Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa

Maharishi Vedic City is a city in Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The city was first incorporated in 2001 as Vedic City but then officially changed the name to Maharishi Vedic City five months later. The Census Bureau's 2006 estimates listed the city's population as 222 people. Maharishi Vedic City is Iowa's newest city. The architectural design of the buildings in the city as well as the city's layout is based on aspects of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Vedic Science. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi developed Transcendental Meditation.

Geography

Maharishi Vedic City is located approximately two miles north of Fairfield, the home of Maharishi University of Management.

ZIP codes

All addresses in Maharishi Vedic City fall under the 52556 ZIP code.

History

The idea for Maharishi Vedic City was conceived in 1991 by Chris Johnson, a real estate developer from San Francisco. This idea evolved into a working municipality centered on the principles and teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, including his views on architectural design. These views, part of Maharishi Vedic Science, are said by the Maharishi to promote happiness and energy, and include having a gold-colored kalash on the roof of each building and having all structures face east.

Johnson and a dozen other followers of the Maharishi purchased 50 farms totaling 3,000 acres (12 km²), some 1,200 of which were designated for the town itself. They laid out development in 10 circles ringing about one square mile, and paved roads, installed utilities from sewage to internet, and constructed buildings including two hotels, houses, office buildings, and a Vedic observatory with ancient astronomical instruments to orient the town within the cosmos. Eventually a double golden dome in the center of the layout will serve as a venue for yogic flying, similar to a facility already in use at the nearby university because residents believe that group practice of this technique "will create coherence for the whole country". Financial and infrastructure needs led Maharishi Vedic City to seek formal approval as a city from the state, and after petitioning the Iowa City Development Board and holding a referendum, it was incorporated as Iowa's newest city on July 21, 2001—the first in Iowa since 1982. The group expects to have a population of over 1,000 by 2010, chiefly made up of meditators already living in Fairfield.

Sanskrit has been named the city's "ideal language," although other languages are used. In November 2001, the city's name was expanded to Maharishi Vedic City. In November 2002, the city council passed an ordinance banning the sale of non-organic food. The city council voted to ban the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers within the city limits in April 2005, becoming the first all-organic city in the country. As of 2003, the city began offering tours to the public.

Government

Maharishi Vedic City is administered by a five-person city council and a mayor. Few laws or ordinances exist, citing natural law as the governing principle of the city. The current mayor is Bob Wynne.

External links

• Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa
• Seattle Times, "Southeast Iowa becomes a Mecca for meditation"
• In*Tandem Magazine, "Vedic City, USA"
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