Maharishi Vedic City

Tucked away in the southeastern part of America's Heartland (AKA Iowa), lies a small, 1-square mile, hamlet of just a little over 250 people.* The town is located in Jefferson County In total there are about 140 households, and 48 families. According to the last census, the racial demographics of the town breakdowns as follows: 95% White, 1.5% African American, and 1.5% Asian. The official language of this Midwestern town: Sanskrit.  The town is Maharishi Vedic City (MVC), and it's a community based around the principles of the Veda, ancient Sanskrit texts that are focusedon balance and natural law. There are five-people who sit on a city council that serves as the presiding body of government. The sale of non-organic food is completely banned in the city limits. In fact, MVC operates a very successful organic farming operation and distributes to the Whole Foods chain. After the city banned the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers it became America's first all-organic city. MVC was incorporated in 2001 as "Vedic City", and a few months later was changed to "Maharishi Vedic City." The entire city plan is based on Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, which was "an ancient system of architecture and design, revived by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi," with the goals to "protect, nourish, and satisfy everyone, upholding the different social, cultural, and religious traditions while maintaining the integrity and progress of the city as a whole." There are 1,000 "experts" (i.e. pandits) who "gather twice daily to practice Transcendental Meditation and Yogic Flying to promote peace and harmony in the world." In Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, all structures are built according to precise Vedic proportions with rooms placed according to the movement of the sun and entrances that face due east. In addition, each building includes an interior, silent core called a "brahmasthan", a perimeter boundary called a "vastu fence" and a gold-colored roof fixture called a "kalash".