In the Bay Area, it’s very common for younger people to share accommodation (and not an alternative lifestyle). But this is often a set of somewhat random people living together and not an intentional group house of like-minded people. As people get older and have higher incomes, people are less likely to share (AFAIK).
So EA group houses do indicate an alternative lifestyle … but in places like SF and Berkeley such alternative lifestyles are also pretty common outside EA.
In the Bay Area, it’s very common for younger people to share accommodation (and not an alternative lifestyle). But this is often a set of somewhat random people living together and not an intentional group house of like-minded people. As people get older and have higher incomes, people are less likely to share (AFAIK).
So EA group houses do indicate an alternative lifestyle … but in places like SF and Berkeley such alternative lifestyles are also pretty common outside EA.