An interesting example of a group that has largely achieved political autonomy in the US. Also interesting because it's a close knit Jewish community that is _not_ wealthy.
"The first families arrived in Ramapo, a bucolic locale some 40 miles (65 kms) from New York City, in 1956. When town officials saw that the new community was violating a number of local zoning and building codes, they attempted to have New Square dismantled. At that point, the community filed a request to incorporate as a new municipal entity, a move that was approved by the state Supreme Court in 1961.
Once New Square acquired self-rule, it rewrote the local ordinances, and the town began taking on the shape of a New World shtetl. Businesses that had already opened in home basements were legalized, and were joined by others, including a watch manufacturer and a hat factory, in addition to three knitting mills.
The 2010 U.S. census found the population of New Square to be just under 7,000, nearly 70 percent of whom were living below the poverty line. In nearly 90 percent of the homes, the primary language is Yiddish. Although the town is within the East Ramapo public school district, all of the children in New Square attend parochial schools operated by the Skver sect."
"The first families arrived in Ramapo, a bucolic locale some 40 miles (65 kms) from New York City, in 1956. When town officials saw that the new community was violating a number of local zoning and building codes, they attempted to have New Square dismantled. At that point, the community filed a request to incorporate as a new municipal entity, a move that was approved by the state Supreme Court in 1961.
Once New Square acquired self-rule, it rewrote the local ordinances, and the town began taking on the shape of a New World shtetl. Businesses that had already opened in home basements were legalized, and were joined by others, including a watch manufacturer and a hat factory, in addition to three knitting mills.
The 2010 U.S. census found the population of New Square to be just under 7,000, nearly 70 percent of whom were living below the poverty line. In nearly 90 percent of the homes, the primary language is Yiddish. Although the town is within the East Ramapo public school district, all of the children in New Square attend parochial schools operated by the Skver sect."