share in produce from our community-supported agriculture program. Children learn where their food comes from. Neighbors meet one another not just at the grocery store, but while pulling weeds, feeding animals, or sharing recipes.

This is not about left or right. It is about values that transcend politics: food that nourishes, soil that sustains, and community that supports. Our homes are filled with families from across the political spectrum—parents who voted for Joe Biden live alongside parents who voted for Donald Trump. What they have in common is not ideology, but a desire for connection, safety, and well-being for their children.

Unity in a Divided Time

One of the most striking things about Aberlin Springs is how people who disagree politically can find common ground. At our July 4th gathering, neighbors with opposing views laughed together over barbecue, watched their children perform in a play, and admired fireworks. We don’t ask people to give up their beliefs at the gate; we ask them to respect their neighbors.

This may sound simple, but in today’s climate it is revolutionary. Too often, Americans are divided into caricatures, their communities defined by the most extreme voices. Aberlin Springs offers a different vision: that people with real differences can still share meals, raise children, and build something meaningful together.

Wellness Without Division

The article suggested that our community is dominated by skepticism of modern medicine. It is true that some families here prefer natural approaches to health. It is also true that others follow their doctors’ advice to the letter. What matters is that these families live side by side. They may not always agree, but they still share gardens, watch each other’s children, and show up when a neighbor is in need.

For me personally, my journey began with a health crisis that conventional medicine could not solve. That experience led me to embrace a more natural lifestyle, which became the seed of Aberlin Springs. But our neighborhood is not a monolith. We are a patchwork of experiences, beliefs, and practices, stitched together by mutual respect.

The Bigger Picture

What does Aberlin Springs represent in the broader American story? I believe it is this: people are yearning for community. In a world where technology isolates us, where neighbors don’t know each other, and where politics divide families, places like ours remind us that human connection is still possible.

Children need to grow up knowing more than apps and algorithms—they need soil under their fingernails, friends to ride bikes with, and adults who invest in their lives. Parents need support networks, not just social media feeds. Communities need to rediscover the simple truth that health is not just the absence of illness, but the presence of connection, purpose, and belonging.

A Call for Common Ground

Aberlin Springs is not perfect. We wrestle with differences like any community. But we have chosen a different path than division. We have chosen to focus on what unites us: food, family, and faith in one another.

If our story is to be told, I hope it is told in full—not only as a place of debate, but as a place of harmony. Because the real lesson of Aberlin Springs is not about politics. It is about possibility.

We need more places in America where people can gather around a shared table, even if they don’t share the same ballot. We need more children growing up close to nature and close to caring neighbors. And we need more communities that remind us of something we have nearly forgotten: that unity is possible, even now.

Leslie Aberlin
Founder, Aberlin Springs
Warren County, Ohio