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All the United States California Calipatria Slab City

Slab City

This abandoned Navy base was transformed into an off-grid alternative living community for thousands of people.

Calipatria, California

Added By
anhie
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CAPTION
Entrance to East Jesus   jdev / Atlas Obscura User
Slab City   Jon Evans/CC BY 2.0
East Jesus Art project   Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress/Public Domain
  Matthew Dillon/CC BY 2.0
  Matthew Dillon/CC BY 2.0
The welcome sign   tuchodi / CC BY 2.0
The East Jesus section of Slab City   Marc Cooper / Public Domain
East Jesus: the even more artistic side of Slab City.   James Ricci / Atlas Obscura User
East Jesus: the even more artistic side of Slab City.   James Ricci / Atlas Obscura User
Slab City signage   James Ricci / Atlas Obscura User
Slab City East Jesus Art (Free thought! Only $89.99)   oliviastavely / Atlas Obscura User
24 hour anarchist library   oliviastavely / Atlas Obscura User
Second tank features Kama Sutra theme   Dave Ciechenowski
Slab City VW van   Dave Ciechanowski
Entrance to East Jesus, art site near The Range created by the late Charles Russell   Dave Ciechenowski
Decorated vehicles are popular   Dave Ciechenowski
Sculptor Joe Holliday’s woolly mammoth made mainly of discarded truck tires   Dave Ciechenowski
“East Jesus” in Slab City features more evolving displays of outsider art   Dave Ciechenowski
Slab City has its own pet cemetery   Dave Ciechenowski
Begun over six years ago by Builder Bill, The Range is an outdoor performance area complete with raised stage, sound and lights   Dave Ciechenowski
More outsider art   Dave Ciechenowski
Outsider art on old Marine tanks at Slab City   Dave Ciechenowski
  ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
  Mathias Van de Velde / Atlas Obscura User
  Mathias Van de Velde / Atlas Obscura User
  katerayne / Atlas Obscura User
  katerayne / Atlas Obscura User
  katerayne / Atlas Obscura User
  sophiestjacques / Atlas Obscura User
  jondi letnap / Atlas Obscura User
  Mathias Van de Velde / Atlas Obscura User
  Mathias Van de Velde / Atlas Obscura User
Salvation Mountain   Dan Nevill/CC BY 2.0
  epgruner / Atlas Obscura User
  epgruner / Atlas Obscura User
  Avoiding Regret
  Avoiding Regret
  Avoiding Regret
  Mathias Van de Velde / Atlas Obscura User
  Mathias Van de Velde / Atlas Obscura User
East Jesus Burning Man sculpture   cguttery / Atlas Obscura User
One of the RVs from Slab City - Frame from West of Babylonia.   emanuelemengotti / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Slab City, or the Slabs, is a free campsite and alternative living community located near an active bombing range in the desert city of Niland, California. Previously a WWII base, Marine barracks Camp Dunlap, the campsite earns its name for the concrete slabs that remained long after the military base had been bulldozed and abandoned.

During the winter months, as many as several thousand campers—mostly elderly retirees—flock to this site for the warmer desert weather and lack of fees. These seasonal residents, known as "snowbirds," live in a variety of housing formats. Though most come to the area in RVs, many set up in abandoned structures, such as old, inoperative buses or driftwood shacks. A small population of people also lives there year-round, braving the harsh summer months when temperatures can reach above 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

The permanent residents, also known as "slabbers," most often end up in Slab City due to poverty (many are said to subsist off government checks), though some also stay for the feeling of freedom that comes with living in an uncontrolled, off-grid area in the middle of the desert. With limited access to electricity, fresh water, or sewage treatment, residents are forced to rely on solar panels and their own waste management systems. The residents share one communal shower, a concrete cistern that is fed by a hot spring 100 yards away.

The lack of government is also what drives many people to Slab City, which is often called "the last free place on Earth. Away from the hustle and bustle of city living, the campsite features its own community library, golf course, sculpture garden, two live music stages, and several social clubs. There are more than a dozen individual neighborhoods within the limits of Slab City. Each has its own rules and culture.

One of those neighborhoods is called East Jesus. Located on the northern edge of Slab City, this area has an outdoor art museum that welcomes visitors. The artwork on display includes a wall built from old television sets, a house that appears to be sinking into the ground, and a collectively-built archway that stands at the entrance.  Behind the museum, residents' trailers surround a communal living space.

Perhaps the community's most popular slabber was Leonard Knight, the creator of nearby Salvation Mountain. For over 20 years, Knight lived out of his truck and worked continually on his colorful art mountain, which marks the entrance to Slab City. He was finally forced to leave the mountain due to failing health, but still enjoyed local legend status, and received many letters from well-wishers. Leonard has since died, but you can still visit and donate paint.

Slab City has been featured in the non-fiction book and film Into the Wild and in the documentary West of Babylonia.

Related Tags

Abandoned Outsider Art Geological Oddities Statues Disaster Areas Cultures And Civilizations Eccentric Homes Outsider Architecture

Know Before You Go

Drive towards Niland on Highway 111, turn east on the street by United Grocery. Travel for 3.5 miles to the city. Salvation Mountain marks the entrance.

Community Contributors

Added By

anhie

Edited By

Avoiding Regret, Martin, benmores, erjeffery...

  • Avoiding Regret
  • Martin
  • benmores
  • erjeffery
  • smithgirl1969
  • James Ricci
  • emanuelemengotti
  • oliviastavely
  • jondi letnap
  • Ike Allen
  • cguttery
  • jdev
  • epgruner
  • ccesare
  • sophiestjacques
  • Mathias Van de Velde
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • katerayne

Published

June 24, 2012

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Sources
  • https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/slab-city-california-desert/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slab_City
  • http://www.desertdutch.org/slabcity.htm
  • http://www.clui.org/clui_4_1/lotl/lotlsp96/slab.html
  • http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D04E3DE1530F934A25751C1A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
  • http://www.delightfully-tacky.com/2010/12/if-they-keep-quiet-stones-will-cry-out.html
  • http://www.technomadia.com/2009/11/salvation-mountain-at-slab-city/
  • http://pictureroute66.com/2009/12/01/east-jesus-pop-1-elev-75/
  • https://californiacrossings.com/slab-city-california-counter-culture/
Slab City
Beal Road
Calipatria, California, 92233
United States
33.258889, -115.466389
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

East Jesus

Niland, California

miles away

Salvation Mountain

Calipatria, California

miles away

Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field

Calipatria, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Calipatria

Calipatria

California

Places 7

Nearby Places

East Jesus

Niland, California

miles away

Salvation Mountain

Calipatria, California

miles away

Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field

Calipatria, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Calipatria

Calipatria

California

Places 7

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